Heinrich-Wolfgang Leopoldt
Encyclopedia
Heinrich-Wolfgang Leopoldt (22 August 1927 - 28 July 2011) was a German mathematician
, who worked on algebraic number theory
.
Leopoldt earned his PhD in 1954 at the University of Hamburg
under Helmut Hasse
with the thesis Über Einheitengruppe und Klassenzahl reeller algebraischer Zahlkörper (On group of unity and class number of real algebraic number fields). As a post-doc he was from 1956 to 1958 at the Institute for Advanced Study
. In 1959 he attained his habilitation degree at the University of Erlangen and was then at the University of Tübingen. He was from 1964 ordentlicher professor at the University of Karlsruhe, where he was also director of the Mathematics Institute.
In collaboration, Leopoldt and Tomio Kubota
introduced and investigated p-adic L-function
s (now named after them). These functions are a component of Iwasawa theory
and are a p-adic version of the Dirichlet L-functions. With Hans Zassenhaus he also worked on computer algebra and its applications in number theory.
Leopoldt with Peter Roquette also edited the collected works of his teacher Hasse (De Gruyter 1975). In 1979 he became a member of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. Among his doctoral students are Werner Blum, Hans-Peter Rehm, Heinrich Matzat and Claus-Günther Schmidt.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, who worked on algebraic number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
.
Leopoldt earned his PhD in 1954 at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
under Helmut Hasse
Helmut Hasse
Helmut Hasse was a German mathematician working in algebraic number theory, known for fundamental contributions to class field theory, the application of p-adic numbers to local classfield theory and diophantine geometry , and to local zeta functions.-Life:He was born in Kassel, and died in...
with the thesis Über Einheitengruppe und Klassenzahl reeller algebraischer Zahlkörper (On group of unity and class number of real algebraic number fields). As a post-doc he was from 1956 to 1958 at 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...
. In 1959 he attained his habilitation degree at the University of Erlangen and was then at the University of Tübingen. He was from 1964 ordentlicher professor at the University of Karlsruhe, where he was also director of the Mathematics Institute.
In collaboration, Leopoldt and Tomio Kubota
Tomio Kubota
is a Japanese mathematician, who studies number theory. His contributions include works on p-adic L functions and real-analytic automorphic forms.His work on p-adic L-functions, later recognised as an aspect of Iwasawa theory, was jointly with Leopoldt....
introduced and investigated p-adic L-function
P-adic L-function
In mathematics, a p-adic zeta function, or more generally a p-adic L-function, is a function analogous to the Riemann zeta function, or more general L-functions, but whose domain and target are p-adic...
s (now named after them). These functions are a component of Iwasawa theory
Iwasawa theory
In number theory, Iwasawa theory is the study of objects of arithmetic interest over infinite towers of number fields. It began as a Galois module theory of ideal class groups, initiated by Kenkichi Iwasawa, in the 1950s, as part of the theory of cyclotomic fields. In the early 1970s, Barry Mazur...
and are a p-adic version of the Dirichlet L-functions. With Hans Zassenhaus he also worked on computer algebra and its applications in number theory.
Leopoldt with Peter Roquette also edited the collected works of his teacher Hasse (De Gruyter 1975). In 1979 he became a member of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. Among his doctoral students are Werner Blum, Hans-Peter Rehm, Heinrich Matzat and Claus-Günther Schmidt.