Heinrich Leutwyler (born Oct 12, 1938) is a Swiss theoretical physicist, with interests in elementary

particle physics Particle physics or high-energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The field also studies combinations of elementary particles up to the s ...

, the theory of

strong interactions In nuclear physics and particle physics, the strong interaction, also called the strong force or strong nuclear force, is one of the four known fundamental interactions. It confines quarks into protons, neutrons, and other hadron particles, a ...

, and

quantum field theory In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines Field theory (physics), field theory and the principle of relativity with ideas behind quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct phy ...

."Curriculum Vitae"
accessed October 13, 2022.

Early life and education

Leutwyler went to the Gymnasium in Bern and studied physics, mathematics, and astronomy at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

. After the diploma in 1960 he went to the US, including

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. In 1962 he received his PhD under the supervision of John R. Klauder (at

Bell Laboratories Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the company operates several lab ...

at the time), for his thesis entitled "Generally covariant Dirac equation and associated Boson Fields."

Career

In 1965 he got his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

in Bern, where he became assistant professor in the same year and full professor in 1969, until his retirement in 2000. In 1983/84 he was dean of the Faculty of Sciences. Leutwyler spent research visits at the Bell Labs in Murray Hill (1963, 1965), at

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

(1973/74), and at

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in Meyrin, western suburb of Gene ...

(1969/70, 1983/84, and 1996). Together with

Murray Gell-Mann Murray Gell-Mann (; September 15, 1929 – May 24, 2019) was an American theoretical physicist who played a preeminent role in the development of the theory of elementary particles. Gell-Mann introduced the concept of quarks as the funda ...

and Harald Fritzsch, Leutwyler was crucially involved in establishing

quantum chromodynamics In theoretical physics, quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is the study of the strong interaction between quarks mediated by gluons. Quarks are fundamental particles that make up composite hadrons such as the proton, neutron and pion. QCD is a type of ...

(QCD) as the fundamental theory of strong interactions. Together with Jürg Gasser he performed influential work on

chiral perturbation theory Chiral perturbation theory (ChPT) is an effective field theory constructed with a Lagrangian (field theory), Lagrangian consistent with the (approximate) chiral symmetry of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), as well as the other symmetries of parity (ph ...

, an

effective field theory In physics, an effective field theory is a type of approximation, or effective theory, for an underlying physical theory, such as a quantum field theory or a statistical mechanics model. An effective field theory includes the appropriate degrees ...

describing QCD at low energies, including the Gasser-Leutwyler coefficients of the effective Lagrangian and the determination of

current quark Current quarks (also called naked quarks or bare quarks) are a description of valence quarks as the cores of the quark particles that are the invariable parts of a hadron: their non-virtual ("real" or permanent) quarks with their surrounding "cov ...

masses. Leutwyler received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (1995), the Humboldt Award (2000), the

Pomeranchuk Prize The Pomeranchuk Prize is an international award for theoretical physics, awarded annually since 1998 by the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP) from Moscow. It is named after Russian physicist Isaak Yakovlevich Pomeranchuk, wh ...

(2011), and the

Sakurai Prize The J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, also commonly referred to as just the Sakurai Prize, is a prize awarded by the American Physical Society. It is presented annually at the Society's April meeting and honors "outstanding a ...

(2023).

Personal life

He is married and has two children.

Publications

Fritzsch, Gellmann, and Leutwyler: ''Advantages of the color octet gluon picture.'' In: ''Physics Letters B,'' volume 47, 1973, p. 365Gasser and Leutwyler: ''Quark masses.'' In: ''Physics Reports,'' volume 87, 1982, p. 77Gasser and Leutwyler: ''Chiral Perturbation Theory to One Loop.'' In: ''Annals of Physics,'' volume 158, 1984, p. 142Gasser and Leutwyler: ''Chiral Perturbation Theory: Expansions in the Mass of the Strange Quark.'' In: ''Nuclear Physics B,'' volume 250, 1985, p. 465Leutwyler, ''On the history of the strong interaction,'' Erice 2012

References

External links

Webpage at the University of Bern
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leutwyler, Heinrich 1938 births Living people 20th-century American physicists 21st-century American physicists Swiss physicists Scientists from Bern University of Bern alumni Particle physicists Humboldt Research Award recipients