Kenneth G. Wilson
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Geddes Wilson is an American theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize
winner.
As an undergraduate at Harvard
, he was a Putnam Fellow
. He earned his PhD
from Caltech in 1961, studying under Murray Gell-Mann
.
He joined Cornell University
in 1963 in the Department of Physics as a junior faculty member, becoming a full professor in 1970. In 1974, he became the James A. Weeks Professor of Physics at Cornell. He was a co-winner of the Wolf Prize in physics in 1980, together with Michael E. Fisher and Leo Kadanoff
. He was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physics for his seminal approach, combining quantum field theory and the statistical theory of critical phenomena
of second-order phase transition
s, i.e., for his constructive theory of the renormalization group
. In this theory he gave not only important, and even numerical, insights to the field of critical statics and dynamics in statistical physics
, but indirectly also basic answers to the question: "What is quantum field theory
?" and "What does renormalization
mean?". He also gave a constructive answer to another important "renormalization" problem from solid-state physics, the Kondo effect
.
In 1985, he was appointed as Cornell's Director of the Center for Theory and Simulation in Science and Engineering (known now as the Cornell Theory Center
, one of five national supercomputer center created by the National Science Foundation
. Since 1988, Dr. Wilson has been a faculty member at The Ohio State University. His current research interests include physics education research.
Some of his PhD students include Roman Jackiw
, Steve Shenker, and Michael Peskin
.
Wilson's father was the prominent chemist E. Bright Wilson, and his brother David is also a Professor at Cornell in the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics.
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
winner.
As an undergraduate at Harvard
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...
, he was a Putnam Fellow
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...
. He earned his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Caltech in 1961, studying under Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann is an American physicist and linguist who received the 1969 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles...
.
He joined Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1963 in the Department of Physics as a junior faculty member, becoming a full professor in 1970. In 1974, he became the James A. Weeks Professor of Physics at Cornell. He was a co-winner of the Wolf Prize in physics in 1980, together with Michael E. Fisher and Leo Kadanoff
Leo Kadanoff
Leo Philip Kadanoff is an American physicist. He is a professor of physics at the University of Chicago and a former President of the American Physical Society . He has contributed to the fields of statistical physics, chaos theory, and theoretical condensed matter physics.-Biography:Kadanoff...
. He was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physics for his seminal approach, combining quantum field theory and the statistical theory of critical phenomena
Critical phenomena
In physics, critical phenomena is the collective name associated with thephysics of critical points. Most of them stem from the divergence of thecorrelation length, but also the dynamics slows down...
of second-order phase transition
Phase transition
A phase transition is the transformation of a thermodynamic system from one phase or state of matter to another.A phase of a thermodynamic system and the states of matter have uniform physical properties....
s, i.e., for his constructive theory of the renormalization group
Renormalization group
In theoretical physics, the renormalization group refers to a mathematical apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different distance scales...
. In this theory he gave not only important, and even numerical, insights to the field of critical statics and dynamics in statistical physics
Statistical physics
Statistical physics is the branch of physics that uses methods of probability theory and statistics, and particularly the mathematical tools for dealing with large populations and approximations, in solving physical problems. It can describe a wide variety of fields with an inherently stochastic...
, but indirectly also basic answers to the question: "What is 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...
?" and "What does renormalization
Renormalization
In quantum field theory, the statistical mechanics of fields, and the theory of self-similar geometric structures, renormalization is any of a collection of techniques used to treat infinities arising in calculated quantities....
mean?". He also gave a constructive answer to another important "renormalization" problem from solid-state physics, the Kondo effect
Kondo effect
In physics, the Kondo effect describes the scattering of conduction electrons in a metal due to magnetic impurities. It is a measure of how electrical resistivity changes with temperature....
.
In 1985, he was appointed as Cornell's Director of the Center for Theory and Simulation in Science and Engineering (known now as the Cornell Theory Center
Cornell Theory Center
The Cornell University Center for Advanced Computing , housed at Franklin H.T. Rhodes Hall on the campus of Cornell University, is one of five original centers in the National Science Foundation's Supercomputer Centers Program...
, one of five national supercomputer center created by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
. Since 1988, Dr. Wilson has been a faculty member at The Ohio State University. His current research interests include physics education research.
Some of his PhD students include Roman Jackiw
Roman Jackiw
Roman W. Jackiw is a theoretical physicist and Dirac Medallist. Born in Poland, Jackiw received his PhD from Cornell University in 1966 under Hans Bethe and Kenneth Wilson...
, Steve Shenker, and Michael Peskin
Michael Peskin
Michael Peskin is an American theoretical physicist. He was an undergraduate at Harvard University and obtained his Ph.D. in 1978 at Cornell University studying under Kenneth Wilson. He was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1977–1980.He is currently a professor in the theory...
.
Wilson's father was the prominent chemist E. Bright Wilson, and his brother David is also a Professor at Cornell in the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics.
Awards
- Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical PhysicsDannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical PhysicsDannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics is an award given each year since 1959 jointly by the American Physical Society and American Institute of Physics. It is established by the Heineman Foundation in honour of Dannie Heineman...
, 1973 - Boltzmann MedalBoltzmann MedalThe Boltzmann Medal is the most important prize awarded to physicists that obtain new results concerning statistical mechanics; it is named after the celebrated physicist Ludwig Boltzmann...
, 1975 - Wolf Prize, 1980
- Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard 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...
, D.Sc (Hon.), 1981 - Caltech, Distinguished Alumni Award, 1981
- Franklin MedalFranklin MedalThe Franklin Medal was a science and engineering award presented by the Franklin Institute, of Philadelphia, PA, USA.-Laureates:*1915 - Thomas Alva Edison *1915 - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes *1916 - John J...
, 1982 - Nobel Prize for Physics, 1982
- A.C. Eringen Medal, 1984
- Aneesur Rahman Prize, 1993
Literature
- Wilson, K. G. "Broken Scale Invariance and Anomalous Dimensions", Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC,)Stanford University, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
(through predecessor agency the Atomic Energy CommissionUnited States Atomic Energy CommissionThe United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
), (May 1970). - Gupta, R.; Wilson, K. G.; & C. Umrigar. "Improved Monte Carlo Renormalization Group Method", Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Cornell University, United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, (1985). - Wilson, K. G.:Problems in physics with many scales of length, Scientific American, August 1979
- the same:The Renormalization group (RG) and critical phenomena 1, Physical Review B, volume 4, 1971, p. 3174
- the same: The renormalization group: critical phenomena and the Kondo problem, Reviews of modern physics, 47, 1975, p. 773-839
- the same, and M. Fisher: Critical exponents in 3.99 dimensions, Physical Review Letters, 28, 1972, p. 240
- the same: Non-lagrangian models in current algebra Physical Review, 179, 1969, p. 1499-1512 (operator product expansionOperator product expansion- 2D Euclidean quantum field theory :In quantum field theory, the operator product expansion is a Laurent series expansion of two operators...
) - the same: Model of coupling constant renormalisation, Physical Review D, 2, 1970, p. 1438–1472
- the same: Operator product expansions and anomalous dimensions in Thirring model, ibid., p. 1473–77
- the same: Anomalous dimensions and breakdown of scale invariance in perturbation theory, ibid. p. 1478–93
- the same: RG and strong interactions Physical Review D, 3, 1971, p. 1818–46
- the same: Confinement of quarks, Physical Review D, 10, 1974, p. 2445–59
See also
- Callan-Symanzik equationCallan-Symanzik equationIn physics, the Callan–Symanzik equation is a differential equation describing the evolution of the n-point correlation functions under variation of the energy scale at which the theory is defined and involves the beta-function of the theory and the anomalous dimensions...
- Lattice gauge theoryLattice gauge theoryIn physics, lattice gauge theory is the study of gauge theories on a spacetime that has been discretized into a lattice. Gauge theories are important in particle physics, and include the prevailing theories of elementary particles: quantum electrodynamics, quantum chromodynamics and the Standard...
- Lattice QCDLattice QCDLattice QCD is a well-established non-perturbative approach to solving the quantum chromodynamics theory of quarks and gluons. It is a lattice gauge theory formulated on a grid or lattice of points in space and time....
- Quantum trivialityQuantum trivialityIn a quantum field theory, charge screening can restrict the value of the observable "renormalized" charge of a classical theory. Ifthe only allowed value of the renormalized charge is zero, the theory is said to be "trivial" or noninteracting...
- RenormalizationRenormalizationIn quantum field theory, the statistical mechanics of fields, and the theory of self-similar geometric structures, renormalization is any of a collection of techniques used to treat infinities arising in calculated quantities....
- Renormalization groupRenormalization groupIn theoretical physics, the renormalization group refers to a mathematical apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different distance scales...
- Scaling law
- Wilson loopWilson loopIn gauge theory, a Wilson loop is a gauge-invariant observable obtained from the holonomy of the gauge connection around a given loop...
External links
- Photograph, Biography and Bibliographic Resources, from the Office of Scientific and Technical InformationOffice of Scientific and Technical InformationThe Office of Scientific and Technical Information is a component of the Office of Science within the U.S. Department of Energy...
, United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material... - Kenneth G. Wilson
- Kenneth G. Wilson's Homepage (on Archive, the original at Ohio State University no longer exists)
- Kenneth G. Wilson's brief CV, from Ohio State University (PDF file)
- http://arxiv.org/find/hep-th/1/au:+Wilson_K/0/1/0/all/0/1 Publications on ArXivArXivThe arXiv |Chi]], χ) is an archive for electronic preprints of scientific papers in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, and quantitative finance which can be accessed online. In many fields of mathematics and physics, almost all...
- Nobel Lecture
- Interview with Ken Wilson in 2002