Louis Witten
Encyclopedia
Louis Witten is an American
theoretical physicist
and the father of Edward Witten
.
Witten's research has centered around classical gravitation
, including the discovery of certain exact electrovacuum solution
s to the Einstein field equation. He edited an important review (see citation below) which contains papers by leading contributors such as ADM (Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner), Choquet-Bruhat, Ehlers and Kundt, Goldberg, and Pirani which remain valuable to researchers after the passage of more than 40 years.
, Maryland
. His parents, Abraham Witten and Bessie Perman, emigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe as teenagers in 1909 and were married in 1916. Witten graduated as a Civil Engineer
from The Johns Hopkins University in 1941. From 1942 to 1946 he served in the US Army Air Forces as a Radar Weather Officer.
He was a graduate student in physics at The Johns Hopkins University from 1948 to 1951 when he received the PhD degree. His dissertation, in statistical mechanics, was entitled "A Model of an Imperfect Gas". His thesis advisor was Theodore H. Berlin. In 1949 he married Lorraine Wollach of Baltimore. They had four children, Edward
, Celia, Matthew
, and Jesse. Lorraine died in 1987. In 1992 he married Francis Lydia DeLange.
, the University of Maryland
, and the Lincoln Laboratory
of MIT, Witten joined RIAS, the research laboratory of the Martin-Marietta Corporation. In 1968 he became a Professor of Physics at the University of Cincinnati
where he remained until his retirement in 1991. Since 1968 he has been a Vice-President and Director of Science Affairs of the Gravity Research Foundation
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theoretical physicist
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
and the father of Edward Witten
Edward Witten
Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
.
Witten's research has centered around classical gravitation
Gravitation
Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...
, including the discovery of certain exact electrovacuum solution
Electrovacuum solution
In general relativity, an electrovacuum solution is an exact solution of the Einstein field equation in which the only nongravitational mass-energy present is the field energy of an electromagnetic field, which must satisfy the source-free Maxwell equations appropriate to the given geometry...
s to the Einstein field equation. He edited an important review (see citation below) which contains papers by leading contributors such as ADM (Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner), Choquet-Bruhat, Ehlers and Kundt, Goldberg, and Pirani which remain valuable to researchers after the passage of more than 40 years.
Early life and education
Louis Witten was born to a Jewish family in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. His parents, Abraham Witten and Bessie Perman, emigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe as teenagers in 1909 and were married in 1916. Witten graduated as a Civil Engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
from The Johns Hopkins University in 1941. From 1942 to 1946 he served in the US Army Air Forces as a Radar Weather Officer.
He was a graduate student in physics at The Johns Hopkins University from 1948 to 1951 when he received the PhD degree. His dissertation, in statistical mechanics, was entitled "A Model of an Imperfect Gas". His thesis advisor was Theodore H. Berlin. In 1949 he married Lorraine Wollach of Baltimore. They had four children, Edward
Edward Witten
Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
, Celia, Matthew
Matt Witten
Matthew Witten is a television writer for House and other shows. He also has written several mystery books, the first of which was Breakfast at Madeline's. Witten currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons...
, and Jesse. Lorraine died in 1987. In 1992 he married Francis Lydia DeLange.
Academic career
After postdoctoral study at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, and the Lincoln Laboratory
Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
of MIT, Witten joined RIAS, the research laboratory of the Martin-Marietta Corporation. In 1968 he became a Professor of Physics at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
where he remained until his retirement in 1991. Since 1968 he has been a Vice-President and Director of Science Affairs of the Gravity Research Foundation
Gravity Research Foundation
The Gravity Research Foundation, established in 1948 by businessman Roger Babson , was an organization designed to find ways to implement gravitational shielding...
.