Finding a solution to a mathematical puzzle unsolved for over 15 years has won an ANU mathematical physicist two prestigious awards this month, with long-term practical implications for the physical sciences.
Professor Rodney Baxter, from the Mathematical Sciences Institute at ANU, received both the 2006 Onsager Prize of the American Physical Society (APS) and the separate Onsager Lectureship and Medal for 2006 from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Both prizes are named for widely respected theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate Lars Onsager, who exactly calculated the order parameter of the Ising model in 1949. This was the first such calculation for a statistical mechanical model of magnetism. He received the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his earlier work on irreversible thermodynamics.
“These awards are particularly pleasing for me as it is recognition of work on the order parameters of the chiral Potts model, which is research in the Lars Onsager tradition,” Professor Baxter said.
In his research, Professor Baxter showed by careful mathematical analysis that numerical predictions about the order parameters of the chiral Potts model were exactly right, something which had been elusive for mathematicians in the 15 years before his proof.
Simply, the complicated chiral Potts model is a prototype of theoretical descriptions of the interaction and behaviour of materials at the molecular level. It includes the Ising model as a special case.
The “exact solution” of the chiral Potts model achieved by Professor Baxter has important implications in the physical sciences. It greatly increases confidence in theoretical models, particularly in materials science, where physicists around the world, and at ANU, are building next generation electronic devices using two-dimensional layers in ‘chips’. These specialised ‘chips’ may eventually be used in computing, audiovisual technologies and advanced telecommunications.
The Dean of the Mathematical Sciences Institute, Professor Alan Carey, said Professor Baxter’s breakthrough saw him join a long list of highly-regarded scholars around the world who had received the prizes in previous years.
“To win both the APS Onsager Medal and the Onsager Lectureship and Medal at the same time is a tremendous achievement and underscores the importance of this particular finding,” Professor Carey said. “It also goes some way to confirm our Centre as a world leader. In the independent review of ANU in 2004, external assessors rated the quality of much of the mathematical research at ANU in the top 5 per cent internationally.”
The American Physical Society prize is awarded to recognise outstanding research in theoretical statistical physics including quantum fluids and includes prize money of $15,000.
It awarded Professor Baxter the Prize for “his original and groundbreaking contributions to the field of exactly solved models in statistical mechanics, which continue to inspire profound developments in statistical physics and related fields”.
Source: Australian National University
Related stories:
Tracking the reasons many girls avoid science and math
Most parents and many teachers believe that if middle-school and high-school girls show no interest in science or math, there's little anyone can do about it. New research by a team that includes vocational psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) indicates that the self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest.
Best way to treat malaria: Avoid using same drug for everyone, scientists say
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists employing a sophisticated computer model pioneered at Princeton University and Resources for the Future has found that many governments worldwide are recommending the wrong kind of malaria treatment.
Creating lung cancer risk models for specific populations refines prediction
Lung cancer risk prediction models are enhanced by taking into account risk factors by race and by measuring DNA repair capacity, according to research teams led by epidemiologists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in two complementary papers appearing in the September issue of
Cancer Prevention Research.
Michigan integral to world's largest physics experiment
After 20 years of construction, a machine that could either verify or nullify the prevailing theory of particle physics is about to begin its mission. CERN's epic Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project currently involves 25 University of Michigan physicists and students. More than 100 U-M researchers have been involved in the project over the years. CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, located in Geneva, Switzerland.
More off-premise alcohol outlets can lead to more injuries among neighborhood children
Childhood injuries constitute a serious issue in the United States. In 2001, there were 12,249 deaths among children ages one to 14: injuries were the leading cause, accounting for 33.2 percent of all deaths for children ages one to four, and 39.4 percent of all deaths for children ages five to 14. A new study has found that numerous off-premise alcohol outlets in neighborhoods can reduce overall guardianship of children's activities, leading to increased injuries.
New evidence on the robustness of metabolic networks
Biological systems are constantly evolving in ways that increase their fitness for survival amidst environmental fluctuations and internal errors. Now, in a study of cell metabolism, a Northwestern University research team has found new evidence that evolution has produced cell metabolisms that are especially well suited to handle potentially harmful changes like gene deletions and mutations.
Theory of the sun's role in formation of the solar system questioned
A strange mix of oxygen found in a stony meteorite that exploded over Pueblito de Allende, Mexico nearly 40 years ago has puzzled scientists ever since. Small flecks of minerals lodged in the stone and thought to date from the beginning of the solar system have a pattern of oxygen types, or isotopes, that differs from those found in all known planetary rocks, including those from Earth, its Moon and meteorites from Mars.
Gene enhancer in evolution of human opposable thumb
Scientists have discovered a gene enhancer, known as HACNS1, that may have contributed to the evolution of the uniquely opposable human thumb, and possibly also modifications in the ankle or foot that allow humans to walk on two legs, according to a paper published in
Science on Sept. 5, 2008.