Julius Wess
Encyclopedia
Julius Wess was an Austria
n theoretical physicist
noted as the co-inventor of the Wess–Zumino model and Wess–Zumino–Witten model in the field of supersymmetry
. He was also a recipient of the Max Planck medal
, the Wigner medal, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
and of several honorary doctorate
s.
, a small town in the Austrian
state of Styria. He received his Ph.D.
in Vienna
where he was a student of Hans Thirring
. His Ph.D. examiner was acclaimed quantum mechanics physicist Erwin Schrödinger
. After working in the United States he became a professor at the University of Karlsruhe. In later life, Wess was professor at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
. After his retirement he worked at DESY
in Hamburg
.
Julius Wess died at the age of 72 in Hamburg, following a stroke.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n theoretical physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
noted as the co-inventor of the Wess–Zumino model and Wess–Zumino–Witten model in the field of supersymmetry
Supersymmetry
In particle physics, supersymmetry is a symmetry that relates elementary particles of one spin to other particles that differ by half a unit of spin and are known as superpartners...
. He was also a recipient of the Max Planck medal
Max Planck medal
The Max Planck medal is an award for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. It is awarded annually by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft , the world's largest organization of physicists.-List of recipients:...
, the Wigner medal, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is a research prize awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft every year since 1985 to scientists working in Germany. This highest German research prize consists of a research grant of 2.5 million euro, to be used within seven years...
and of several honorary doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
s.
Life and work
Julius Wess was born in Oberwölz StadtOberwölz Stadt
Oberwölz Stadt is a town in the district of Murau in Styria, Austria....
, a small town in the Austrian
Federal State of Austria
The Federal State of Austria refers to Austria from 1934 to 1938, according to its self-conception a non-party, in fact a single-party state led by the fascist Fatherland's Front...
state of Styria. He received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
where he was a student of Hans Thirring
Hans Thirring
Hans Thirring was an Austrian theoretical physicist, professor, and father of the physicist Walter Thirring....
. His Ph.D. examiner was acclaimed quantum mechanics physicist Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist and theoretical biologist who was one of the fathers of quantum mechanics, and is famed for a number of important contributions to physics, especially the Schrödinger equation, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933...
. After working in the United States he became a professor at the University of Karlsruhe. In later life, Wess was professor at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , commonly known as the University of Munich or LMU, is a university in Munich, Germany...
. After his retirement he worked at DESY
DESY
The DESY is the biggest German research center for particle physics, with sites in Hamburg and Zeuthen....
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Julius Wess died at the age of 72 in Hamburg, following a stroke.
Publications
- Wess, Julius and Bagger, Jonathan (December 1983). Supersymmetry and Supergravity. Princeton Series in Physics. ISBN 0-691-08326-6 / 0-691-08556-0
- Wess, Julius and Bagger, Jonathan (March 1992). Supersymmetry and Supergravity: Revised and Expanded Edition. Princeton Series in Physics. ISBN 0-691-02530-4