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Born on this day
Eugene Augustin Lauste
Eugène Augustin Lauste was a French inventor.
26th week in year
27 June 2024

Important personalitiesBack

Martinus J.G. Veltman27.6.1931

Wikipedia (04 Jun 2013, 12:02)

Martinus Justinus Godefriedus Veltman is a Dutch theoretical physicist. He shared the 1999Nobel Prize in physics with his former student Gerardus 't Hooft for their workon particle theory.

Martinus J.G. Veltman was bornin Waalwijk, Netherlands on June 27, 1931. He started studying mathematicsand physics at Utrecht University in 1948. He obtained his PhD intheoretical physics in 1963 and became professor at Utrecht University in 1966.

In 1963/64, during an extended stayat SLAC he designed the computer program Schoonschip forsymbolic manipulation of mathematical equations, which is now considered thevery first Computer algebra system.

In 1971, Gerardus 't Hooft, who wascompleting his PhD under the supervision ofVeltman, renormalized Yang-Mills theory. They showed that if thesymmetries of Yang-Mills theory were to be realized in the spontaneouslybroken mode, referred to as the Higgs mechanism, then Yang-Millstheory can be renormalized. Renormalization of Yang-Mills theory is amajor achievement of twentieth century physics.

In 1981, Veltman left Utrecht University forthe University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, frustrated by the exclusiverecognition his student 't Hooft got for his PhD thesis. Veltman felt that hehad formulated the problem, carried out most of the preliminary work, andwritten the program which actually made that dissertation possible; however, hefelt that most of the credit went to 't Hooft.

Eventually, he shared the Nobel Prize forPhysics in 1999 with 't Hooft, "for elucidating the quantum structureof electroweak interactions in physics". Veltman and 'tHooft joined in the celebrations at Utrecht University when the prize wasawarded.

Veltman is now retired and holds aposition of Emeritus Professor at the University ofMichigan. Asteroid 9492 Veltman is named in his honor.



   
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