Raphaël Salem
Encyclopedia
Raphaël Salem
Raphaël Salem
(November 7, 1898 in Saloniki, Ottoman Empire
(now Thessaloniki
, Greece
) – June 20, 1963 in Paris
, France
), was a Greek-Sephardic mathematician
after whom are named the Salem numbers and whose widow founded the Salem Prize
.
and Salem attended the Lycée Condorcet
for two years. Believing that he would follow in father's footsteps, Salem entered the Law Faculty of the University of Paris
. His interests, though, were not in law but rather in mathematics and engineering. Soon there after Salem started taking mathematics courses with Hadamard all the while continuing his studies for law. In 1919 he graduated from Licencié et lauréat and received his law degree. He then began working for a doctorate in law but quickly decided to change direction to science, which he had been studying for years in parallel to his work in law.
He received his Licencié ès sciences from the Sorbonne
and then worked for a degree in engineering. In 1921 he received the degree of Ingénieur des Arts et Manufactures from the École Centrale
. Having completed his studies in law, science and engineering Salem then went into banking and started working for Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas in 1921. In his free time he worked on Fourier
series, a topic which interested him throughout his life.
In the spring of 1939 Salem collaborated with the brilliant young Polish
mathematician Józef Marcinkiewicz
, where he continued to write mathematics papers while still working for the bank. With a deteriorating political situation in France
and the beginning of World War II
in September 1939, Salem was called up for military duty. He was attached to the Deuxième Bureau of the General Staff of the French Army. He was sent to England
to assist the Head of the Franco
-British
Coordination Committee but he was demobilised in June 1940. Salem left England in the autumn of 1940 and emigrated to the United States
where he settled in Cambridge
, Massachusetts
. In 1941, he was appointed as a lecturer in mathematics at MIT
, where he was rapidly promoted and became an assistant and associate professor. In 1958 he was appointed as Professor at the Sorbonne
and lived in Paris until his death. After Salem's death his wife established an international prize for outstanding contributions to Fourier series.
in 1940 while his mother, his sister, his sister's husband, and his sister's son, were all arrested and deported to a Nazi
concentration camp where they all died. Salem's older son survived the war and he enlisted in the free French Forces and took part in Allied landings in the South of France in 1944. By this time his surviving family had managed to escape from France and they relocated to Canada
.
Aside from his interest of mathematics, Salem also loved music and playing the violin, preferring to play in quartets. He was also interested in the arts and literature. He also enjoyed sports especially skiing and horse riding.
Raphaël Salem
(November 7, 1898 in Saloniki, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(now Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) – June 20, 1963 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), was a Greek-Sephardic mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
after whom are named the Salem numbers and whose widow founded the Salem Prize
Salem Prize
The Salem Prize, founded by the widow of Raphael Salem, is awarded every year to a young mathematician judged to have done outstanding work in Salem's field of interest, primarily the theory of Fourier series.-Past winners:...
.
Biography
Raphaël Salem was born in Saloniki to Emmanuel and Fortunée Salem. His father was a well known lawyer who dealt with international problems. Raphaël was brought up in a Jewish family who followed the traditions of their ancestors. At age 15 the family moved to FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Salem attended the Lycée Condorcet
Lycée Condorcet
The Lycée Condorcet is a school founded in 1803 in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's IXe arrondissement. Since its inception, various political eras have seen it given a number of different names, but its identity today honors the memory of the Marquis de Condorcet. The...
for two years. Believing that he would follow in father's footsteps, Salem entered the Law Faculty of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. His interests, though, were not in law but rather in mathematics and engineering. Soon there after Salem started taking mathematics courses with Hadamard all the while continuing his studies for law. In 1919 he graduated from Licencié et lauréat and received his law degree. He then began working for a doctorate in law but quickly decided to change direction to science, which he had been studying for years in parallel to his work in law.
He received his Licencié ès sciences from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and then worked for a degree in engineering. In 1921 he received the degree of Ingénieur des Arts et Manufactures from the École Centrale
École Centrale Paris
École Centrale Paris is a French university-level institution in the field of engineering. It is also known by its original name École centrale des arts et manufactures, or ECP. Founded in 1829, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious engineering schools in France and has the special status...
. Having completed his studies in law, science and engineering Salem then went into banking and started working for Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas in 1921. In his free time he worked on Fourier
Fourier
Fourier most commonly refers to Joseph Fourier , French mathematician and physicist, or the mathematics, physics, and engineering terms named in his honor for his work on the concepts underlying them:In mathematics:...
series, a topic which interested him throughout his life.
In the spring of 1939 Salem collaborated with the brilliant young Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
mathematician Józef Marcinkiewicz
Józef Marcinkiewicz
Józef Marcinkiewicz – died in 1940 in Kharkiv, Ukraine) was a Polish mathematician.He was a student of Antoni Zygmund; and later worked with Juliusz Schauder, and Stefan Kaczmarz. He was a professor of the Stefan Batory University in Wilno....
, where he continued to write mathematics papers while still working for the bank. With a deteriorating political situation in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in September 1939, Salem was called up for military duty. He was attached to the Deuxième Bureau of the General Staff of the French Army. He was sent to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to assist the Head of the Franco
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Coordination Committee but he was demobilised in June 1940. Salem left England in the autumn of 1940 and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he settled in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. In 1941, he was appointed as a lecturer in mathematics at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, where he was rapidly promoted and became an assistant and associate professor. In 1958 he was appointed as Professor at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and lived in Paris until his death. After Salem's death his wife established an international prize for outstanding contributions to Fourier series.
Personal
In 1923 Salem got married to a young woman named Adriana and the couple had three children: a daughter and two sons. His father died in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1940 while his mother, his sister, his sister's husband, and his sister's son, were all arrested and deported to a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
concentration camp where they all died. Salem's older son survived the war and he enlisted in the free French Forces and took part in Allied landings in the South of France in 1944. By this time his surviving family had managed to escape from France and they relocated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Aside from his interest of mathematics, Salem also loved music and playing the violin, preferring to play in quartets. He was also interested in the arts and literature. He also enjoyed sports especially skiing and horse riding.