Stanley Deser
Encyclopedia
Stanley Deser is an American
physicist
known for his contributions to general relativity
. Currently, he is the Ancell Professor of Physics at Brandeis University
in Waltham, Massachusetts
.
Deser earned his B.A. in 1949 at Brooklyn College
in New York, and his Master's degree 1950 at Harvard, where he also earned his doctorate in 1953 („Relativistic Two Body Interactions“). From 1953 to 1955, he was at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
. He held a visiting professorship at All Souls College in Oxford
in 1977, and a Loeb Lecturership at Harvard in 1975.
In the context of general relativity
, he is best known for his development (with Richard Arnowitt
and Charles Misner) of the ADM formalism
, roughly speaking a way of describing spacetime
as space
evolving in time
, which allows a recasting Einstein's theory in terms of a more general formalism used in physics to describe dynamical systems, namely the Hamiltonian formalism. In the framework of that formalism, there is also a straightforward way to define globally quantities like energy
or, equivalently, mass
(so-called ADM mass/energy) which, in general relativity, is not trivial at all. Another of his research interests is quantum gravity
.
In 1994, Deser, along with Arnowitt and Misner, received the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
. He has been a Guggenheim and a Fulbright Fellow, received honorary doctorates from Stockholm University
(1978) and the Chalmers Institute of Technology (2001), and he is a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and the United States National Academy of Sciences
. In 2004, a conference in his honor was celebrated in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A conference in honor of Stanley Deser and the ADM
collaborators was held on November 7–8, 2009 at Texas A&M University
on the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking research.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
known for his contributions to general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
. Currently, he is the Ancell Professor of Physics at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
.
Deser earned his B.A. in 1949 at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
in New York, and his Master's degree 1950 at Harvard, where he also earned his doctorate in 1953 („Relativistic Two Body Interactions“). From 1953 to 1955, he was at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. He held a visiting professorship at All Souls College in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1977, and a Loeb Lecturership at Harvard in 1975.
In the context of general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
, he is best known for his development (with Richard Arnowitt
Richard Arnowitt
Richard Lewis Arnowitt is an American physicist known for his contributions to theoretical particle physics and to general relativity.Arnowitt is a Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University, where he is a member of the Department of Physics....
and Charles Misner) of the ADM formalism
ADM formalism
The ADM Formalism developed in 1959 by Richard Arnowitt, Stanley Deser and Charles W. Misner is a Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity...
, roughly speaking a way of describing spacetime
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
as space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
evolving in time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
, which allows a recasting Einstein's theory in terms of a more general formalism used in physics to describe dynamical systems, namely the Hamiltonian formalism. In the framework of that formalism, there is also a straightforward way to define globally quantities like energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
or, equivalently, mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
(so-called ADM mass/energy) which, in general relativity, is not trivial at all. Another of his research interests is quantum gravity
Quantum gravity
Quantum gravity is the field of theoretical physics which attempts to develop scientific models that unify quantum mechanics with general relativity...
.
In 1994, Deser, along with Arnowitt and Misner, received the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
Dannie 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...
. He has been a Guggenheim and a Fulbright Fellow, received honorary doctorates from Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
(1978) and the Chalmers Institute of Technology (2001), and he is a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. In 2004, a conference in his honor was celebrated in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A conference in honor of Stanley Deser and the ADM
ADM
ADM or A.D.M. may refer to:in education and government:* Abu Dhabi Men's College, one of the UAE's Higher Colleges of Technology* Assyrian Democratic Movement, an ethnic Assyrian political party in Iraq...
collaborators was held on November 7–8, 2009 at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
on the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking research.