Rodney J. Baxter
Encyclopedia
London
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, United Kingdom
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...
) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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...
, specializing in statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...
. He is well-known for his work in exactly solved models, in particular vertex model
Vertex model
A vertex model is a type of statistical mechanics model in which the Boltzmann weights are associated with a vertex in the model . This contrasts with a nearest-neighbour model, such as the Ising model, in which the energy, and thus the Boltzmann weight of a statistical microstate is attributed to...
s such as the six-vertex model and eight-vertex model
Eight-vertex model
In statistical mechanics, the eight-vertex model is a generalisation of the ice-type models; it was discussed by Sutherland, and Fan & Wu, and solved by Baxter in the zero-field case.-Description:...
, and the chiral Potts model
Potts model
In statistical mechanics, the Potts model, a generalization of the Ising model, is a model of interacting spins on a crystalline lattice. By studying the Potts model, one may gain insight into the behaviour of ferromagnets and certain other phenomena of solid state physics...
and hard hexagon model
Hard hexagon model
In statistical mechanics, the hard hexagon model is a 2-dimensional lattice model of a gas, where particles are allowed to be on the vertices of a triangular lattice but no two particles may be adjacent....
. A recurring theme in the solution of such models, the Yang-Baxter equation
Yang-Baxter equation
The Yang–Baxter equation is an equation which was first introduced in the field of statistical mechanics. It takes its name from independent work of C. N. Yang from 1968, and R. J. Baxter from 1971...
, also known as the "star triangle relation", is named in his honour.
Biography
Baxter received his BABachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Cambridge University, before relocating to the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
to complete 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...
. He was among the first doctoral graduates in theoretical physics from the ANU, graduating in 1964 and then worked for the Iraq Petroleum Company
Iraq Petroleum Company
The Iraq Petroleum Company , until 1929 called Turkish Petroleum Company , was an oil company jointly owned by some of the world's largest oil companies, which had virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq from 1925 to 1961...
in London in 1964 and 1965. He worked as an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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...
from 1968 until 1970, when he took up a position at the ANU, and served a term as the Head of the Department of Theoretical Physics in the Institute of Advanced Study, until he retired in 2002. He is currently the Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
Professor of Physics. In 1984, he was awarded a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
by Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
, Royal Society of London, and the Isaac Newton Institute
Isaac Newton Institute
The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an international research institute for mathematics and theoretical physics. Part of the University of Cambridge, it is named after one of the university's most illustrious figures, the mathematician and natural philosopher Sir Isaac Newton....
, 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...
, where he was Royal Society Research Professor in 1992. In 1980 he was awarded the Boltzmann Medal
Boltzmann Medal
The 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...
, the main recognition for research contribution concerning statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...
. In 2006, he was awarded the Lars Onsager
Lars Onsager
Lars Onsager was a Norwegian-born American physical chemist and theoretical physicist, winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.He held the Gibbs Professorship of Theoretical Chemistry at Yale University....
Prize “For his original and groundbreaking contributions to the field of exactly solved models in statistical mechanics, which continue to inspire profound developments in statistical physics and related fields.”
Research
Baxter gained recognition in 1971 when he used the star-triangle relation to calculate the free energyThermodynamic free energy
The thermodynamic free energy is the amount of work that a thermodynamic system can perform. The concept is useful in the thermodynamics of chemical or thermal processes in engineering and science. The free energy is the internal energy of a system less the amount of energy that cannot be used to...
of the Eight vertex model, and went on to similarly solve the hard hexagon model
Hard hexagon model
In statistical mechanics, the hard hexagon model is a 2-dimensional lattice model of a gas, where particles are allowed to be on the vertices of a triangular lattice but no two particles may be adjacent....
(1980) and the chiral Potts model
Potts model
In statistical mechanics, the Potts model, a generalization of the Ising model, is a model of interacting spins on a crystalline lattice. By studying the Potts model, one may gain insight into the behaviour of ferromagnets and certain other phenomena of solid state physics...
in 1988. He also developed the corner transfer matrix
Corner transfer matrix
In statistical mechanics, the corner transfer matrix describes the effect of adding a quadrant to a lattice. Introduced by Rodney Baxter in 1968 as an extension of the Kramers-Wannier row-to-row transfer matrix, it provides a powerful method of studying lattice models...
method for calculating the order parameters of the eight vertex and similar models. In 2005 he used the method of Michio Jimbo
Michio Jimbo
is a Japanese mathematician, currently a professor at the University of Tokyo. He is a grandson of the linguist Kaku Jimbo.After graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1974, he studied under Mikio Sato at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Kyoto University...
, Tetsuji Miwa and Nakayashiki to verify Albertini, McCoy, Perk and Tang's conjecture for the order parameter of the chiral Potts model.
His use of the Yang-Baxter equation led to the formulation and the study of representations of the quantum group
Quantum group
In mathematics and theoretical physics, the term quantum group denotes various kinds of noncommutative algebra with additional structure. In general, a quantum group is some kind of Hopf algebra...
by Vladimir Drinfeld in the 1980s, and quantum generalizations of affine algebra
Affine algebra
Affine algebra may refer to:* affine Lie algebra, a type of Kac–Moody algebras* the Lie algebra of the affine group* finitely generated algebra...
s, and they are quasi-triangular Hopf algebras which yield solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation
Yang-Baxter equation
The Yang–Baxter equation is an equation which was first introduced in the field of statistical mechanics. It takes its name from independent work of C. N. Yang from 1968, and R. J. Baxter from 1971...
and provide insight into the properties of corresponding statistical models.
His book, Exactly solved models in statistical mechanics, has received over 3000 citations (until the year 2008, according to Web of Science
Web of Science
ISI Web of Knowledge is an academic citation indexing and search service, which is combined with web linking and provided by Thomson Reuters. Web of Knowledge coverage encompasses the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. It provides bibliographic content and the tools to access, analyze,...
) in subsequent work in statistical mechanics and the study of quantum groups, and is used widely in teaching at universities.
Awards and honours
- Pawsey Medal, Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
, 1975 - Boltzmann Medal, IUPAP, 1980
- Thomas Ranken Lyle MedalThomas Ranken Lyle MedalThe Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal is awarded at most every two years by the Australian Academy of Science to a mathematician or physicist for his or her outstanding research accomplishments. It is named after Thomas Ranken Lyle, an Irish mathematical physicist who became a professor at the University of...
, Australian Academy of Science, 1983 - 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...
, American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, 1987 - Massey Medal, Australian Institute of Physics, 1994
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, 1977
- Fellow of the Royal Society of London, 1982
- Centenary Medal, Australian Government, 2003
- Lars OnsagerLars OnsagerLars Onsager was a Norwegian-born American physical chemist and theoretical physicist, winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.He held the Gibbs Professorship of Theoretical Chemistry at Yale University....
Prize, American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, 2006