IAS Letter Spring 2004
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THE I NSTITUTE L E T T E R INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY · SPRING 2004 J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER CENTENNIAL (1904–1967) uch has been written about J. Robert Oppen- tions. His younger brother, Frank, would also become a Hans Bethe, who would Mheimer. The substance of his life, his intellect, his physicist. later work with Oppen- patrician manner, his leadership of the Los Alamos In 1921, Oppenheimer graduated from the Ethical heimer at Los Alamos: National Laboratory, his political affiliations and post- Culture School of New York at the top of his class. At “In addition to a superb war military/security entanglements, and his early death Harvard, Oppenheimer studied mathematics and sci- literary style, he brought from cancer, are all components of his compelling story. ence, philosophy and Eastern religion, French and Eng- to them a degree of lish literature. He graduated summa cum laude in 1925 sophistication in physics and afterwards went to Cambridge University’s previously unknown in Cavendish Laboratory as research assistant to J. J. the United States. Here Thomson. Bored with routine laboratory work, he went was a man who obviously to the University of Göttingen, in Germany. understood all the deep Göttingen was the place for quantum physics. Oppen- secrets of quantum heimer met and studied with some of the day’s most mechanics, and yet made prominent figures, Max Born and Niels Bohr among it clear that the most them. In 1927, Oppenheimer received his doctorate. In important questions were the same year, he worked with Born on the structure of unanswered. His earnest- NY STATE DEPT. OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COURTESY THE IAS ARCHIVES molecules, producing the Born-Oppenheimer Approxi- ness and deep involve- Oppenheimer in 1947 mation. Subsequently, he traveled from one prominent ment gave his research center of physics to another: Harvard, California Insti- students the same sense of challenge. He never gave his tute of Technology, Leyden, and Zurich. In 1929, he students the easy and superficial answers but trained received offers to teach at Caltech and the University of them to appreciate and work on the deep problems.” California at Berkeley. Accepting both, he divided his When Julius Oppenheimer died in 1937, Oppen- time between Pasadena and Berkeley, attracting his own heimer became a wealthy man. In 1940 he married circle of brilliant young physics students. Katharine (Kitty) Puening Harrison, a biologist and “His lectures were a great experience, for ex- divorcee whose second husband had been killed during perimental as well as theoretical physicists,” commented (Continued on page 4) The School of Natural Sciences, Then and Now ALAN RICHARDS . Robert Oppenheimer’s influ- J. Robert Oppenheimer in his office at the J ence on 20th-century physics Institute for Advanced Study was furthur enhanced when he became Director of the Institute A number of plays have been written about him. for Advanced Study in 1947. He American composer John Adams (Nixon in China) is cur- attracted leading lights in the new rently at work on an opera. Commissioned by the San area of particle physics to the Francisco Opera, and tentatively titled “Doctor Atomic,” Institute, where he presided over it is scheduled to premier in September of 2005. what has been described as a Much of the drama of Oppenheimer’s life unfolded in “Golden Age for Physics.” The the early years following World War II when he was Direc- Institute became a world center tor of the Institute for Advanced Study, the position he for the development of high ener- held from 1947 until 1966. He was simultaneously Chair- gy physics and field theory. Like man of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Copenhagen in the twenties and Energy Commission (AEC), from 1947 through 1952. thirties, the Institute became the Born Julius Robert Oppenheimer, on 22 April 1904 in new Mecca for theoretical physi- New York City, Robert grew up in a Manhattan apart- cists. Among those who flocked to ment decorated with paintings by Van Gogh, Cézanne, the Institute were established fig- and Gauguin. His father, Julius Oppenheimer, was a Ger- ures such as Wolfgang Pauli, Paul man immigrant who worked in his family’s textile Dirac, Sin-Itiro Tomonaga and NY STATE DEPT. OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COURTESY THE IAS ARCHIVES importing business. His mother, Ella Friedman, was a (Continued on page 4) Oppenheimer with Paul Dirac and Abraham Pais at the Institute in 1947 painter whose family had been in New York for genera- NEWS OF THE INSTITUTE COMMUNITY n May, Quantum Theory as an Emergent Phenomenon: set of four lectures on auction theory at the Institute for Mathematical Society in recognition of notable IThe Statistical Mechanics of Matrix Models as the Precur- Advanced Study, Wuhan University, China. published research in geometry or topology. Dr. Gabai is sor of Quantum Field Theory by STEPHEN L. ADLER, q cited for his work in geometric topology and, in particu- Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, was pub- lar, the topology of 3-dimensional manifolds. lished by Cambridge University Press. The book repre- n its issue of April 26, TIME Magazine named Of the 21 mathematicians who have received the sents the culmination of nearly twenty years of Professor IEDWARD WITTEN, Charles Simonyi Professor in the prize since its inception, 16 have been associated with Adler’s work on embeddings of quantum mechanics in School of Natural Sciences, one of America’s “100 Most the Institute. They include: Christos D. Papakyri- larger mathematical frameworks. Influential People.” BERNARD LEWIS, frequent Mem- akopoulos (recipient of the first Veblen Prize, 1964), ber in the School of Historical Studies was also named. q Raoul H. Bott (1964), Stephen Smale (1966), Morton q Brown and Barry Mazur (1966), Robion C. Kirby edieval Islamic Political Thought by PATRICIA (1971), Dennis P. Sullivan (1971), William P. Thurston MCRONE, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the School n January, PETER PARET, Professor Emeritus in the (1976), James Simons (1976), Shing-Tung Yau (1981), of Historical Studies, was published in January by Edin- ISchool of Historical Studies, spoke at the plenary ses- Michael H. Freedman (1986), Richard Hamilton burgh University Press, U.K., and in April by Columbia sion of the annual meeting of the American Historical (1996), Gang Tian (1996), Jeff Cheeger (2001), and University Press, with the title God’s Rule: Government and Association in Washington D.C. His speech focused on Yakov Eliashberg (2001). Islam: Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought. conflicting views of “the people in arms” at the end of q q the 18th century and is to be published in the Journal of the History of Ideas. ath and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of IERRE DELIGNE, Professor in the School of Math- q MLeonardo da Vinci by BÜLENT ATALAY, Member Pematics, has been elected a foreign member of the in the School of Natural Sciences (1974–75, 1982–83), AVID GABAI, Member in the School of Mathe- Academia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome. was published in April by Smithsonian Institution Press. matics (1982–83, 1989–90), has received the 2004 q D Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry. The prize, named in q n January, ERIC S. MASKIN, Albert O. Hirschman honor of former Faculty Member and Trustee Oswald aking Ireland British 1580–1650 by NICHOLAS IProfessor in the School of Social Science, delivered a Veblen, is awarded every three years by the American MCANNY, Member in the School of Historical Studies (1979–80), was published in 2001 by Oxford University Press, New York. GEORGE F. KENNAN AT THE INSTITUTE FOR q ADVANCED STUDY OHN CARDY, Member in the School of Natural Sci- Symposium celebrates Professor Kennan’s 100th Birthday Jences (2003), has won the American Physical Soci- ety’s Lars Onsager Prize for “profound and original appli- he Symposium in Honor of cations of conformal invariance to the bulk and bound- TGeorge F. Kennan at the Institute ary properties of two-dimensional statistical systems.” for Advanced Study in February drew q members of Professor Kennan’s family, friends and colleagues, as well as dis- ARLOS EIRE, Member in the School of Historical tinguished historians and diplomats. CStudies (1986–87, 1992–93), won the 2003 Speakers included Institute Director National Book Award for Waiting for Snow in Havana: Peter Goddard, James D. Wolfensohn, Confessions of a Cuban Boy. José Cutileiro and Jack F. Matlock, Jr. q Presentations were as follows: “Reflec- AWRENCE C. EVANS, Member in the School of tions on a Century” by Lawrence S. Mathematics (1987–89), has received the American Eagleburger, “George Kennan and L Mathematical Society’s 2004 Leroy P. Steele Prize for Russia” by Alexander A. Bessmertnykh, Seminal Contribution to Research, jointly with Nicolai “George Kennan and the New Europe: V. Krylov. A German Perspective” by Karl Kaiser, q and “The Container Contained” by Strobe Talbott. rdinary Prussians: Brandenburg Junkers and Villagers, 1500–1840 by WILLIAM W. HAGEN, Member in The symposium was organized by MICHAEL CICCONE O the School of Historical Studies (1990–91), was pub- José Cutileiro and supported by contri- Just two days after his 100th birthday on February 16, George F. Kennan made butions from Theodore L. Cross, a surprise visit to the Institute. Professor in the School of Historical Studies lished in 2002 by Cambridge University Press, London. Hamish Maxwell, and Stiftungfonds since 1956 and Professor Emeritus since 1974, Professor Kennan (seated) and q Deutsche Bank. his personal assistant Tony Mano (in bow tie) were greeted by, from left to right: Trustee Emeritus Ladislaus von Hoffmann; George F. Kennan Professor OHN W. MILNOR, Professor in the School of Math- José Cutileiro; Professor Kennan’s grandson George Kennan Pfaeffli (partially Jematics (1970–90), and Member in the School of Attending the symposium in Professor Kennan’s hidden in back); Professor Kennan’s son-in-law, Kevin Delaney; Institute Mathematics (1965–66), has received the American honor, are from left to right: Strobe Talbott, Director Peter Goddard (in rear), Chairman of the Board of Trustees James D.