美法两数学家ThompsonTits教授荣获2008年度阿贝尔奖

(转自阿贝尔官方网站

 

挪威科学与文学院(The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters2008327日宣布,将2008年度阿贝尔奖授予美国数学家John Griggs Thompson教授和法国数学家Jacques Tits,他们将分享奖金6,000,000 克郎(约1.200,000美元) 。挪威国王将于520在颁奖仪式上,向两位获奖教授颁奖。

 

Thompson and Tits share the Abel Prize for 2008

John Griggs Thompson and Jacques Tits
Thompson (left, © University of Florida) and Tits (right, Jean-François Dars/CNRS Images).

 

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2008 to John Griggs Thompson, University of Florida and Jacques Tits, Collège de France. This was announced by the Academy’s President, Ole Didrik Lærum, at a press conference in Oslo today. Thompson and Tits receives the Abel Prize “for their profound achievements in algebra and in particular for shaping modern group theory”.

 

John Griggs Thompson and Jacques Tits are awarded the Abel Prize for their contributions to what is known as group theory. Group theory is the “science of symmetries”, where one tries to understand the relation between reflections and rotations of a icosahedron, to reveal the secrets of Rubik’s cube or to control the symmetries among the solutions of the fifth degree equation, as done by Niels Henrik Abel.

 

Thompson and Tits have invented important new concepts and proved fundamental results in this field, and their names now appear prominently in the history of group theory.

 

Thompson revolutionised the theory of finite groups by proving extraordinarily deep theorems that laid the foundation for the complete classification of finite simple groups. Tits created a new and highly influential vision of groups as geometric objects.

The Abel committee says: “The achievements of John Thompson and of Jacques Tits are of extraordinary depth and influence. They complement each other and together form the backbone of modern group theory.”

 

"The work of Thompson and Tits is one of the outstanding accomplishments of modern mathematics. The American Mathematical Society extends its warm congratulations to them on their award of the 2008 Abel Prize. --- James Glimm, President of the AMS

 

The Niels Henrik Abel Memorial Fund was established in 2002, to award the Abel Prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics. The prize amount is 6 million NOK (about UD$ 1.2 mill, EURO 750.000) and it was awarded for the first time in 2003.

The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and their choice of Abel Laureate is based on a recommendation by the Abel Committee consisting of five internationally recognized mathematicians.

 

The Abel Prize will be presented by His Majesty King Harald at the Abel Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo, May 20, 2008.

 

相关链接(英文) 对获奖人工作的评述相关背景介绍

 

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2003年度阿贝尔奖获得者: Jean-Pierre Serre

2004年度阿贝尔奖获得者: Sir Michael Francis Atiyah and Isadore M. Singer

2005年度阿贝尔奖获得者: Peter D. Lax

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2007年度阿贝尔奖获得者: Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan