Emil Martinec
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Emil John Martinec (born 1958) is an American
string theorist In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...
, a physics professor at the
Enrico Fermi Institute __NOTOC__ The Institute for Nuclear Studies was founded September 1945 as part of the University of Chicago with Samuel King Allison as director. On November 20, 1955, it was renamed The Enrico Fermi Institute for Nuclear Studies. The name was ...
at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, and director of the Kadanoff Center for Theoretical Physics. He was part of a group at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
that developed heterotic string theory in 1985.


Early life and education

Martinec was born October 4, 1958, in
Downers Grove, Illinois Downers Grove is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1832 by Pierce Downer, whose surname serves as the eponym for the village. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the village was ...
. He graduated from
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
in 1979 and earned his Ph.D. from
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
in 1984, with a dissertation titled, ''Quantum Mechanics Versus General Covariance In Gravity And String Models,'' advised by
Michael Peskin Michael Edward Peskin (born October 27, 1951, Philadelphia) is an American theoretical physicist. He is currently a professor in the SLAC Theory Group, theory group at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Peskin has been recognized for his ...
. He worked the last two years of his graduate education at SLAC, following Peskin's move there.


Career

Early in his career, Martinec worked at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, where he was part of a research group known as the "Princeton string quartet" that also included physicists
David Gross David Jonathan Gross (; born February 19, 1941) is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. Along with Frank Wilczek and David Politzer, he was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of asymptotic freedom. ...
, Jeffrey A. Harvey and Ryan Rohm. The group developed heterotic string theory in 1985. As its name suggests, heterotic string theory combines elements of multiple versions of string theory to attempt to create a more realistic explanation of
elementary particle physics Particle physics or high-energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The field also studies combinations of elementary particles up to the scale of protons and neutrons, while the stud ...
. This work was part of a series of advances that forestalled the predicted merger of
cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...
and fundamental physics. He is currently a professor at the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago. He directs the university's Kadanoff Center for Theoretical Physics.


Selected publications

Martinec is co-author of six papers that SLAC's
inSPIRE Inspiration, inspire, INSPIRE, or inspired commonly refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, a Christian doctrine on the origin of the Bible * Inhalation, breathing in Inspiration and rel ...
database classifies as "renowned" (having 500 or more citations apiece): * * **Republished as * * * *


Awards

* Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow (Year: 1987, Field: Physics) *
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
Presidential Young Investigator  *
U.S. Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear we ...
Outstanding Junior Investigator


References


External links


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinec, Emil 1958 births 21st-century American physicists Cornell University alumni Living people American string theorists