2016 Medal Winners | francais

The 2016 CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

is awarded to

Freddy Cachazo

"I would like to thank the Canadian Association of Physicists and the Centre de recherches mathématiques for this remarkable honour. I would also like to thank my collaborators, both physicists and mathematicians, for years of exciting research adventures." winner quote

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM) are pleased to announce that the 2016 CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics is awarded to Freddy Cachazo, Perimeter Institute, in recognition of for introducing elegant new mathematical ideas and methods that have led to unexpected insights in the way scattering amplitudes are calculated in Supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Inspired in part by twistor-string theory, the Cachazo-Svrcek-Witten (CSW) and Britto-Cachazo-Feng-Witten (BCFW) recursion relations revolutionized the field, making it possible to perform previously impossible calculations analytically in a few lines using explicit integral formulae. These results turned out to be in remarkable correspondence with structures explored concurrently by mathematicians for completely different purposes, establishing a suggestive link with the modern theory of integrable systems. announcement

Dr. Freddy Cachazo is a theoretical physicist who has made outstanding contributions to the field of mathematical physics, many of which are widely characterized as breakthroughs. With collaborators, Cachazo has creatively drawn upon a variety of elegant mathematical ideas to develop entirely new methods for studying scattering processes in gauge theories and gravity. Cachazo’s contributions to quantum field theory range from applications of geometric engineering (in string theory) to understanding mysterious dualities relating theories in different dimensions to novel techniques to compute scattering amplitudes in Quantum Chromodynamics (and its generalizations). The latter has brought relatively new mathematics into physics, such as the positive Grassmannian and its combinatorial structure, the positroid.

Beyond providing deep new insights into the structure of quantum field theory, these new methods have had a major impact on high-energy physics, as evidenced by the fact that the Britto-Cachazo-Feng-Witten (BCFW) technique has already been incorporated into the newest edition of the celebrated textbook, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell, by Anthony Zee (2010) and in the new textbook, Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model, by Matthew D. Schwartz (2015).

The physical and mathematical principles underlying Cachazo’s research are profound. Cachazo’s 60 papers since 2001 have attracted over 7,500 citations, attesting to the enormous influence of his new insights. Besides being of utility to huge accelerator experiments, Cachazo’s works will have enduring and far-reaching impact in the search for a simpler, unified description of nature’s physical laws and its connection to mathematics. nominator citation

The annual CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics was first introduced in 1995.

Dr. Cachazo will be presented with his medal by 2015 Physics Nobel Prize winner Art McDonald with congratulatory handshake from His Excellency The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, at the Recognition Gala at the Shaw Centre on Thursday, June 16, 2016. The Gala is the closing event of the CAP Congress hosted by the University of Ottawa, in Ottawa, Ontario, from June 13-17. Please refer to the Congress program (http://www.cap.ca/en/congress/2016) for the schedule of plenary talks by CAP medal winners. medal description

ABOUT the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)

The Canadian Association of Physicists, founded in 1945, is a professional association representing over 1600 individual physicists and physics students in Canada, the U.S. and overseas, as well as a number of Corporate, Institutional, and Departmental Members. In addition to its learned activities, the CAP, through its charitable arm - the CAP Foundation, also undertakes a number of activities intended to encourage students to pursue a career in physics. cap description

ABOUT the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM)

The Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM), based in Montréal, is an internationally recognized institute for research in the mathematical sciences. The CRM has research groups in 13 areas that bring together hundreds of researchers. Every year, thousands of researchers from around the world visit the CRM to participate in its thematic programmes and other research, education, outreach, innovation and knowledge transfer activities. joint description

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For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Francine Ford, Executive Director
Canadian Association of Physicists
Tel: 613-562-5614
E-mail: cap@uottawa.ca
www.cap.ca

or

Centre de recherches mathématiques
Tel: (514) 343-7501
Fax: (514) 343-2254cap contact and joint contact