Walter Thirring
Encyclopedia
Walter Thirring is an Austrian physicist after whom the Thirring model
in quantum field theory
is named. He is son of the physicist Hans Thirring
, co-discoverer of the Lense-Thirring frame dragging effect in general relativity
.
Walter Thirring was born in Vienna
, Austria
, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1949 at the age of 22. In 1959 he became a professor for theoretical physics at the University of Vienna
, and from 1968 to 1971 he was head of the Theory Division and director at CERN
.
Besides pioneering work in quantum field theory
, Walter Thirring devoted his scientific life to mathematical physics
. He is author of one of the first textbooks on quantum electrodynamics
as well as of a four volume course in mathematical physics.
In 1969, he received the Schrödinger Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
.
In 2000, he received the Henri Poincaré Prize of the International Association of Mathematical Physics
.
Walter Thirring authored Cosmic Impressions, Templeton Press
, Philadelphia and London, in 2007, and in that book he sums up his feelings about the scientific discoveries made by modern cosmology
:
His memoirs were published in 2010 as The Joy of Discovery: Great Encounters Along the Way by World Scientific Publishing Company. He recollects encounters with the old masters like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg
, Pauli
and others as well as his collaborations with the present stars like Murray Gell-Mann
and Elliott Lieb.http://templetonpress.org/content/cosmic-impressions
Thirring model
The Thirring model is an exactly solvable quantum field theory which describes the self-interactions of a Dirac field in two dimension.-Definition:The Thirring model is given by the Lagrangian density...
in quantum field theory
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...
is named. He is son of the physicist Hans Thirring
Hans Thirring
Hans Thirring was an Austrian theoretical physicist, professor, and father of the physicist Walter Thirring....
, co-discoverer of the Lense-Thirring frame dragging effect in general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
.
Walter Thirring was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1949 at the age of 22. In 1959 he became a professor for theoretical physics at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, and from 1968 to 1971 he was head of the Theory Division and director at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
.
Besides pioneering work in quantum field theory
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...
, Walter Thirring devoted his scientific life to mathematical physics
Mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The Journal of Mathematical Physics defines this area as: "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and...
. He is author of one of the first textbooks on quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved...
as well as of a four volume course in mathematical physics.
In 1969, he received the Schrödinger Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
.
In 2000, he received the Henri Poincaré Prize of the International Association of Mathematical Physics
International Association of Mathematical Physics
The International Association of Mathematical Physics was founded in 1976 to promote research in mathematical physics. It brings together research mathematicians and theoretical physicists, including students. The association's ordinary members are individual researchers, although associate...
.
Walter Thirring authored Cosmic Impressions, Templeton Press
John Templeton Foundation
"The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organizationthat funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation...
, Philadelphia and London, in 2007, and in that book he sums up his feelings about the scientific discoveries made by modern cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
:
In the last decades, new worlds have been unveiled that our great teachers wouldn’t have even dreamed of. The panorama of cosmic evolution now enables deep insights into the blueprint of creation…. Human beings recognize the blueprints, and understand the language of the Creator…. These realizations do not make science the enemy of religion, but glorify the book of Genesis in the Bible.
His memoirs were published in 2010 as The Joy of Discovery: Great Encounters Along the Way by World Scientific Publishing Company. He recollects encounters with the old masters like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
, Pauli
Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Ernst Pauli was an Austrian theoretical physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum physics. In 1945, after being nominated by Albert Einstein, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "decisive contribution through his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle or...
and others as well as his collaborations with the present stars like Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann is an American physicist and linguist who received the 1969 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles...
and Elliott Lieb.http://templetonpress.org/content/cosmic-impressions