Edward Witten Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Edward Witten (born August 26, 1951) is a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, near Princeton University. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, son of a physicist specializing in gravitation and general relativity.
Edward Witten is a mathematical physicist who does research in M-theory, which is a unification of 5 superstring theories and 11-dimensional supergravity. Superstring/M-theory is a promising candidate to be the unifying theory for the four fundamental physical interactions (gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear) and may provide a fundamental link between quantum mechanics and general relativity, previously thought to be incompatible.
Edward Witten is heralded by some as the foremost mathematical and theoretical physicist in his time and for his contributions to physics and mathematics (especially geometry). The distinguished mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah said,
"Although he is definitely a physicist, his command of mathematics is rivaled by few mathematicians... Time and again he has surprised the mathematical community by his brilliant application of physical insight leading to new and deep mathematical theorems... he has made a profound impact on contemporary mathematics. In his hands physics is once again providing a rich source of inspiration and insight in mathematics."No less significant is Witten's reputation in theoretical physics. He mainly works on string theory, but has contributed many important insights about gauge theory as well.
Among the many awards Witten has earned are the Fields Medal in 1990 (mathematics equivalent to Nobel Prize) and the National Medal of Science (2004). He has inspired his colleagues and has sparked what has been called the second revolution in superstring theory.