Simons Center for Geometry and Physics
Encyclopedia
The Simons Center for Geometry and Physics is a center for theoretical physics and mathematics at Stony Brook University in New York. The focus of the center is mathematical physics
and the interface of geometry and physics. It was founded in 2007 by a gift from the James and Marilyn Simons Foundation. The current director of the center is John Morgan
.
A new building is being constructed for the center, scheduled to be completed in September, 2010. The building is adjacent to the physics and mathematics departments to allow for close collaboration with the mathematics department and the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
. The center's first permanent faculty member is Michael R. Douglas
. Additionally the center currently houses 10 research assistant professors and 21 visiting researchers. Visitors in 2011 include Anton Kapustin
, Mikhail Khovanov
, Nathan Seiberg
, Paul Seidel
, and Gang Tian
.
The building which houses the center is 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) spread over six stories and includes a 236–seat auditorium, 90–seat lecture hall, cafe, offices and seminar rooms. The building is LEED
Gold certified and is located next to the math tower, which it connects to via an elevated walkway.
was the former chair of the mathematics department at Stony Brook from 1968 to 1976. He went on to make billions with his NYC-based investment firm Renaissance Technologies. On February 27, 2008 he announced a donation totaling $60 million (including a $25 million gift two years prior) to the mathematics and physics departments. This was the largest single gift ever given to any of the SUNY
schools. The gift came during Stony Brook's 50th anniversary and shortly after Gov. Spitzer announced his commitment to make Stony Brook a “flagship” of the SUNY system that would rival the nation’s most prestigious state research universities. During his announcement speech, Jim Simons said “From Archimedes to Newton to Einstein, much of the most profound work in physics has been deeply intertwined with the geometric side of mathematics. Since then, in particular with the advent of such areas as quantum field theory and string theory, developments in geometry and physics have become if anything more interrelated. The new Center will give many of the world's best mathematicians and physicists the opportunity to work and interact in an environment and an architecture carefully designed to enhance progress. We believe there is a chance that work accomplished at the Center will significantly change and deepen our understanding of the physical universe and of its basic mathematical structure.” The Center results from extensive thought and planning between faculty, department chairs, and others, including Cumrun Vafa
of Harvard, who directs the Simons Foundation-supported summer institutes on string theory at Stony Brook, and Isadore Singer
of MIT.
Mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The Journal of Mathematical Physics defines this area as: "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and...
and the interface of geometry and physics. It was founded in 2007 by a gift from the James and Marilyn Simons Foundation. The current director of the center is John Morgan
John Morgan (mathematician)
John Willard Morgan is an American mathematician, well known for his contributions to topology and geometry. He is currently the director of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at Stony Brook University.-Life:...
.
A new building is being constructed for the center, scheduled to be completed in September, 2010. The building is adjacent to the physics and mathematics departments to allow for close collaboration with the mathematics department and the 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...
. The center's first permanent faculty member is Michael R. Douglas
Michael R. Douglas
Michael R. Douglas is an American theoretical physicist and professor currently at Stony Brook University.Michael R. Douglas was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Nancy and Ronald G. Douglas, a mathematician specializing in operator algebras. He received his bachelor's degree in physics...
. Additionally the center currently houses 10 research assistant professors and 21 visiting researchers. Visitors in 2011 include Anton Kapustin
Anton Kapustin
Son of the pianist-composer Nikolai Kapustin, Anton Kapustin is a professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology. His interests lie in quantum field theory and string theory...
, Mikhail Khovanov
Mikhail Khovanov
Mikhail Khovanov is a professor of mathematics at Columbia University. He earned a PhD in mathematics from Yale University in 1997, where he studied under Igor Frenkel. His interests include knot theory and algebraic topology...
, Nathan Seiberg
Nathan Seiberg
Nathan "Nati" Seiberg is an Israeli American theoretical physicist who works on string theory. He was recipient of a 1996 MacArthur Fellowship and the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics in 1998. He is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, USA...
, Paul Seidel
Paul Seidel
Paul Seidel is a Swiss-Italian mathematician. He is currently a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a former member of the mathematics faculty at the University of Chicago...
, and Gang Tian
Gang Tian
Tian Gang is a Chinese mathematician and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is known for his contributions to geometric analysis and quantum cohomology, among other fields...
.
The building which houses the center is 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) spread over six stories and includes a 236–seat auditorium, 90–seat lecture hall, cafe, offices and seminar rooms. The building is LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Gold certified and is located next to the math tower, which it connects to via an elevated walkway.
Background
James H. SimonsJames Harris Simons
James Harris "Jim" Simons is an American hedge fund manager, mathematician, and philanthropist.In 1982, Simons founded Renaissance Technologies, a private investment firm based in New York with over $15 billion under management; Simons is still at the helm, as CEO, of what is now one of the...
was the former chair of the mathematics department at Stony Brook from 1968 to 1976. He went on to make billions with his NYC-based investment firm Renaissance Technologies. On February 27, 2008 he announced a donation totaling $60 million (including a $25 million gift two years prior) to the mathematics and physics departments. This was the largest single gift ever given to any of the SUNY
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
schools. The gift came during Stony Brook's 50th anniversary and shortly after Gov. Spitzer announced his commitment to make Stony Brook a “flagship” of the SUNY system that would rival the nation’s most prestigious state research universities. During his announcement speech, Jim Simons said “From Archimedes to Newton to Einstein, much of the most profound work in physics has been deeply intertwined with the geometric side of mathematics. Since then, in particular with the advent of such areas as quantum field theory and string theory, developments in geometry and physics have become if anything more interrelated. The new Center will give many of the world's best mathematicians and physicists the opportunity to work and interact in an environment and an architecture carefully designed to enhance progress. We believe there is a chance that work accomplished at the Center will significantly change and deepen our understanding of the physical universe and of its basic mathematical structure.” The Center results from extensive thought and planning between faculty, department chairs, and others, including Cumrun Vafa
Cumrun Vafa
Cumrun Vafa is an Iranian-American leading string theorist from Harvard University where he started as a Harvard Junior Fellow. He is a recipient of the 2008 Dirac Medal.-Birth and education:...
of Harvard, who directs the Simons Foundation-supported summer institutes on string theory at Stony Brook, and Isadore Singer
Isadore Singer
Isadore Manuel Singer is an Institute Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
of MIT.