Martin Gutzwiller
| Martin C. Gutzwiller | |
|---|---|
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| Born | October 12, 1925[1] Basel, Switzerland |
| Fields | Quantum chaos, Complex Systems |
| Institutions | IBM, Columbia University, Yale University |
| Alma mater | ETH Zurich,[1] Kansas State University |
| Doctoral advisor | Max Dresden |
| Known for | Gutzwiller approximation Gutzwiller trace formula |
| Notable awards | Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics Max Planck Medal |
Martin C. Gutzwiller is a Swiss-American physicist known for his work on quantum chaos, physics of complex systems and field theory. He is currently an adjunct professor of physics at Yale University.
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[edit] Biography
Gutzwiller was born on October 12, 1925 in the Swiss city of Basel. He received his initial education in Switzerland, studying quantum physics under Wolfgang Pauli at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH Zurich) up to the Diploma degree in 1950. He then went to Kansas State University and obtained a doctorate degree with Max Dresden. He worked in microwave engineering for the BBC, in geophysics for Shell Oil, and eventually for IBM Research in Switzerland, New York City, and Yorktown Heights, until his retirement in 1993. Other teaching positions include Columbia University, ETH Zurich, Paris-Orsay, and Stockholm. He had also been Vice Chair for the Committee on Mathematical Physics, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics from 1987 to 1993. He joined Yale University as adjunct professor in 1993, and has since retained the position. [1]
[edit] Scientific Work
Gutzwiller formulated the of Gutzwiller approximation for describing electrons with strong local interactions in terms of the Gutzwiller wave function, composed of a simple many-electron wave function acted on by a correlation operator (Gutzwiller projection). He was also the first to investigate the relationship between classical and quantum mechanics in chaotic systems; he developed the Gutzwiller trace formula, the main result of periodic orbit theory giving a recipe for computing spectra from periodic orbits of a system. He is the author of the classic monograph on the subject: Chaos in Classical and Quantum Mechanics. He is also known for novel solutions to mathematical problems in field theory, wave propagation, crystal physics, and celestial mechanics. In appreciation of his contributions to theoretical physics, the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPIPKS) annually awards the Martin Gutzwiller Fellowship to acknowledge and promote exceptional research in this field.[2]
[edit] Honors
- Fellow of National Academies of Science in 1992
- Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Science in 1993 [1]
- Fellow of American Physical Society
- Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics in 1993 [3]
- Max Planck medal in 2003
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Array of Contemporary American Physicists". http://www.aip.org/history/acap/biographies/bio.jsp?gutzwillerm. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Martin Gutzwiller Fellowship". http://www.mpipks-dresden.mpg.de/pages/forschung/forschung_gutzwiller.html. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "1993 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics Recipient". http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?first_nm=Martin&last_nm=Gutzwiller&year=1993. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
