Global InformationEdward Witten information
Edward Witten | |
|---|---|
 Witten in 2008 | |
| Born | August 26, 1951 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education |
|
| Known for | M-theory Seiberg–Witten theory Seiberg–Witten map Seiberg–Witten invariants Wess–Zumino–Witten model Weinberg–Witten theorem Gromov–Witten invariant Hořava–Witten domain wall Vafa–Witten theorem Witten index BCFW recursion Topological quantum field theory (Witten-type TQFTs) Topological string theory CSW rules Witten conjecture Witten zeta function Hanany–Witten transition Twistor string theory Chern–Simons theory Positive energy theorem Witten–Veneziano mechanism |
| Spouse | Chiara Nappi |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellowship (1982) Albert Einstein Medal (1985) ICTP Dirac Medal (1985) Alan T. Waterman Award (1986) Fields Medal (1990) Dannie Heineman Prize (1998) Nemmers Prize (2000) National Medal of Science (2002) Harvey Prize (2005) Henri Poincaré Prize (2006) Crafoord Prize (2008) Lorentz Medal (2010) Isaac Newton Medal (2010) Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2012) Kyoto Prize (2014) Albert Einstein Award (2016)[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics Mathematical physics Superstring theory |
| Institutions | Institute for Advanced Study Harvard University Oxford University California Institute of Technology Princeton University |
| Thesis | Some Problems in the Short Distance Analysis of Gauge Theories (1976) |
| Doctoral advisor | David Gross[2] |
| Other academic advisors | Sidney Coleman[3] Michael Atiyah[3] |
| Doctoral students | Jonathan Bagger (1983) Cumrun Vafa (1985) Xiao-Gang Wen (1987) Dror Bar-Natan (1991) Shamit Kachru (1994) Eva Silverstein (1996) Sergei Gukov (2001) |
| Website | ias |
Edward Witten (born August 26, 1951) is an American theoretical physicist who made profound contributions to String theory , Topological quantum field theory and various areas of mathematics as well. He is a professor emeritus in the school of natural sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.[4] Witten is a researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical physics. Witten's work has also significantly impacted pure mathematics.[5] In 1990, he became the first physicist to be awarded a Fields Medal by the International Mathematical Union, for his mathematical insights in physics, such as his 1981 proof of the positive energy theorem in general relativity, and his interpretation of the Jones invariants of knots as Feynman integrals.[6] He is considered the practical founder of M-theory.[7]
- ^ "Announcement of 2016 Winners". World Cultural Council. June 6, 2016. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ Woit, Peter (2006). Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law. New York: Basic Books. p. 105. ISBN 0-465-09275-6.
- ^ a b "Edward Witten – Adventures in physics and math (Kyoto Prize lecture 2014)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^ "Edward Witten". Institute for Advanced Study. December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Atiyah, Michael (1990). "On the Work of Edward Witten" (PDF). Proceedings of the International Congress of Mathematicians. pp. 31–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2017.
- ^ Michael Atiyah. "On the Work of Edward Witten" (PDF). Mathunion.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Duff 1998, p. 65