He has made seminal contributions to atomic physics and high-energy and relativistic astrophysics, and has played important roles in addressing a variety of national security challenges.
Professor Lamb initially pioneered the application of modern quantum field-theory methods to understanding resonant scattering of light by atoms and molecules, and he developed the first theoretical description of the production of polarized light in the atmospheres of white dwarf stars with mega-gauss magnetic fields. He then turned his attention to the newly-discovered X-ray emitting neutron stars, analyzing their emission and proposing what is now the standard model of X-ray pulsars and the accepted model of X-ray burst sources.