Felix Villars
Encyclopedia
Felix Villars was an emeritus professor of physics
at MIT. He is best known for the Pauli–Villars regularization, an important principle in quantum field theory
.
and served in the Swiss Army during the Second World War, working as a meteorologist. In 1945, he graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
with degrees in physics and mathematics. His undergraduate thesis earned him the Institute's Kern Medal for Excellence. The following year, Villars earned his doctorate in physics from the same institution.
From 1946 to 1949, Villars worked as a research assistant at the Swiss Federal Institute. While there, he collaborated with Wolfgang Pauli
on work in quantum electrodynamics. They developed a method of dealing with mathematical singularities in quantum field theory, in order to extract finite physical results. This method, Pauli–Villars regularization, is used by physicists when working with field theory.
In 1949, Villars married the former Jacqueline Dubois and moved to the United States. He worked for a year at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey
.
, he studied the effect of the Earth's magnetic field on the ionosphere
.
It was biology, however, that captured his imagination. Villars applied mathematical methods to studying the functioning of biological systems, yielding insights that had been missed by biologists and medical researchers who had been studying them for years.
Villars was a key figure in creating the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
, a collaboration between Harvard University
and MIT. Villars was also a visiting lecturer at Harvard Medical School
. With MIT physics professor George B. Benedek, he wrote a three-volume undergraduate textbook, Physics with Illustrative Examples from Medicine and Biology.
Villars died of cancer at his home in Belmont, Massachusetts
on 27 April 2002. He was 81.
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at MIT. He is best known for the Pauli–Villars regularization, an important principle in quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
.
Early life
Villars was born in Biel, SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and served in the Swiss Army during the Second World War, working as a meteorologist. In 1945, he graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
with degrees in physics and mathematics. His undergraduate thesis earned him the Institute's Kern Medal for Excellence. The following year, Villars earned his doctorate in physics from the same institution.
From 1946 to 1949, Villars worked as a research assistant at the Swiss Federal Institute. While there, he collaborated with Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Ernst Pauli was an Austrian theoretical physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum physics. In 1945, after being nominated by Albert Einstein, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "decisive contribution through his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle or...
on work in quantum electrodynamics. They developed a method of dealing with mathematical singularities in quantum field theory, in order to extract finite physical results. This method, Pauli–Villars regularization, is used by physicists when working with field theory.
In 1949, Villars married the former Jacqueline Dubois and moved to the United States. He worked for a year at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
.
MIT career
In 1950, Villars was hired as a research associate at MIT and eventually became a full professor in 1959. Along with Victor Weisskopf, he studied the scattering of radio waves owing to atmospheric turbulence. With Herman FeshbachHerman Feshbach
Herman Feshbach was an American physicist. He was an Institute Professor Emeritus of physics at MIT. Feshbach is best known for Feshbach resonance and for writing, with Philip M...
, he studied the effect of the Earth's magnetic field on the ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
.
It was biology, however, that captured his imagination. Villars applied mathematical methods to studying the functioning of biological systems, yielding insights that had been missed by biologists and medical researchers who had been studying them for years.
Villars was a key figure in creating the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Founded in 1970, the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, or HST, is one of the oldest and largest biomedical engineering and physician-scientist training programs in the United States and the longest-standing functional collaboration between Harvard University and the...
, a collaboration between Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and MIT. Villars was also a visiting lecturer at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. With MIT physics professor George B. Benedek, he wrote a three-volume undergraduate textbook, Physics with Illustrative Examples from Medicine and Biology.
Villars died of cancer at his home in Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
on 27 April 2002. He was 81.