Crafoord Prizes in Mathematics and Astronomy Awarded Simultaneously
The 2012 Crafoord Prizes in mathematics and astronomy were announced on January 19 by The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Crafoord Prize in astronomy and mathematics, biosciences, geosciences or polyarthritis research is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences annually according to a rotating scheme. The prize sum of SEK 4 million makes the Crafoord one of the world´s largest scientific prizes. This is the first year in which the mathematics and astronomy prizes are being awarded simultaneously as two separate prizes with a prize amount of SEK 4 million each.
Crafoord Prize in Mathematics 2012: The Academy has decided to award the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics 2012 to Jean Bourgain, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA and Terence Tao, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, “for their brilliant and groundbreaking work in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, ergodic theory, number theory, combinatorics, functional analysis and theoretical computer science.�
Crafoord Prize in Astronomy 2012: The Academy has decided to award the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy 2012 to Reinhard Genzel, Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany and Andrea Ghez, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, “for their observations of the stars orbiting the galactic centre, indicating the presence of a supermassive black hole.�
The laureates are announced in mid-January each year, and the prize is presented in April/May on “Crafoord Day.” It is received from the hand of His Majesty the King of Sweden. In connection with the Crafoord Day, a symposium in the discipline in question is arranged by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. This year’s award ceremony will be held in Lund on May 15, 2012, in the presence of H.M. the King and H.M. the Queen of Sweden. The Crafoord Days will be May 14–15, 2012, with prize symposia in mathematics and in astronomy taking place on May 14, and prize lectures and the prize award ceremony on May 15.
The masters of mathematicsÂ
This year’s Crafoord Prize Laureates have solved an impressive number of important problems in mathematics. Their deep mathematical erudition and exceptional problem-solving ability have enabled them to discover many new and fruitful connections and to make fundamental contributions to current research in several branches of mathematics.
On their own and jointly with others, Jean Bourgain and Terence Tao have made important contributions to many fields of mathematics — from number theory to the theory of non-linear waves. The majority of their most fundamental results are in the field of mathematical analysis. They have developed and used the toolbox of analysis in groundbreaking and surprising ways. Their ability to change perspective and view problems from new angles has led to many remarkable insights, attracting a great deal of attention among researchers worldwide.
• Jean Bourgain, Belgian citizen. Born 1954 in Ostende, Belgium.
Ph.D. 1977 at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Professor at Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA.
www.math.ias.edu/people/faculty/bourgainÂ
• Terence Tao, Australian and American citizen. Born 1975 in Adelaide, Australia.
Ph.D. 1996 at Princeton University, NJ, USA.
Professor at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
www.math.ucla.edu/~tao
The dark heart of the Milky Way
This year’s Crafoord Prize Laureates have found the most reliable evidence to date that supermassive black holes really exist. For decades Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez, with their research teams, have tracked stars around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Separately, they both arrived at the same conclusion: in our home galaxy resides a giant black hole called Sagittarius A*.
Black holes are impossible to observe directly — everything in their vicinity vanishes into them, virtually nothing is let out. The only way of exploring black holes is to investigate the effects their gravitation has on the surroundings. From the motions of stars around the center of the Milky Way, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez, and their colleagues, estimated the mass of Sagittarius A* at nearly four million times solar masses. Sagittarius A* is our closest supermassive black hole. It allows astronomers to better investigate gravity and explore the limitations of the theory of relativity.
• Reinhard Genzel, German citizen. Born 1952 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany.
Ph.D. 1978 at Universität Bonn, Germany. Professor at University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA and Scientific Director of Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany.
www.mpg.de/463069/extraterrestrische_physik_wissM1Â
• Andrea Ghez, American citizen. Born 1965 in New York City, NY, USA.
Ph.D. 1992 at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. Professor at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
www.astro.ucla.edu/~ghezÂ
About the Academy
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded in 1739 and is an independent organization whose overall objective is to promote the sciences and strengthen their influence in society. The Academy takes special responsibility for the natural sciences and mathematics, but endeavors to promote the exchange of ideas between various disciplines.
About the fund
Anna-Greta and Holger Crafoord´s Fund was established in 1980 and the first prize was awarded in 1982. The prize is intended to promote international basic research in the disciplines:
• Astronomy and Mathematics
• Geosciences
• Biosciences, with particular emphasis on ecology
• Polyarthritis (rheumatoid arthritis)
These disciplines are chosen so as to complement those for which the Nobel Prizes are awarded. The recipients are worthy scientists who receive the prize in accordance with a set scheme:
• Year 1 Astronomy and Mathematics
• Year 2 Geosciences
• Year 3 Biosciences
• Year 4 Astronomy and Mathematics
The prize in polyarthritis is awarded only when a special committee has shown that scientific progress in this field has been such that an award is justified.
Article source: http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-DA-Crafoord-Prizes-in-Mathematics-and-Astronomy-Awarded-Simultaneously-011912.aspx
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