Richard Phillips Feynman ( born 11.05.1918) — an American theoretical physicist, one of the creators of modern quantum electrodynamics, a member of the National Academy of Sciences (1954). He was born in New York. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1939). In 1942 he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where he also worked in 1942—43; in 1943 — 45 he was at the Los Alamos laboratory, and in 1945 —50 at Cornell University. Since 1950 he has been professor at the California Institute of Technology.
His work concerned quantum field theory, quantum electrodynamics, elementary particle physics, statistical physics, superconductivity and the theory of gravitation. In 1948, independently of J. Schwinger and S. Tomonaga, he constructed modern quantum electrodynamics (Nobel Prize, 1965). In 1949 he developed a way of describing the possible transformations of particles — the so-called Feynman diagrams. Together with M. Gell-Mann (independently of R. Marshak and E. Sudarshan) he created (1958) a quantitative theory of weak interactions.
He developed (1972) a semiphenomenological picture of the generation of new particles in collisions (scale invariance, or scaling). He predicted that if the energy spectrum of the generated particles is plotted on a certain scale, then at high energies it should reach a universal limiting form — a plateau, broadening slowly (logarithmically) as the energy rises further. He proposed (1969) a model of the nucleon in which the pointlike constituents of the proton and neutron, on which the inelastic scattering of high-energy electrons takes place, were named partons (the parton model of the nucleon).
In quantum mechanics he developed the path-integral method. Independently of L. Onsager he developed (1955) the theory of quantised vortices in superfluid helium, showing that at sufficiently high velocities liquid helium must be pervaded by quantised vortices. He was one of the first to propose (1963) applying the methods of perturbation theory of quantum field theory to the problem of the quantisation of gravity.
He is the author of the well-known course “The Feynman Lectures on Physics”.
The A. Einstein Medal (1954), the National Medal of Science (1980) and others.
His work concerned quantum field theory, quantum electrodynamics, elementary particle physics, statistical physics, superconductivity and the theory of gravitation. In 1948, independently of J. Schwinger and S. Tomonaga, he constructed modern quantum electrodynamics (Nobel Prize, 1965). In 1949 he developed a way of describing the possible transformations of particles — the so-called Feynman diagrams. Together with M. Gell-Mann (independently of R. Marshak and E. Sudarshan) he created (1958) a quantitative theory of weak interactions.
He developed (1972) a semiphenomenological picture of the generation of new particles in collisions (scale invariance, or scaling). He predicted that if the energy spectrum of the generated particles is plotted on a certain scale, then at high energies it should reach a universal limiting form — a plateau, broadening slowly (logarithmically) as the energy rises further. He proposed (1969) a model of the nucleon in which the pointlike constituents of the proton and neutron, on which the inelastic scattering of high-energy electrons takes place, were named partons (the parton model of the nucleon).
In quantum mechanics he developed the path-integral method. Independently of L. Onsager he developed (1955) the theory of quantised vortices in superfluid helium, showing that at sufficiently high velocities liquid helium must be pervaded by quantised vortices. He was one of the first to propose (1963) applying the methods of perturbation theory of quantum field theory to the problem of the quantisation of gravity.
He is the author of the well-known course “The Feynman Lectures on Physics”.
The A. Einstein Medal (1954), the National Medal of Science (1980) and others.