Chen Ning Yang is (almost) 100 years old

  • Thread starter robphy
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Years
In summary, Chen-Ning Yang, who is officially 100 years old today, won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics with his classmate Tsung-Dao Lee for their investigation of the parity laws. Their prediction was later demonstrated by Chien-Shiung Wu and corroborated by Leon Lederman. Yang is currently the only living Nobel laureate from the 50s and 60s. He has had a significant impact on the field of physics, including his work on gauge theory and parity violation. Despite being a shy person, he has collaborated with many renowned scientists and has been recognized for his contributions to the field.
  • #1
robphy
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Insights Author
Gold Member
6,993
2,473
Chen-Ning Yang is (on official documents) 100 years old today [His real birthday is Oct 1, according to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Chen-Ning , which says
" His birth date was erroneously recorded as September 22, 1922 in his 1945 passport.
He has since used this incorrect date on all subsequent official documents."]

With Tsung-Dao Lee (his classmate at U. Chicago where they were graduate students*),
Chen-Ning Yang won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics
"for their penetrating investigation of the so-called parity laws which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles".
(Chien-Shiung Wu should probably have also shared that prize https://physicsworld.com/a/overlooked-for-the-nobel-chien-shiung-wu .)

https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202210/history.cfm
Lee and Yang predicted parity violation. Wu demonstrated it. Lederman corroborated it.

From the list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates_in_Physics ,
it seems that Lee and Yang are the only ones still living from the those awarded in the 50s and in the 60s.

(my connection)​
I got my undergrad degree from Stony Brook, where Yang was. (I talked with some faculty at the ITP at Stony Brook,​
but never met Yang. I was probably too shy.) I got my MS at U. Chicago, then my doctorate at Syracuse.​

Yang was at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton)
https://www.ias.edu/scholars/chen-ning-yang

Here's a 2006 interview
(&t=26m52s Gauge Theory (Yang-Mills) ; 32m58 Fiber Bundles)
https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.96.191 Yang & Mills 1954
https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.104.254 Lee & Yang 1956
https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.12.3845 TT Wu & CN Yang 1975 (mentioned in the video)

https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2011/12/20/chen-ning-yang/?redirect=/mps-science-lives#simpg1vid15 (2011 interview)
  • See #6 for Yang-Mills
  • See #11 for Parity Violation and Dr. Wu
  • See #12 for Collaboration with TD Lee (and break-up)
  • See #16 for Yang-Baxter
(video from 1998) audio starts at 3m20s


(video from 2017)


* http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/951012/chandra.shtml
"One story in particular illustrates Chandrasekhar's devotion to his science and his students. In the 1940s, while he was based at the University's Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis., he drove more than 100 miles round-trip each week to teach a class of just two registered students. Any concern about the cost-effectiveness of such a commitment was erased in 1957, when the entire class -- T.D. Lee and C.N. Yang -- won the Nobel Prize in physics."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang–Mills_theory

https://www.worldscientific.com/page/10308-chap01
"The story of a conflict between Pauli and C. N. Yang" by M Shifman.
This story refers to the year 1953. Pauli could have been the author of the seminal discovery of Yang-Mills theories which, as we know now, constitute the basis of our current understanding of nature at short distances.more videos:
https://billmoyers.com/content/chen-ning-yang/ (1988)
https://cutv.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/search?SearchForm[search_string]=chen+ning+yang (20xx)

update:
https://cnyangarchive.cuhk.edu.hk/
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Informative
Likes Astronuc, mcastillo356 and jedishrfu
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Great summary of his life and work with some great references and videos to go with it.

Thanks for sharing.
 
  • #3
Now he's 100 years old.
 

FAQ: Chen Ning Yang is (almost) 100 years old

Who is Chen Ning Yang?

Chen Ning Yang is a Chinese-American physicist who is known for his work in theoretical physics, particularly in the fields of particle physics and statistical mechanics.

How old is Chen Ning Yang?

As of 2021, Chen Ning Yang is 99 years old. He will turn 100 on September 22nd, 2022.

What are Chen Ning Yang's major contributions to science?

Chen Ning Yang is best known for his work with Tsung-Dao Lee on the theory of non-conservation of parity in weak interactions, which earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. He has also made significant contributions to the study of statistical mechanics and gauge theory.

How has Chen Ning Yang's work impacted the scientific community?

Chen Ning Yang's work has had a profound impact on the field of theoretical physics. His research on the non-conservation of parity in weak interactions challenged the widely accepted principles of symmetry in physics and opened up new avenues for exploration. He has also mentored and influenced many young scientists in his field.

What is Chen Ning Yang's current role in the scientific community?

Although Chen Ning Yang is officially retired, he continues to be an active member of the scientific community. He has served as a professor at several universities and has been a visiting professor and lecturer at numerous institutions around the world. He also remains an influential figure in the field of theoretical physics and continues to publish research papers.

Similar threads

Replies
7
Views
791
Replies
0
Views
258
Replies
16
Views
2K
Back
Top