Claude Georges Itzykson
Born(1938-04-11)11 April 1938
Paris, France
Died22 May 1995(1995-05-22) (aged 57)
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
EducationLycée Condorcet
Alma mater
Known for
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsSaclay Nuclear Research Centre

Claude Georges Itzykson, (11 April 1938 – 22 May 1995) was a French theoretical physicist who worked in quantum field theory and statistical mechanics.[1][2]

Biography

Separated from his parents by World War II, his father was taken to a Nazi concentration camp and Itzykson is raised in a Jewish orphanage in Maisons-Laffitte.[2] After studying at the Lycée Condorcet Itzykson graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1959. He joined the Theoretical Physics Department of the CEA in Saclay in 1962,[1] then headed by Claude Bloch.[2] He spent most of his career at Saclay, except for numerous visiting positions he held throughout his working life, such as at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.[1][3]

Works

He was a specialist in quantum field theory and applications of group theory in physics.[4] In particular, he worked on the symmetries of the hydrogen atom,[5] the discretization of network gauge theories,[6] the integrals on large matrices[7] and their applications to problems of combinatorics[8] and physics of random surfaces,[9] and conformal field theories and their classification.[10]

His first works were done in collaboration with Maurice Jacob and Raymond Stora.[2] In 1980 he published a treatise on quantum field theory with Jean-Bernard Zuber that became a staple textbook on the subject.[1][11]

Awards

In 1995 Itzykson received the Ampère Prize of the French Academy of Sciences.[2]

Bibliography

Textbooks

  • Itzykson, C.; Zuber, J.-B. (1980). Quantum Field Theory (2005 ed.). Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0486445687. LCCN 2005053026. OCLC 61200849.
  • Itzykson, C.; Drouffe, J.-M. (1989a). Statistical Field Theory Volume 1. From Brownian Motion to Renormalization and Lattice Gauge Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-34058-6. LCCN 88030162. OCLC 852124007.
  • Itzykson, C.; Drouffe, J.-M. (1989b). Statistical Field Theory Volume 2. Strong coupling, Monte Carlo Methods, Conformal Field Theory, and Random Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37012-4. LCCN 88030162. OCLC 852124007.

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ a b c d Brezin, E. (1996). "Claude Itzykson". Physics Today. 49 (3): 125–126. Bibcode:1996PhT....49c.125B. doi:10.1063/1.2807560. ISSN 0031-9228.
  2. ^ a b c d e Zuber, J-B (1996). "Claude Georges Itzykson (1938–1995)". www.annales.org. Les Annales des Mines. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Claude Itzykson". Institute for Advanced Study. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  4. ^ Itzykson, Claude; Drouffe, Jean-Michel; Zuber, Jean Bernard (1997). The mathematical beauty of physics : a memorial volume for Claude Itzykson. Singapore: World Scientific. ISBN 978-9810228071. LCCN 97003545. OCLC 36260869.
  5. ^ Bander & Itzykson (1966)
  6. ^ See for example Balian, Drouffe, and Itzykson (1974, 1975) & Drouffe & Itzykson (1978)
  7. ^ See for example Brézin et al. (1993) and Itzykson & Zuber (1980b)
  8. ^ Bessis, Itzykson & Zuber (1980)
  9. ^ Drouffe & Itzykson (1984)
  10. ^ Itzykson & Drouffe (1989b)
  11. ^ Itzykson & Zuber (1980)


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