Mathematics and Physics in Lausanne
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The quantum chromodynamics prophet A yatellis (alias John Ellis) preaches to the masses. The other characters in the divertissement are (left to right), the experimentalist (played by Bill Scott), the heretic (Giuliano Preparata), the infidel (Roberto Petronzio) and the oracle (Alvaro De Rûjula). (Photo CERN296.6.79) the long-suffering heretic claims to have been vindicated, but gloomily assumes the QCD proponents will continue to deny the facts and 'twist' their theory to fake the right answer. If only they would stop burning their opponents at the stake! The play comes to an end with the question still in'doubt, but neverthe less there is a happy ending because all the characters are happy. The Ayatellis, convinced that QCD can not be questioned, goes on to more exotic pastures. Pestilonzio says that the QCD proponents are following the correct path, despite having jumped to too many conclusions in the past. De Oracle holds that quan titative QCD is in its infancy and there is lots of work to keep everyone busy. The heretic, having dissociated himself from the QCD throng, is happily gathering experi mental evidence to support his ideas, and the experimentalist is already working on his next pro The action begins at the 'dawn of In response to objections from the ject. prehistory', way back in 1 967 when heretic, the prophet then embarks on a great prophet in the West, after a quest for the 'Wholly Scaling Vari meditating for many days in the able' which takes account of the Mathematics and wilderness of Palo Alto, revealed the finiteness of the nucléon mass and Physics in Lausanne deep inelastic truth. other complications. This enables It is prophesied that hadrons dramatic new tests to be made undergoing deep inelastic scattering which purport to demonstrate the appear to behave like bundles of free power of QCD, but there is heated particles, called partons. Thus under debate as to whether the experimen these conditions, strong interactions tal data is evidence for or against Physics has always needed mathe are solved — they simply do not QCD. matics to find solutions to its prob exist! How can this paradoxical 'Are moments magic?' is the title lems, and conversely, the most result be reconciled with a field of the fourth act where the latest fruitful stimulus for mathematics theory of hadron constituents? experimental data comes under has been the need for new tools to Scene Two marks the Coming of further scrutiny. Telegrams arrive handle physical problems. A good Gauge, when new prophets arise from far and wide pointing out that example was the birth of quantum who show how field theory can be QCD predictions can be reproduced mechanics, when the theory of par reincarnated, the trick being to disre by more general arguments or that tial differential equations and of gard conventional Abelian principles the experiments have the wrong Hilbert spaces provided essential and go non-Abelian instead. This is kinematics. tools for physicists, and where hardly surprising as apparently the No matter what evidence or argu mathematicians were led by the original Abelians were an ascetic ment is put forward, the Ayatellis needs of physics to develop certain sect who practised chastity after skilfully manages to manipulate it to noncommuting algebras (Von marriage and therefore died out. work in his favour. On the other hand, Neumann algebras). 322 CERN Cnuripr Ontnhpr1979 Res Jost (left) of ETH Zurich, converses with ST. Kuroda of Tokyo during the recent Lausanne International Conference on Mathematical Physics, (Photo E. Baumgartner) The same pattern is seen in to day's particle theory. The hopes for understanding the 'confinement' of quarks and gluons are based on recent developments in non-Abe- lian gauge theories. Attempts to unify descriptions of bosons and fermions have led to the study of v supersymmetry, or as the mathe maticians call them, graded Lie algebras. In addition, recent pro gress in the theory of dynamical sys tems may lead on to developments in accelerator theory. With this in mind, Walter Thirring, the outgoing president of the International Association of Math ematical Physics (IAMP) asked Philippe Choquard, from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale in Lau sanne, to organize an International Conference on Mathematical Phys ics from 20-25 August. The organizers tried to present a programme which attracted as wide an audience as possible in the time available; so as to stimulate Trautman, J. Scherk, D. Ruelle the fourth of a series (Moscow interaction between different fields. and H. Araki (now president of 1972, Kyoto 1974, and Rome |While this inevitably posed restric IAMP) did a very good job in select 1977), and the new next meeting tions, poster sessions provided a ing short communications. All the will be held in Berlin in 1981, valuable outlet for those who were main talks were of high quality and when maybe the problem of quark not allocated speaking time. the speakers were evidently well confinement will have been solved ! The topics selected were Schrô- prepared. dinger operators (where a lot of pro Particular mention can be made (We are grateful to André Martin gress has been made in the last few of W. Hunziker's presentation on for this report.) years in the study of the good old quantum particles in electric and Schrôdinger equation), statistical magnetic fields, E. Lieb's talk on mechanics, where particular em Coulomb systems, 0. Landford on phasis was placed on the quantum time-dependent effects in statisti and classical theory of Coulomb sys cal mechanics, A. Jaffé on con tems and on topological methods in structive field theory, J. P. Eckmann the study of defects in crystals and on the mappings of the unit interval liquid crystals, quantum field theory onto itself, D. Olive on non-Abelian in all its various approaches, dynam magnetic monopoles, G. Toulouse ical systems, gauge theories and on topology and defects, I.M. supersymmetries, and C* algebras Singer on gauge theories, P. Van — a new mathematical tool for Niewenhuisen on supergravity, studying systems with an infinite and finally the very entertaining number of degrees of freedom. talk of J. Scherk, the 'Superman The session organizers — B. of Supersymmetries'. Simon, E. Brézin, J. Frôhlich, A. The Lausanne conference was CERN Courier, October 1979 323 .