Warren Siegel
Encyclopedia
Warren Siegel is a theoretical physicist specializing in supersymetric quantum field theory
and string theory
. He is a professor at the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
at Stony Brook University in New York.
, graduating with a PhD. in 1977. Following his graduation he worked at several postdoctoral appointments at Harvard
(7/77-7/79), Brandeis University
(3/79-6/79), the Institute for Advanced Study
(8/79-8/80), Caltech (8/80-8/82) and University of California, Berkeley
(8/82-8/85). He served as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, College Park
from 1985-1987 before becoming a professor at Stony Brook University in 1987.
, M.T. Grisaru, and M. Rocek
he discovered methods for both deriving classical actions, and performing Feynman graph calculations more simply than those in nonsupersymmetric theories. He discovered a new version of dimensional regularization ("dimensional reduction") which preserves supersymmetry, and is also commonly used in QCD. The first supersymetric nonrenormalization theorem
was introduced by Grisaru, Siegel and Rocek in their 1979 paper "Improved methods for supergraphs", which has close to 700 citations.
During the 1980s, Siegel invented covariant string field theory and began to pioneer research in string field theory. With Barton Zwiebach
he generalized methods outside of string theory to give a universal free field theory action for arbitrary representations of the Poincaré group in arbitrary dimensions. He also introduced new gauge symmetries of classical mechanics useful for strings.
In subsequent work, Siegel made contributions to physicist's understanding of duality
, conformal invariance, AdS/CFT, the random matrix
approach to string theory, twistor superstrings, and other topics in string theory. His most recent work has been on N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills.
.
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 string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
. He is a professor at the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
The C. N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics is a research center at Stony Brook University. In 1965, it was the vision of then University President J.S. Toll and Physics Department chair T.A...
at Stony Brook University in New York.
Background
Siegel did his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, graduating with a PhD. in 1977. Following his graduation he worked at several postdoctoral appointments 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...
(7/77-7/79), 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...
(3/79-6/79), 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...
(8/79-8/80), Caltech (8/80-8/82) and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
(8/82-8/85). He served as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, College Park
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...
from 1985-1987 before becoming a professor at Stony Brook University in 1987.
Research
His early work involved the use of superspace to treat supersymmetric theories, including supergravity. Along with S.J. GatesSylvester James Gates
Sylvester James Gates, Jr. is a noted American theoretical physicist. He received BS and PhD degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the latter in 1977. His doctoral thesis was the first thesis at MIT to deal with supersymmetry. Gates is currently the John S...
, M.T. Grisaru, and M. Rocek
Martin Rocek
Martin Rocek is a professor of theoretical physics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a member of the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics. He received A.B. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1975 and 1979...
he discovered methods for both deriving classical actions, and performing Feynman graph calculations more simply than those in nonsupersymmetric theories. He discovered a new version of dimensional regularization ("dimensional reduction") which preserves supersymmetry, and is also commonly used in QCD. The first supersymetric nonrenormalization theorem
Supersymmetry nonrenormalization theorems
In theoretical physics a nonrenormalization theorem is a limitation on how a certain quantity in the classical description of a quantum field theory may be modified by renormalization in the full quantum theory...
was introduced by Grisaru, Siegel and Rocek in their 1979 paper "Improved methods for supergraphs", which has close to 700 citations.
During the 1980s, Siegel invented covariant string field theory and began to pioneer research in string field theory. With Barton Zwiebach
Barton Zwiebach
Barton Zwiebach is a string theorist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, born in Lima, Perú. His undergraduate work was in Electrical Engineering at the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in Peru, from which he graduated in 1977.His graduate work was in physics at the...
he generalized methods outside of string theory to give a universal free field theory action for arbitrary representations of the Poincaré group in arbitrary dimensions. He also introduced new gauge symmetries of classical mechanics useful for strings.
In subsequent work, Siegel made contributions to physicist's understanding of duality
String duality
String duality is a class of symmetries in physics that link different string theories, theories which assume that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are strings instead of point particles....
, conformal invariance, AdS/CFT, the random matrix
Random matrix
In probability theory and mathematical physics, a random matrix is a matrix-valued random variable. Many important properties of physical systems can be represented mathematically as matrix problems...
approach to string theory, twistor superstrings, and other topics in string theory. His most recent work has been on N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills.
Textbooks
Siegel authored an extensive (885pg) textbook called Fields, now in its 3rd edition. It is notable in that it follows a very modern approach and incorporates many topics (including string theory) not found in other field theory textbooks. He advocates a "symmetry-based" approach and uses this in his Quantum Field Theory I&II classes. The textbook is also notable in that it is completely an "electronic book" and can be downloaded for free from Siegel's website. He also offers his 1988 textbook Introduction to String Field Theory for free online. Along with S.J. Gates, M.T. Grisaru and M. Rocek he co-authored the 1983 textbook Superspace, or One thousand and one lessons in supersymmetry. It can now be downloaded for free from arXiv.org. He served as a co-editor of the Concise Encyclopedia of SupersymmetryConcise Encyclopedia of Supersymmetry
Concise Encyclopedia of Supersymmetry is a fundamental authoritative text in specialized areas of contemporary mathematics and physics.-References:*Concise Encyclopedia of Supersymmetry, And Noncommutative Structures in Mathematics and Physics...
.