Alexander Markovich Polyakov

Alexander M. Polyakov

Born September 27, 1945(1945-09-27)
Moscow, USSR
Fields Theoretical High Energy Physics
Institutions Princeton University
Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
Alma mater Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Doctoral advisor Karen Ter-Martirosian
Known for 't Hooft-Polyakov monopole
Quantum field theory
String theory
Notable awards Lars Onsager prize (2011)
Harvey Prize (2010)
Dirac Medal
Dannie Heineman Prize (1986)
Lorentz Medal (1994)
Oskar Klein Medal (1996)

Alexander Markovich Polyakov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Ма́ркович Поляко́в; born 27 September 1945) is a theoretical physicist, formerly at the Landau Institute in Moscow, currently at Princeton University.

Contents

Important discoveries

He is known for a number of basic contributions to quantum field theory, including work on what is now called the 't Hooft-Polyakov monopole in non-abelian gauge theory, independent from Gerard 't Hooft.[1][2][3][4][5][6] His paper Infinite conformal symmetry in two-dimensional quantum field theory, with Alexander Belavin, and Alexander Zamolodchikov, from 1984,[4] has classic status.[7] His path integral formulation of string theory had profound and lasting impacts in the conceptual and mathematical understanding of the theory. He also played an important role in elucidating the conceptual framework behind renormalization independent of Kenneth G. Wilson's Nobel prize winning work. He formulated pioneering ideas in gauge/string duality long before the breakthrough of AdS/CFT using D-branes. Other insightful conjectures that came years or even decades before active work by others include integrability of gauge and string theories and certain ideas about turbulence.

Honors and awards

Alexander Polyakov was awarded the Lars Onsager prize (together with A. Belavin and A. Zamolodchikov) in 2011, Harvey Prize in 2010, Dirac Medal and the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics in 1986, the Lorentz Medal in 1994, and the Oskar Klein Medal in 1996.

He has been elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1984[8] and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2005.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Belavin AA, Polyakov AM, Schwartz AS, Tyupkin YS (1975). "Pseudoparticle solutions of the Yang-Mills equations". Phys. Lett. B 59 (1): 85–7. Bibcode 1975PhLB...59...85B. doi:10.1016/0370-2693(75)90163-X. 
  2. ^ Polyakov AM (1977). "Quark confinement and topology of gauge theories". Nucl. Phys. B 120 (3): 429–58. Bibcode 1977NuPhB.120..429P. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(77)90086-4. 
  3. ^ Polyakov AM (1981). "Quantum geometry of bosonic strings". Phys. Lett. B 103 (3): 207–10. Bibcode 1981PhLB..103..207P. doi:10.1016/0370-2693(81)90743-7. 
  4. ^ a b Belavin AA, Polyakov AM, Zamolodchikov AB (1984). "Infinite conformal symmetry in two-dimensional quantum field theory". Nucl. Phys. B 241 (2): 333–80. Bibcode 1984NuPhB.241..333B. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(84)90052-X. 
  5. ^ Knizhnik VG, Polyakov AM, Zamolodchikov AB (1988). "Fractal structure of 2d—quantum gravity". Mod. Phys. Lett. A 3 (8): 819–26. Bibcode 1988MPLA....3..819K. doi:10.1142/S0217732388000982. 
  6. ^ Gubser SS, Klebanov IR, Polyakov AM (1998). "Gauge theory correlators from non-critical string theory". Phys. Lett. B 428 (1- 2): 105–14. arXiv:hep-th/9802109. Bibcode 1998PhLB..428..105G. doi:10.1016/S0370-2693(98)00377-3. 
  7. ^ "Princeton celebrates Polyakov's 60th". CERN Courier (Mar 1): 2. 2006. http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/29554/2. 
  8. ^ Alexander M. Polyakov. Site of RAS
  9. ^ Polyakov, Alexandre. NAS Section: Physics
  10. ^ Dirac Medalist Elected to NAS. ICTP News. 9/5/2005

External links