The 2019 Qiushi Award Ceremony, hosted by the Hong Kong Qiushi Science and Technology Foundation, was held at Tsinghua University on the evening of September 21, 2019. Nobel laureate in physics Yang Zhenning was awarded the "Qiushi Lifetime Achievement Award", becoming the second scientist to receive this award. The 97-year-old Yang Zhenning won the grand prize, which is gratifying. For Yang Zhenning's contributions in the physics community, there are people who are comparable to Newton and Einstein, do you believe it?
Xiaobian is not from physics, for how high Yang Zhenning's scientific achievements dare not jump to conclusions, just quote the comments of predecessors. Yang Zhenning's scientific achievements began in 1957 with Li Zhengdao's nobel prize in physics. Let's take a look at his main achievements:
(1) Weak cosmology is not conserved (Nobel Prize work) (2) Yang-Mills noncommunication gauge field theory (one of the foundations of weak-current unification, the most outstanding achievement of Yang Zhenning's life, the guiding light of the great unified theory, one of the cornerstones of contemporary cutting-edge physics, and a great achievement comparable to general relativity) (3) Bethe ansatz strict solution of the Fermi subsystem and the Yang-Baxter equation (which led to extensive research on braid groups and knot theory in mathematics) (4) Non-diagonal long program (one of the core theories of condensation physics) (5) Quantization of magnetic monopoles and topological structures in gauge theory (pioneering work of topological field theory, differential topology was introduced into physics) (6) Lee-Yang's single circle theorem (the basic theory of phase transition phenomena) (7) Spontaneous magnetization and critical exponents of 2D Ising models (pioneering work on critical phenomena and universal classes) (8) Lee-Huang-Yang correction of Bose gases (visionary theory, 50 years later confirmed by cold atom experiments)
Any of the above 8 achievements can become a big figure in physical science, and from this point of view, Yang Zhenning is indeed a scientific genius.
But if Comrade Yang is comparable to Newton and Einstein, it is necessary to analyze their influence.
The father of modern physics: Newton
Isaac Newton, a famous British physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, is known as the "father of modern physics". In 1687, he published The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, which expounded gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the foundations of mechanics and astronomy for the next three centuries and becoming the foundation of modern engineering. It can be said that Newton, who was hit by an apple, is the originator of modern scientists, which is groundbreaking, and scientists including Yang Zhenning are his disciples.
Relativity Einstein
Albert Einstein, a Jew of German descent, a physicist, the founder and founder of modern physics, is recognized as the greatest scientist and physicist since Galileo and Newton. His major achievements include proposing the photon hypothesis, successfully explaining the photoelectric effect (winning the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics), creating special relativity in 1905, and creating general relativity in 1915. Special relativity and general relativity have pointed out the way for the physical sciences after the 20th century and provided a sufficient theoretical basis. It was Einstein's great role, aviation technology, atomic bombs and other high-tech technology can be realized step by step, and the atomic bomb was born with his support. In addition, Einstein's personality is very noble, he considers himself a citizen of the world, during the Chinese War of Resistance, he stayed in China for a short time, witnessed the tragic situation of China's invasion, and expressed deep sympathy.
Can Yang Zhenning be compared to Newton and Einstein?
Newton was the great pioneer of modern science, and Einstein was the biggest pioneer after the Second Industrial Revolution, and they were all at the level of grand masters. As for Yang Zhenning, his Yang-Mills theory is called the great physical achievement of the second half of the 20th century, and the weak cosmology is not conserved, which earned him and Li Zhengdao the Nobel Prize. The two of them were the first Chinese in history to win the Nobel Prize (they were both Chinese at the time of the award, but then all subsequently became American citizens), which was a great national confidence for poor China at that time, which proved that the scientific research ability of the Chinese was not worse than that of the West.
But through history, we can see whether Yang Zhenning can be on a par with Einstein. Qian Xuesen, the father of China's aerospace industry, was a great scientist, but his theoretical success was not as good as Yang Zhenning's. In 1950, Qian Xuesen was preparing to return from the United States, but Dan A. Kimball, the deputy secretary of the U.S. Navy, claimed: "Wherever Qian Xuesen went, he was worth the strength of 5 divisions." Qian Xuesen was placed under house arrest for 5 years, and China used the huge price of 11 US pilots to get Qian Xuesen back from the United States. Qian Xuesen's return to China was very costly, but Qian Lao led Chinese science and technology to quickly catch up with the United States and the Soviet Union. And Yang Zhenning's visit to China in 1971, the United States did not stop it.
In 2003, Yang Zhenning returned to China to settle down, and since then he has traveled between Beijing and Hong Kong, and the United States has not stopped him. In 2017, Yang Zhenning renounced his American citizenship, and the United States still did not stop him. Qian Xuesen enjoyed the treatment of a national treasure in the United States, while Professor Yang obviously did not.
So, are Yang Zhenning and Einstein on the same level?
In addition, although Yang Zhenning does not have the same high wind bone as Qian Lao, he is not completely unpatriotic. After becoming a U.S. citizen, he actively participated in fishing protection operations and made important contributions to safeguarding China's territorial integrity. He finally returned to the embrace of the motherland at the age of 95, which can also be regarded as a good beginning and a good end. China needs more scientific and technological talents to return to China, and Mr. Yang has made a good start.
Do you think Professor Yang Zhenning is comparable to Newton and Einstein? Let's discuss it together.