.gif)
Sam Edwards (physicist)
Encyclopedia
Sir Samuel Frederick Edwards FLSW FRS (born 1 February 1928) is a British physicist
.
, the son of Richard and Mary Jane Edwards.
He was educated at the Bishop Gore School
in Swansea
, and Gonville and Caius College
, University of Cambridge
, in Britain, and at Harvard University
, in the United States
. He wrote his thesis under Julian Schwinger
on the structure of the electron, and subsequently developed the functional integral form of field theory.
started in 1958 with a paper which showed that statistical properties of disordered systems (glasses, gels etc.) could be described by the Feynman diagram
and path integral
methods invented in quantum field theory. During the following 35 years Edwards has worked in the theoretical study of complex materials, such as polymers, gels, colloids and similar systems.
He was Chairman of the Science Research Council 1973-1977 and between 1984-1995 was Cavendish Professor of Physics
at Cambridge University. He is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
http://www.thebulletin.org and Past President of Cambridge Society for the Application of Research.
Edwards was knighted in 1975. Awards presented to him include the Davy Medal
(1984) and the Royal Medal
(2001) of the Royal Society
, the Boltzmann medal
of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
(1995), and the Dirac Medal of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics
(2005). He is also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
.
His relaxations are gardening and chamber music.
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...
.
Early life and studies
Sir Samuel was born on 1 February 1928 in SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, the son of Richard and Mary Jane Edwards.
He was educated at the Bishop Gore School
Bishop Gore School
The Bishop Gore School is a secondary school in Swansea in south Wales, founded on 14 September 1682 by Hugh Gore , Bishop of Waterford and Lismore...
in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, and Gonville and Caius College
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, in Britain, and at Harvard University
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...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He wrote his thesis under Julian Schwinger
Julian Schwinger
Julian Seymour Schwinger was an American theoretical physicist. He is best known for his work on the theory of quantum electrodynamics, in particular for developing a relativistically invariant perturbation theory, and for renormalizing QED to one loop order.Schwinger is recognized as one of the...
on the structure of the electron, and subsequently developed the functional integral form of field theory.
Academic research
Edwards' work in condensed matter physicsCondensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. These properties appear when a number of atoms at the supramolecular and macromolecular scale interact strongly and adhere to each other or are otherwise highly concentrated in a system. The most familiar...
started in 1958 with a paper which showed that statistical properties of disordered systems (glasses, gels etc.) could be described by the Feynman diagram
Feynman diagram
Feynman diagrams are a pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, first developed by the Nobel Prize-winning American physicist Richard Feynman, and first introduced in 1948...
and path integral
Path integral
Path integral may refer to:* Line integral, the integral of a function along a curve* Functional integration, the integral of a functional over a space of curves...
methods invented in quantum field theory. During the following 35 years Edwards has worked in the theoretical study of complex materials, such as polymers, gels, colloids and similar systems.
He was Chairman of the Science Research Council 1973-1977 and between 1984-1995 was Cavendish Professor of Physics
Cavendish Professor of Physics
The Cavendish Professorship is one of the senior Professorships in Physics at Cambridge University. It was founded by grace of 9 February 1871 alongside the famous Cavendish Laboratory which was completed three years later...
at Cambridge University. He is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nontechnical online magazine that covers global security and public policy issues, especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction...
http://www.thebulletin.org and Past President of Cambridge Society for the Application of Research.
Edwards was knighted in 1975. Awards presented to him include the Davy Medal
Davy Medal
The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
(1984) and the Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
(2001) of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, the Boltzmann medal
Boltzmann Medal
The Boltzmann Medal is the most important prize awarded to physicists that obtain new results concerning statistical mechanics; it is named after the celebrated physicist Ludwig Boltzmann...
of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the advancement of physics...
(1995), and the Dirac Medal of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Pakistani scientist and Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam after consulting with Munir Ahmad Khan. It operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government, UNESCO, and International Atomic Energy Agency...
(2005). He is also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
Learned Society of Wales
The Learned Society of Wales is a society that exists to “celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines”.The society was launched on 25 May 2010 at the National Museum of Wales...
.
Personal life
In 1953 Sir Sam married Merriell E.M. Bland, with whom he has three daughters and a son.His relaxations are gardening and chamber music.