Zhou Guangzhao
Encyclopedia
Zhou Guangzhao (born 1929) is a Chinese physicist
.
province. He was the 5th child of the civil engineer Zhou Fengjiu, and the younger brother of Chinese biochemist/geneticist Zhou Guangyu. He graduated from Tsinghua University
in 1951, and then did graduate work in theoretical physics for three years at Beijing University. He stayed at Beijing Univ. on the faculty after completing his PhD. In 1957 he was sent to the USSR by the Chinese Atomic Energy Research Institute to work at the Dubna
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
.
and later became the Vice President (1984–1987) and President (1987–1997) of the Academica Sinica.
Zhou's theoretical work focuses on particle physics. He is credited for the discovery of PCAC (partial conservation of axial current), an important step toward the understanding of symmetry breaking
.
He first visited the US in 1979. In the 1980s he spent time as a visiting researcher at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. He was elected to the US National Academies of Science in 1987.
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...
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Early life and education
Zhou Guangzhao was born on May 15, 1929 in Changsha, the capital of HunanHunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
province. He was the 5th child of the civil engineer Zhou Fengjiu, and the younger brother of Chinese biochemist/geneticist Zhou Guangyu. He graduated from 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...
in 1951, and then did graduate work in theoretical physics for three years at Beijing University. He stayed at Beijing Univ. on the faculty after completing his PhD. In 1957 he was sent to the USSR by the Chinese Atomic Energy Research Institute to work at the Dubna
Dubna
Dubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd , being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research centre and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country. It is also home to MKB Raduga, a defence aerospace company...
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR , in Dubna, Moscow Oblast , Russia, is an international research centre for nuclear sciences, with 5500 staff members, 1200 researchers including 1000 Ph.D.s from eighteen member states The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR , in Dubna, Moscow...
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Professional career
Zhou returned to China in 1960, where he worked on the Chinese nuclear weapons program, ultimately becoming director of the Chinese Nuclear Weapons Research Institute. He was elected to the Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese 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...
and later became the Vice President (1984–1987) and President (1987–1997) of the Academica Sinica.
Zhou's theoretical work focuses on particle physics. He is credited for the discovery of PCAC (partial conservation of axial current), an important step toward the understanding of symmetry breaking
Symmetry breaking
Symmetry breaking in physics describes a phenomenon where small fluctuations acting on a system which is crossing a critical point decide the system's fate, by determining which branch of a bifurcation is taken. To an outside observer unaware of the fluctuations , the choice will appear arbitrary...
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He first visited the US in 1979. In the 1980s he spent time as a visiting researcher at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. He was elected to the US National Academies of Science in 1987.