Alexander Zamolodchikov
Alexander Borisovich Zamolodchikov (Russian:
Алекса́ндр Бори́сович Замоло́дчиков; born Alexander B. Zamolodchikov
September 18, 1952) is a Russian physicist, known for Born 18 September 1952
his contributions to conformal field theory, statistical Novo-Ivankovo, USSR
mechanics, string theory and condensed matter Alma mater Institute for Theoretical and
physics. Experimental Physics
Moscow Institute of Physics and
He is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished Technology
theoretical physicists[1] for his profound contributions
Known for 2D Conformal Field theory
to fundamental physics and especially to Quantum
Zamolodchikov C-theorem
Field Theories, for which he was awarded the
Knizhnik–Zamolodchikov
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics[1] in 2024.
equations
He is currently the C.N. Yang – Wei Deng Endowed
W algebra
Chair of Physics at Stony Brook University.[2]
Conformal bootstrap
Liouville field theory
Parafermion
Biography TTbar deformation (https://ncatl
ab.org/nlab/show/TT+deformati
Born in Novo-Ivankovo, now part of Dubna,
on)
Zamolodchikov earned a M.Sc. in nuclear engineering
(1975) from Moscow Institute of Physics and Awards Dannie Heineman Prize for
Technology, a Ph.D. in physics from the Institute for Mathematical Physics
Humboldt Prize
Theoretical and Experimental Physics (1978). He
Blaise Pascal Chair
joined the research staff of Landau Institute for
Theoretical Physics (1978) where he got a Doctor of Lars Onsager Prize
Dirac Medal
Sciences degree (1983).
Member of the National
He co-authored the famous BPZ paper "Infinite Academy of Sciences
Conformal Symmetry in Two-Dimensional Quantum Breakthrough Prize in
Field Theory",[3] with Alexander Polyakov and Fundamental Physics
Alexander Belavin.[3][4] Scientific career
Fields Theoretical Physics
He joined Rutgers University (1990) where he co-
Statistical Mechanics
founded Rutgers New High Energy Theory Center, and
High Energy Physics
was named Board of Governors Professor (2005).[5]
Conformal Field Theory
In 2016, he became the inaugural holder of the C. N. Statistical field theory
Yang/Wei Deng Chair in the Department of Physics Condensed Matter Physics
and Astronomy and C. N. Yang Institute for Integrable Systems
Theoretical Physics at Stony Brook University.[6] Doctoral Karen Ter-Martirosian
advisor
He is the twin brother of the late Alexei Zamolodchikov (1952–2007), also a noted physicist.[7]
Awards
1999: Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics with Barry M. McCoy and Tai Tsun
Wu for "their groundbreaking and penetrating work on classical statistical mechanics,
integrable models and conformal field theories."
2003/4: Humboldt Prize
2005: Blaise Pascal Chair at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris
2011: Lars Onsager Prize, together with Alexander Belavin and Alexander Polyakov, "for the
remarkable ideas that they introduced concerning conformal field theory and soluble models
of statistical mechanics in two dimensions."
2011: Dirac Medal from the International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste.
2016: elected to the National Academy of Sciences[8]
2024: Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics,[9] "for profound contributions to
statistical physics and quantum field theory, with diverse and far-reaching applications in
different branches of physics and mathematics."
See also
C-theorem
Conformal bootstrap
Knizhnik–Zamolodchikov equations
Thirring model
W-algebra
References
1. "Zamolodchikov Shares $3M Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics" (https://news.sto
nybrook.edu/university/zamolodchikov-shares-3m-breakthrough-prize-in-fundamental-physic
s/). 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
2. "INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED PHYSICIST APPOINTED AS CHEN NING YANG – WEI
DENG ENDOWED CHAIR IN PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY" (https://www.stonybrook.edu/n
ewsroom/general/2017-01-21-endowed-chair-in-physics-stony-brook.php/amp/). Stony
Brook University. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
3. Belavin AA; Polyakov AM; Zamolodchikov AB (1984). "Infinite conformal symmetry in two-
dimensional quantum field theory" (https://cds.cern.ch/record/152341). Nucl. Phys. B. 241
(2): 333–80. Bibcode:1984NuPhB.241..333B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1984NuPh
B.241..333B). doi:10.1016/0550-3213(84)90052-X (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0550-3213%
2884%2990052-X).
4. "Princeton celebrates Polyakov's 60th" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110709210059/http://
cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/29554/2). CERN Courier (March 1): 2. 2006. Archived from
the original (http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/29554/2) on 2011-07-09. Retrieved
2008-10-21.
5. Alexander Zamolodchikov Named Board of Governors Professor of Physics (http://news.rut
gers.digitalwave.ws/medrel/news-releases/2005/04/alexander-zamolodchi-20050407)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20161006054434/http://news.rutgers.digitalwave.ws/
medrel/news-releases/2005/04/alexander-zamolodchi-20050407) 2016-10-06 at the
Wayback Machine
6. "Stony Brook Physics & Astronomy: News" (http://www.physics.sunysb.edu/Physics/news/w
hatsnew_single.php?date=latest/20160825). www.physics.sunysb.edu. Retrieved
2016-08-26.
7. Alexei Zamolodchikov 1952–2007 (http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/32529/4) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20180114185541/http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/3252
9/4#) 2018-01-14 at the Wayback Machine from CERN (January 1, 2008)
8. National Academy of Sciences Members and Foreign Associates Elected (http://www.nasonl
ine.org/news-and-multimedia/news/may-3-2016-NAS-Election.html), News from the National
Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, May 3, 2016, retrieved 2016-05-14.
9. "BREAKTHROUGH PRIZE ANNOUNCES 2024 LAUREATES IN LIFE SCIENCES,
FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS, AND MATHEMATICS" (https://breakthroughprize.org/News/83).
Breakthrough Prize. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
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