Proofs of nonlinear Landau damping and convergence to equilibrium for the Boltzmann equation. Proof of conformal invariance of percolation and the planar Ising model in statistical physics. Measure rigidity in ergodic theory and their applications to number theory. Proof of the Fundamental Lemma in the theory of automorphic forms through the introduction of new algebro-geometric methods. These are why four men won medals today. No, they weren’t in the Olympics, although those happen every four years too and generally enlist younger competitors. They’re Fields Medalists, a select few under the age of 40, earning the world’s top honor in mathematics.
The medals are being awarded today in Hyderabad, India, and Indian President Pratibha Patil will give each gentleman his prize. The honor is named after J.M. Fields, a Canadian mathematician, and comes with $15,000 attached. (Nobel Prize winners gain $1 million.)
We know to expect great things from Fields Medalists — our favorite being professor Gerald Lambeau in Good Will Hunting (Witness his Field Medal meltdown here). So congratulations Russia‘s Stanislav Smirnov, Israel‘s Elon Lindenstrauss, Vietnam‘s Ngô B?o Châu and France‘s Cédric Villani. You’ve proven, that since Curtis T. McMullen‘s win in 1998, the United States is always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Oh, and you’ve done some great work in mathematics, too.
Photo by Rob Ireton via Flickr.