Yakov G. Sinai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses of the name Sinai, please see Sinai (disambiguation).

**Yakov G. Sinai**
Yakov G. Sinai
Born	September 21, 1935 Moscow, Russia
Residence	Princeton, New Jersey, USA,
Nationality	Russian
Field	Mathematician
Institution	Moscow State University, Princeton University
Alma mater	Moscow State University
Academic advisor	Andrey Kolmogorov
Notable students	Leonid Bunimovich Anatole Katok Grigory Margulis Marina Ratner
Known for	works on dynamical systems, mathematical and statistical physics, probability theory, mathematical fluid dynamics
Notable prizes	Boltzmann Medal Dirac Prize Nemmers Prize Wolf Prize

Yakov G. Sinai, Russian: Яков Григорьевич Синай (1935-) is one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century. He obtained numerous groundbreaking results in the theory of dynamical systems, in Mathematical Physics and in Probability theory. Especially his ingenious insights and pioneering works practically shaped the modern Metric Theory of Dynamical Systems (also often called after Kolmogorov the theory of Stochasticity of Dynamical Systems). Sinai was the major architect of the most bridges connecting the world of Deterministic (Dynamical) systems with the world of Probabilistic (Stochastic) systems.

[edit] Biography

Sinai was born in Moscow, in a family that played a prominent role in Russia's scientific and cultural life since the nineteenth century. His grandfather, Veniamin Kagan, was one of the most famous Russian geometers, and Sinai's parents were prominent researchers in the medico-biological sciences.

Yakov Sinai received his Ph.D. from Moscow State University in 1960; his advisor was Andrey Kolmogorov. In 1971 he became a Professor at Moscow State University and a senior researcher at the Landau Institute of Theoretical Physics. Since 1993 he has been a Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University.

Sinai is a member of the USA National Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences and others. Among the honors he has been awarded are the Boltzmann Medal (1986), Dirac Medal (1992), Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics (1989), Nemmers Prize (2002), and the Wolf Prize in Mathematics (1997).

Sinai is one of a handful mathematicians who are highly respected by the Physics Community, where, as well as in Mathematics, Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy, Sinai's billiards, Sinai's random walk, Sinai-Ruelle-Bowen measures, Pirogov-Sinai theory, etc, are uniformly considered to be the basic notions that shaped an understanding and intuition about many fundamental physical phenomena.

Professor Sinai created a big and influential scientific school. Among his students are the members of some leading Academies and awardees of some the most prestigious prizes in Mathematics (e.g., Fields medalist Gregory Margulis). His innovative, highly original and creative style penetrates not only his papers and lectures, but also his numerous books where, even in the textbooks, the classical subjects like e.g. Probability Theory, there are always new chapters extending traditional views on the borders and content of the area.