Kurt Wiesenfeld
Encyclopedia
Kurt Wiesenfeld is an American
physicist
working primarily on non-linear dynamics. His works primarily concern stochastic resonance
, spontaneous synchronization of coupled oscillators
, and non-linear laser
dynamics. Since 1987, he has been professor of physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology
.
in 1979, after which he moved to University of California, Berkeley
and received his doctorate in 1985. From 1984 to 1985 he was a Lecturer and Research Scientist at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
In 1987, as a post-doctoral research scientist in the Solid State Theory Group of Brookhaven National Laboratory
, he and another fellow post-doctoral scientist, Chao Tang
, along with their mentor, Per Bak
, presented new ideas in group organization with a concept they coined self-organized criticality
in their paper in Physical Review Letters
. The first discovered example of a dynamical system displaying such self-organized criticality was named after them as the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld "sandpile"
model.
Wiesenfeld is currently a fellow of the American Physical Society
, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Physical Society's Division of Biological Physics, and a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
(SIAM).
, and M. E. Inchiosa, Phys. Rev. B 62, R9232-35 (2000).
K. Wiesenfeld and F. Moss, "Stochastic resonance and the benefits of noise: from ice ages to crayfish and SQUIDs", Nature 373, 33-36 (1995).
K. Wiesenfeld, P. Colet and S. Strogatz, "Frequency locking in n Josephson arrays: connection with the Kuramoto model", Phys. Rev. E 57, 1563-1569 (1998).
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...
working primarily on non-linear dynamics. His works primarily concern stochastic resonance
Stochastic resonance
Stochastic resonance is a phenomenon that occurs in a threshold measurement system when an appropriate measure of information transfer is maximized in the presence of a non-zero level of stochastic input noise thereby lowering the response...
, spontaneous synchronization of coupled oscillators
Oscillation
Oscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and AC power. The term vibration is sometimes used more narrowly to mean a mechanical oscillation but sometimes...
, and non-linear laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
dynamics. Since 1987, he has been professor of physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Life and work
Kurt Wiesenfeld received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts 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...
in 1979, after which he moved to 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...
and received his doctorate in 1985. From 1984 to 1985 he was a Lecturer and Research Scientist at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
In 1987, as a post-doctoral research scientist in the Solid State Theory Group of Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
, he and another fellow post-doctoral scientist, Chao Tang
Chao Tang
Chao Tang is a Chinese physicist and professor at the University of California at San Francisco.In 1987, as a post-doctoral research scientist in the Solid State Theory Group of Brookhaven National Laboratory, he and another fellow post-doctoral scientist, Kurt Wiesenfeld, along with their mentor,...
, along with their mentor, Per Bak
Per Bak
Per Bak was a Danish theoretical physicist who coauthored the 1987 academic paper that coined the term "self-organized criticality."- Life and work :...
, presented new ideas in group organization with a concept they coined self-organized criticality
Self-organized criticality
In physics, self-organized criticality is a property of dynamical systems which have a critical point as an attractor. Their macroscopic behaviour thus displays the spatial and/or temporal scale-invariance characteristic of the critical point of a phase transition, but without the need to tune...
in their paper in Physical Review Letters
Physical Review Letters
Physical Review Letters , established in 1958, is a peer reviewed, scientific journal that is published 52 times per year by the American Physical Society...
. The first discovered example of a dynamical system displaying such self-organized criticality was named after them as the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld "sandpile"
Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile
In physics, the Bak–Tang–Wiesenfeld sandpile model is the first discovered example of a dynamical system displaying self-organized criticality and is named after Per Bak, Chao Tang and Kurt Wiesenfeld....
model.
Wiesenfeld is currently a fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The 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...
, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Physical Society's Division of Biological Physics, and a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
(SIAM).
Selected publications
“Oscillatory Dynamics of a Nonlinear Amplifier in the High-Gain Regime: Exploiting a Global Connection”, K. Wiesenfeld, A. R. BulsaraAdi Bulsara
Ardeshir "Adi" Ratan Bulsara is a scientist in the area nonlinear dynamics. He studied under the Nobel Prize winner Ilya Prigogine...
, and M. E. Inchiosa, Phys. Rev. B 62, R9232-35 (2000).
K. Wiesenfeld and F. Moss, "Stochastic resonance and the benefits of noise: from ice ages to crayfish and SQUIDs", Nature 373, 33-36 (1995).
K. Wiesenfeld, P. Colet and S. Strogatz, "Frequency locking in n Josephson arrays: connection with the Kuramoto model", Phys. Rev. E 57, 1563-1569 (1998).