Chen Ning Yang
Encyclopedia
Chen-Ning Franklin Yang (born October 1, 1922) is a Chinese
-American
physicist
who works on statistical mechanics
and particle physics
. He, together with Tsung-dao Lee
, received the 1957 Nobel prize
in physics for their work on parity nonconservation of weak interaction
. Yang naturalized as a United States
citizen in 1964.
, Anhui
, China
, his father Yang Ko-Chuen (1896–1973) was a mathematician and his mother Luo Meng-hua (羅孟華) was a housewife. Yang attended elementary
and high school
in Beijing
, and in the autumn of 1937 his family moved to Hefei
after Japanese invaded China. In 1938 they moved to Kunming
, Yunnan
, where the National Southwestern Associated University
was located. In the same year, as a second year student, Yang passed the entrance examination and studied at the National Southwestern Associated University
. He received his bachelor's degree in 1942, the thesis being about the application of group theory
to molecular spectra, under the supervision of Wu Ta-you
(吴大猷) (1907–2000). He continued to study graduate courses there for two years under the supervision of Wang Chu-hsi
(王竹溪) (1911–1983), working on statistical mechanics. In 1944 he received his master's degree was awarded a scholarship known as the Boxer Indemnity , a scholarship set up by the United States government using the funds raised from the money China was forced to pay out following the Boxer Rebellion
. He was delayed for one year, during which time he taught in a middle school as a teacher and studied field theory.
From 1946, Yang studied at the University of Chicago
with Edward Teller
(1908–2003), where he received his doctorate in 1948 and remained for a year as assistant to Enrico Fermi
. In 1949 he moved to the Institute for Advanced Study
where he began a period of fruitful collaboration with Tsung-Dao Lee
. In 1966 he moved to the State University of New York at Stony Brook
and became the Albert Einstein Professor of Physics and the first director of a newly founded Institute for Theoretical Physics which is now known as C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
.
He retired from Stony Brook in 1999 as Emeritus Professor. In 2010, Stony Brook University honored Yang's contributions to the university by naming its newest dormitory building Yang College. That same year, he was the honoree at Stony Brook University's annual Gala of the Stars fundraiser.
He has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society
, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
(中国科学院, People's Republic of China), the Academia Sinica
(中央研究院, Republic of China (Taiwan)), the Russian Academy of Sciences
, the Royal Society
, etc. and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Princeton University
(1958), Moscow State University
(1992), Chinese University of Hong Kong
(1997), etc.
Yang visited the Chinese mainland in 1971 for the first time after the thaw in China–US relations, and has subsequently made great efforts to help the Chinese physics community to rebuild the research atmosphere which was destroyed by the radical political movements during the Cultural Revolution
. After retiring from Stony Brook he returned as honorary director of Tsinghua University
, Beijing, where he is the Huang Jibei – Lu Kaiqun professor at the Center for Advanced Study (CASTU)
.
General Du Yuming
. Chih-li Tu died in the winter of 2003. At the age of 82, Yang became engaged to 28-year-old Weng Fan who was studying for her master's degree at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
. They married in December 2004.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who works on statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...
and particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
. He, together with Tsung-dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee is a Chinese born-American physicist, well known for his work on parity violation, the Lee Model, particle physics, relativistic heavy ion physics, nontopological solitons and soliton stars....
, received the 1957 Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in physics for their work on parity nonconservation of weak interaction
Weak interaction
Weak interaction , is one of the four fundamental forces of nature, alongside the strong nuclear force, electromagnetism, and gravity. It is responsible for the radioactive decay of subatomic particles and initiates the process known as hydrogen fusion in stars...
. Yang naturalized as a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen in 1964.
Biography
Yang was born in HefeiHefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, his father Yang Ko-Chuen (1896–1973) was a mathematician and his mother Luo Meng-hua (羅孟華) was a housewife. Yang attended elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and in the autumn of 1937 his family moved to Hefei
Hefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
after Japanese invaded China. In 1938 they moved to Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
, Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, where the National Southwestern Associated University
National Southwestern Associated University
When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, merged to form Changsha Temporary University in Changsha, and later National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming...
was located. In the same year, as a second year student, Yang passed the entrance examination and studied at the National Southwestern Associated University
National Southwestern Associated University
When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, merged to form Changsha Temporary University in Changsha, and later National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming...
. He received his bachelor's degree in 1942, the thesis being about the application of group theory
Group theory
In mathematics and abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and...
to molecular spectra, under the supervision of Wu Ta-you
Ta-You Wu
Wu Ta-You was a Chinese-born atomic and nuclear theoretical physicist who worked in the United States, Canada, mainland China, and Taiwan. He has been called the "Father of Chinese Physics."...
(吴大猷) (1907–2000). He continued to study graduate courses there for two years under the supervision of Wang Chu-hsi
Wang Zhuxi
Wang Zhuxi , given name as Zhiqi , sobriquet as Zhuxi, was a renowned physicist, educator and philologist of China.-Biography:...
(王竹溪) (1911–1983), working on statistical mechanics. In 1944 he received his master's degree was awarded a scholarship known as the Boxer Indemnity , a scholarship set up by the United States government using the funds raised from the money China was forced to pay out following the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. He was delayed for one year, during which time he taught in a middle school as a teacher and studied field theory.
From 1946, Yang studied at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
with Edward Teller
Edward Teller
Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
(1908–2003), where he received his doctorate in 1948 and remained for a year as assistant to Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
. In 1949 he moved to the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
where he began a period of fruitful collaboration with Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee is a Chinese born-American physicist, well known for his work on parity violation, the Lee Model, particle physics, relativistic heavy ion physics, nontopological solitons and soliton stars....
. In 1966 he moved to the State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
and became the Albert Einstein Professor of Physics and the first director of a newly founded Institute for Theoretical Physics which is now known as C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
The C. N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics is a research center at Stony Brook University. In 1965, it was the vision of then University President J.S. Toll and Physics Department chair T.A...
.
He retired from Stony Brook in 1999 as Emeritus Professor. In 2010, Stony Brook University honored Yang's contributions to the university by naming its newest dormitory building Yang College. That same year, he was the honoree at Stony Brook University's annual Gala of the Stars fundraiser.
He has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
(中国科学院, People's Republic of China), the Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
(中央研究院, Republic of China (Taiwan)), the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
, the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, etc. and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(1958), Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
(1992), Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
(1997), etc.
Yang visited the Chinese mainland in 1971 for the first time after the thaw in China–US relations, and has subsequently made great efforts to help the Chinese physics community to rebuild the research atmosphere which was destroyed by the radical political movements during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. After retiring from Stony Brook he returned as honorary director of Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, Beijing, where he is the Huang Jibei – Lu Kaiqun professor at the Center for Advanced Study (CASTU)
Center for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University
The Center for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University is a research institute established in Beijing in 1997. Modelled after the Princeton-based Institute for Advanced Study, albeit in a university setting, it is engaged in theoretical studies in physics, computer science and biology...
.
Personal life
Yang married Chih-li Tu , a teacher, in 1950 and has two sons and a daughter with her: Franklin Jr., Gilbert and Eulee (in order of age). His father-in-law was the KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
General Du Yuming
Du Yuming
Du Yuming was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War theatre of World War II and in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949....
. Chih-li Tu died in the winter of 2003. At the age of 82, Yang became engaged to 28-year-old Weng Fan who was studying for her master's degree at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies is one of the prestigious universities in China which specializes in international studies and one of the key institutions of higher learning in Guangdong Province in South China. The University was established in June 1995 through the merger of Guangzhou...
. They married in December 2004.
Awards
- Nobel Prize in PhysicsNobel Prize in PhysicsThe Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
(1957) - Rumford PrizeRumford PrizeFounded in 1796, the Rumford Prize, awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is one of the oldest scientific prizes in the United States. The prize recognizes contributions by scientists to the fields of heat and light...
(1980) - National Medal of ScienceNational Medal of ScienceThe National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
(1986) - Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture and MedalOskar Klein Memorial LectureThe Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture at Stockholm University, dedicated to the memory of the Swedish physicist Oskar Klein , is held annually since 1988 by a prominent physicist, who also receives the Oskar Klein Medal...
(1988) - Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences of the American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
(1993) - Bower Award (1994)
- Albert Einstein MedalAlbert Einstein MedalThe Albert Einstein Medal is an award presented by the Albert Einstein Society in Bern. First given in 1979, the award is presented to people who have "rendered outstanding services" in connection with Albert Einstein each year.- Recipients :...
(1995) - N. Bogoliubov Prize (1996)
- Lars Onsager Prize (1999)
- King Faisal International Prize (2001)
See also
- Yang-Mills theory
- Yang-Baxter equationYang-Baxter equationThe Yang–Baxter equation is an equation which was first introduced in the field of statistical mechanics. It takes its name from independent work of C. N. Yang from 1968, and R. J. Baxter from 1971...
- YangianYangianYangian is an important structure in modern representation theory, a type of a quantum group with origins in physics. Yangians first appeared in the work of Ludvig Faddeev and his school concerning the quantum inverse scattering method in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Initially they were...
- Lee–Yang theoremLee–Yang theoremIn statistical mechanics, the Lee–Yang theorem states that if partition functions of certain models in statistical field theory with ferromagnetic interactions are considered as functions of an external field, then all zeros...
- Wu-Yang monopoleWu-Yang monopoleThe Wu–Yang monopole was the first solution to the Yang-Mills field equations. It describes a magnetic monopole which is pointlike and has a potential which behaves like 1/r everywhere.-References:...
- Wu-Yang dictionary
- C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical PhysicsC. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical PhysicsThe C. N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics is a research center at Stony Brook University. In 1965, it was the vision of then University President J.S. Toll and Physics Department chair T.A...
- Center for Advanced Study, Tsinghua UniversityCenter for Advanced Study, Tsinghua UniversityThe Center for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University is a research institute established in Beijing in 1997. Modelled after the Princeton-based Institute for Advanced Study, albeit in a university setting, it is engaged in theoretical studies in physics, computer science and biology...
External links
- Professor Chen Ning Yang (homepage - Institute for Advanced Study in Tsinghua UniversityCenter for Advanced Study, Tsinghua UniversityThe Center for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University is a research institute established in Beijing in 1997. Modelled after the Princeton-based Institute for Advanced Study, albeit in a university setting, it is engaged in theoretical studies in physics, computer science and biology...
) - Chen Ning Yang (homepage - State University of New York at Stony BrookState University of New York at Stony BrookThe State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
) - C.N. Yang's Home Page (homepage - The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
- Nobel biography
- Symmetries and Reflections (C.N. Yang retirement symposium at Stony Brook University)
- The CN Yang Scholars Programme at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore