Francesco Guerra (10 November 1942 – 19 June 2025) was an Italian
mathematical physicist
Mathematical physics is the development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of ...
, whose main research contributions were in
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 ...
and
spin glasses
In condensed matter physics, a spin glass is a magnetic state characterized by randomness, besides cooperative behavior in freezing of spins at a temperature called the "freezing temperature," ''T''f. In ferromagnetic solids, component atoms' ...
.
Life and career
Guerra received his degree from the
University of Naples
The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...
in 1964. From 1976 to 1979 he was the director of the physics department of
University of Salerno
The University of Salerno () (in acronym UNISA) is a university located in Fisciano and in Baronissi, Italy. Its main campus is located in Fisciano while the Faculty of Medicine is located in Baronissi. It is organized in ten faculties.
H ...
. He was Professor of Theoretical Physics at
Sapienza Università di Roma
The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...
since 1979. In 1983 and 1984, he served as Director of the Department of Mathematics, and from 1995 to 2001, he was Director of the Department of Physics.
Guerra was a plenary speaker at the
European Congress of Mathematicians
The European Congress of Mathematics (ECM) is the second largest international conference of the mathematics community, after the International Congresses of Mathematicians (ICM).
The ECM are held every four years and are timed precisely between ...
in 2004 and at the
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 ...
in 2006.
Guerra died on 19 June 2025, at the age of 82.
Research
Guerra was known for his work on quantum field theory and his deep and original contributions to the mathematical theory of spin glasses.
With Fabio Toninelli, he proved the existence of the thermodynamic limit of the free energy in the
Sherrington–Kirkpatrick model
In condensed matter physics, a spin glass is a magnetic state characterized by randomness, besides cooperative behavior in freezing of Spin (physics), spins at a temperature called the "freezing temperature," ''T''f. In Ferromagnetism, ferroma ...
; his discovery of the broken replica symmetry bound lead to the proof of the Parisi formula; and the Ghirlanda-Guerra identities have been shown to explain the emergence of
ultrametricity
In mathematics, an ultrametric space is a metric space in which the triangle inequality is strengthened to d(x,z)\leq\max\left\ for all x, y, and z. Sometimes the associated metric is also called a non-Archimedean metric or super-metric.
Formal d ...
in spin glasses.
[
]
Selected publications
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Documentary
* "
Nessuno mi troverà" — a 2015 documentary directed by
Egidio Eronico.
References
External links
Francesco Guerra google scholar pageFrancesco Guerra on IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerra, Francesco
1942 births
2025 deaths
20th-century Italian physicists
Italian mathematical physicists
University of Naples Federico II alumni
Academic staff of the University of Salerno
Academic staff of the Sapienza University of Rome
21st-century Italian physicists