William E. Caswell
Encyclopedia
William E. Caswell was a physicist from Silver Spring, Maryland
whose pioneering work in the days of FORTRAN
and punch cards demonstrated the potential of computer algebra and made major contributions to quantum gauge field theories
.
and later did graduate work at Princeton University
, then a hotbed of research into gauge symmetry and renormalization group
ideas. (Caswell's grad school officemate Frank Wilczek
shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics
with his thesis advisor David J. Gross and with H. David Politzer, for work done during this time.)
With his thesis advisor Curtis Callan
, Caswell embarked on an ambitious program for the summation of Feynman loops in order to calculate elementary particle
properties. His thesis, published in 1974, was groundbreaking work that encouraged and shaped future research. To quote his obituary in Physics Today, "Today the interpretation of many experiments in high-energy physics requires multiloop quantum chromodynamics calculations, and Bill's result is a prime ingredient in every such calculation. It is also a critical ingredient in calculating the running of the coupling constants of the Standard Model's supersymmetric extensions, calculations that are interpreted these days as evidence for both grand unification and low-energy supersymmetry. Thus Bill's work is also crucial to our thinking about physics beyond the Standard Model."
After receiving his PhD from Princeton in 1975, Caswell did further significant work to develop new and powerful tools for dealing with bound states such as positronium
and charmonium.
In 1983, Caswell left academic work for the Naval Surface Weapons Center, first at White Oak, Maryland
, formerly the Naval Ordnance Laboratory
.
which crashed into The Pentagon
on September 11, 2001. He is survived by his wife Jean and his daughter Jennifer.
At the National 9/11 Memorial, Caswell is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-70.
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
whose pioneering work in the days of FORTRAN
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
and punch cards demonstrated the potential of computer algebra and made major contributions to quantum gauge field theories
Quantum gauge theory
In quantum physics, in order to quantize a gauge theory, like for example Yang-Mills theory, Chern-Simons or BF model, one method is to perform a gauge fixing. This is done in the BRST and Batalin-Vilkovisky formulation...
.
Career
Caswell received his undergraduate degree in physics from the University of MarylandUniversity 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 later did graduate work at Princeton University
Princeton 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....
, then a hotbed of research into gauge symmetry and renormalization group
Renormalization group
In theoretical physics, the renormalization group refers to a mathematical apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different distance scales...
ideas. (Caswell's grad school officemate Frank Wilczek
Frank Wilczek
Frank Anthony Wilczek is a theoretical physicist from the United States and a Nobel laureate. He is currently the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ....
shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
with his thesis advisor David J. Gross and with H. David Politzer, for work done during this time.)
With his thesis advisor Curtis Callan
Curtis Callan
Curtis Callan is a theoretical physicist and a professor at Princeton University. He has conducted research in gauge theory, string theory, instantons, black holes, strong interactions, and many other topics...
, Caswell embarked on an ambitious program for the summation of Feynman loops in order to calculate elementary particle
Elementary particle
In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a particle not known to have substructure; that is, it is not known to be made up of smaller particles. If an elementary particle truly has no substructure, then it is one of the basic building blocks of the universe from which...
properties. His thesis, published in 1974, was groundbreaking work that encouraged and shaped future research. To quote his obituary in Physics Today, "Today the interpretation of many experiments in high-energy physics requires multiloop quantum chromodynamics calculations, and Bill's result is a prime ingredient in every such calculation. It is also a critical ingredient in calculating the running of the coupling constants of the Standard Model's supersymmetric extensions, calculations that are interpreted these days as evidence for both grand unification and low-energy supersymmetry. Thus Bill's work is also crucial to our thinking about physics beyond the Standard Model."
After receiving his PhD from Princeton in 1975, Caswell did further significant work to develop new and powerful tools for dealing with bound states such as positronium
Positronium
Positronium is a system consisting of an electron and its anti-particle, a positron, bound together into an "exotic atom". Being unstable, the two particles annihilate each other to produce two gamma ray photons after an average lifetime of 125 ps or three gamma ray photons after 142 ns in...
and charmonium.
In 1983, Caswell left academic work for the Naval Surface Weapons Center, first at White Oak, Maryland
White Oak, Maryland
White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, White Oak's boundaries are not officially defined...
, formerly the Naval Ordnance Laboratory
Naval Ordnance Laboratory
The Naval Ordnance Laboratory , now disestablished, formerly located in White Oak, Maryland was the site of considerable work that had practical impact upon world technology. The White Oak site of NOL has now been taken over by the Food and Drug Administration.-History:The U.S...
.
Death and legacy
He was on American Airlines Flight 77American Airlines Flight 77
American Airlines Flight 77 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Washington Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...
which crashed into The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
on September 11, 2001. He is survived by his wife Jean and his daughter Jennifer.
At the National 9/11 Memorial, Caswell is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-70.