Preda Mihailescu
Encyclopedia
Preda V. Mihăilescu is a Romania
n mathematician
, best known for his proof of Catalan's conjecture.
Born in Bucharest
, he is the brother of Vintilă Mihăilescu
. After leaving Romania in 1973, he settled in Switzerland
. He studied mathematics and computer science in Zürich
, receiving his Ph.D. from ETH Zürich
in 1997. His thesis, titled Cyclotomy of rings and primality testing, was written under the direction of Erwin Engeler
and Hendrik Lenstra
.
For several years, he did research at the University of Paderborn
, Germany
. Since 2005 he is a professor at the Georg-August University of Göttingen
.
In 2002, Mihăilescu proved Catalan's conjecture. This number-theoretical conjecture, formulated by French mathematician Eugène Charles Catalan
in 1844, had stood unresolved for over a century. Mihăilescu's proof appeared in Crelle's Journal
in 2004. The result is now occasionally known as Mihăilescu's theorem.
In 2009, Mihăilescu announced a proof of Leopoldt's conjecture
for all number fields.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n mathematician
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....
, best known for his proof of Catalan's conjecture.
Born in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, he is the brother of Vintilă Mihăilescu
Vintila Mihailescu
Vintilă Mihăilescu is a leading Romanian cultural anthropologist, and a Professor at the University of Bucharest....
. After leaving Romania in 1973, he settled in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He studied mathematics and computer science in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, receiving his Ph.D. from ETH Zürich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
in 1997. His thesis, titled Cyclotomy of rings and primality testing, was written under the direction of Erwin Engeler
Erwin Engeler
Erwin Engeler is a Swiss mathematician who did pioneering work on the interrelations between logic, computer science and scientific computation in the 20th century...
and Hendrik Lenstra
Hendrik Lenstra
Hendrik Willem Lenstra, Jr. is a Dutch mathematician.-Biography:Lenstra received his doctorate from the University of Amsterdam in 1977 and became a professor there in 1978...
.
For several years, he did research at the University of Paderborn
University of Paderborn
The University of Paderborn in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany was founded in 1972. 15,228 students were enrolled at the university as of December 2010....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Since 2005 he is a professor at the Georg-August University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
.
In 2002, Mihăilescu proved Catalan's conjecture. This number-theoretical conjecture, formulated by French mathematician Eugène Charles Catalan
Eugène Charles Catalan
Eugène Charles Catalan was a French and Belgian mathematician.- Biography :Catalan was born in Bruges , the only child of a French jeweller by the name of Joseph Catalan, in 1814. In 1825, he traveled to Paris and learned mathematics at École Polytechnique, where he met Joseph Liouville...
in 1844, had stood unresolved for over a century. Mihăilescu's proof appeared in Crelle's Journal
Crelle's Journal
Crelle's Journal, or just Crelle, is the common name for a mathematics journal, the Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik .- History :...
in 2004. The result is now occasionally known as Mihăilescu's theorem.
In 2009, Mihăilescu announced a proof of Leopoldt's conjecture
Leopoldt's conjecture
In algebraic number theory, Leopoldt's conjecture, introduced by , states that p-adic regulator of a number field does not vanish. The p-adic regulator is an analogue of the usual...
for all number fields.