Uffe Valentin Haagerup (19 December 1949 – 5 July 2015) was a
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
...
from Denmark.
Biography
Uffe Haagerup was born in
Kolding
Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial compan ...
, but grew up on the island of
Funen
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
, in the small town of Fåborg. The field of mathematics had his interest from early on, encouraged and inspired by his older brother. In fourth grade Uffe was doing
trigonometric
Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies. ...
and logarithmic calculations. He graduated as a student from
Svendborg
Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Gymnasium in 1968, whereupon he relocated to Copenhagen and immediately began his studies of mathematics and physics at the University of Copenhagen, again inspired by his older brother who also studied the same subjects at the same university. Early university studies in Einstein's
general theory of relativity
General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physic ...
and
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...
, sparked a lasting interest in the mathematical field of
operator algebra
In functional analysis, a branch of mathematics, an operator algebra is an algebra of continuous linear operators on a topological vector space, with the multiplication given by the composition of mappings.
The results obtained in the study ...
, in particular
Von Neumann algebra
In mathematics, a von Neumann algebra or W*-algebra is a *-algebra of bounded operators on a Hilbert space that is closed in the weak operator topology and contains the identity operator. It is a special type of C*-algebra.
Von Neumann algeb ...
and
Tomita–Takesaki theory In the theory of von Neumann algebras, a part of the mathematical field of functional analysis, Tomita–Takesaki theory is a method for constructing modular automorphisms of von Neumann algebras from the polar decomposition of a certain involution ...
. In 1974 he received his Candidate's degree ( cand. scient.) from the University of Copenhagen and in 1981 – at the age of 31 – , Uffe was appointed at the University of Odense – now University of Southern Denmark –, as the youngest professor of mathematics ( dr. scient.) in the country at the time. Pregraduate summer schools at the university and later on extended professional research stays abroad, helped him discover and build a diverse and lasting international network of colleagues. Haagerup accidentally drowned on 5 July 2015, aged 65, while swimming in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
Uffe Haagerup's mathematical focus has been on the fields of
operator algebra
In functional analysis, a branch of mathematics, an operator algebra is an algebra of continuous linear operators on a topological vector space, with the multiplication given by the composition of mappings.
The results obtained in the study ...
,
group theory
In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.
The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces, can all be seen as ...
and
geometry
Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
, but his publications has a broad scope and also involves free probability theory and random matrices. He has participated in many international mathematical groups and networks from early on, and has worked as ordinary contributor and participator, organizer, lecturer and editor.
Following his appointment as professor at Odense, Haagerup got acquainted with Vaughan Jones, when he did research in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sin ...
and later at the
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californi ...
in Los Angeles. Jones inspired him to take up studies in and work on subfactor theory. Uffe Haagerup has done extensive work with fellow mathematician
Alain Connes
Alain Connes (; born 1 April 1947) is a French mathematician, and a theoretical physicist, known for his contributions to the study of operator algebras and noncommutative geometry. He is a professor at the , , Ohio State University and Van ...
on Von Neumann algebra. His solution to the so-called "Champagne Problem", secured him the Samuel Friedmann Award in April 1985, although it was first published in Acta Mathematica in 1987. Uffe considered this his best work. An early contact and collaboration was established with Swedish colleagues at the
Mittag-Leffler Institute
The Mittag-Leffler Institute is a mathematical research institute located in Djursholm, a suburb of Stockholm. It invites scholars to participate in half-year programs in specialized mathematical subjects. The Institute is run by the Royal Swedi ...
and the Norwegian group on operator algebra, where Uffe Haagerup has a long history of collaboration with Erling Størmer for example.
In the mathematical literature, Uffe Haagerup is known for the Haagerup property, the Haagerup subfactor, the Asaeda-Haagerup subfactor and the Haagerup list.
From 2000 to 2006 Uffe served as editor-in-chief of the journal ''
Acta Mathematica
''Acta Mathematica'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal covering research in all fields of mathematics.
According to Cédric Villani, this journal is "considered by many to be the most prestigious of all mathematical research jour ...
''. He was a member of the
Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
{{Infobox organization
, name = The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
, full_name =
, native_name = Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab
, native_name_lang =
, logo = Royal ...
and the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway.
History
The Royal Frederick Univ ...
. He worked at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Copenhagen from 2010 to 2014, where he was involved in the Centre for Symmetry and Deformation (SYM), but was appointed professor of mathematics in 2015 at the University of Southern Denmark in
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of ...
.
Prizes and honors
Uffe Haagerup received several awards and honours throughout his academic career. Amongst the most academically prestigious were the Danish Ole Rømer Medal, the international
Humboldt Research Award
The Humboldt Prize, the Humboldt-Forschungspreis in German, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of G ...
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californi ...
and Copenhagen)
* 1986. Invited speaker at ICM1986 (Berkeley)
* 1989. The Ole Rømer Medal (Copenhagen). The Ole Rømer Medal (est. 1944) is a Danish medal awarded by the University of Copenhagen and the municipality of Copenhagen, for outstanding research. It is considered amongst the most honourable scientific awards in the country, established in commemoration of
Ole Rømer
Ole Christensen Rømer (; 25 September 1644 – 19 September 1710) was a Danish astronomer who, in 1676, made the first measurement of the speed of light.
Rømer also invented the modern thermometer showing the temperature between two f ...
on his 300th anniversary.
* 2002. Plenary speaker at ICM2002 (Beijing)
* 2007. Distinguished lecturer at the Fields Institute of Mathematical Research (Toronto)
* 2008. The Humboldt Research Award (Münster)
* 2010–2014
European Research Council
The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...
Advanced Grant
* 2012. Plenary speaker at
International Congress on Mathematical Physics
The International Congress on Mathematical Physics (ICMP) is the largest research congress in mathematical physics. It is held every three years, on behalf of the International Association of Mathematical Physics (IAMP).
Prizes
The Henri Poin ...
ICMP12 (Aalborg)
* 2012. 14th European Latsis Prize from the European Science Foundation, ESF (Brussels)
* 2013. Honorary Doctorate from
East China Normal University
East China Normal University (ECNU) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Shanghai, China. It was formed in 1951 by the merger of the Great China University (est. 1924) and Kwang Hua University (est. 1925) and origin ...
Approximately finite-dimensional C*-algebra In mathematics, an approximately finite-dimensional (AF) C*-algebra is a C*-algebra that is the inductive limit of a sequence of finite-dimensional C*-algebras. Approximate finite-dimensionality was first defined and described combinatorially by Ol ...