ISSN 1729-5254Majorana
Prize
Ettore Majorana (1906-1938?) "There are many categories of
scientists, people of second and third rank, who do their best, but do not go
very far. There are also people of first-class rank, who make great
discoveries, fundamental to the development of science. But then there are
the geniuses, like Galileo and Enrico Fermi to Giuseppe Cocconi. Electronic
Journal of Theoretical Physics aims to promote a style in theoretical physics
able to join together the most advanced researches in different areas with a
critical approach to very foundational questions.
On the occasion
of the Majorana Centenary in 2006 and the editing
of the Special Issue about his Legacy in Contemporary Physics, the Electronic
Journal of Theoretical Physics has established a prize in memory of the great
Sicilian physicist Ettore Majorana
(1906 - 1938), universally known for Quantum-Relativistic Equation for any Spin
and Neutrino Mass Theory.
The "Majorana Medal" is an annual prize of excellence for
the researchers who showed peculiar creativity, critical sense and
mathematical rigour in theoretical physics - in its
broadest sense.
The Majorana Prize committee announces the names of the
laureates in January. The prize is then formally awarded on March 27, the
anniversary of Ettore Majorana
disappearance.
The prize awarded
by the Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics (EJTP) consists of a medal
and an award certificate administrated by the Electronic Journal of Theoretical
Physics (EJTP) copyright and intellectual property.
The
prize will be awarded to three different categories:
1- The
Best Person in Physics.
2- The
Best Special Issue Paper.
3- The
Best Paper.
The first
category is a tribute EJTP pays to an outstanding personality in Physics. The
second and third categories are directly related to EJTP editorial activity.
2006 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2006 Erasmo Recami (Univ. For his fundamental contributions in: Extended
Relativity, in particular on the Theory of Tachyonic
Objects and the role of iper-c velocity in Field
Theory; Strong Gravity and Semiclassical Models of
Particle Structure; Analysis of the Tunneling Processes at Imaginary Time. For his constant and critical attention
towards Physics Foundations and its History, as it is shown by his excellent
and fundamental work on Ettore Majorana
life and science. Ennakkal Chandy George Sudarshan (
For his fundamental contributions in: Quantum Field Theory and particle Physics,
in particular on Tachyons; Formalism of Dynamic Maps in Open Quantum Systems;
Sudarshan-Glauber Representation in Quantum Optics. For his epistemological work on Indian Phylosophy and Modern Physics connections. EJTP Best Paper Special
Issue 2006, "Majorana Legacy": Jason Zimba ( "Anticoherent " Spin
States via the Majorana Representation. For his elegant geometric
representation on non-local states in
Riemann - Majorana Sphere Abstract: In this article we define and exhibit
'' anticoherent" spin states, which are in a sense '' the opposite" of the
familiar coherent spin states. Since the familiar coherent states are as
"classical" as spin states can be, the anticoherent
states may turn out to be better candidates for applications involving
non-classical behaviors such as quantum entanglement. Thanks to the Majorana
representation of spinors as 2s-tuples of points on
the Riemann sphere, classes of anticoherent states
are easy to find; the development of such examples also leads us into some
curious geometry involving the perfect solids. EJTP Best Annual Paper: Gordon W. Semenoff ( Stretching the Electron as
Far as it Will Go. For their research on Majorana Zero Modes. Abstract: Effects associated with the existence
of isolated zero modes of Majorana fermions are discussed.
It is argued that the quantization of this system necessarily contains highly
extended quantum states and that populating and depopulating such states by
interacting with the quantum system leads to long-ranged teleportation-like
processes. Also leads to spontaneous violation of fermion
parity symmetry. A quasi-realistic model consisting of a quantum wire
embedded in a p-wave superconductor is discussed as an explicit example of a
physical system with an isolated Majorana zero mode. 2007 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2007: Lee Smolin
(Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics For his fundamental contributions to
Unified Theories and Quantum Gravity, and - at the same - for his critical
attitude in this field. His mathematical mastery and elegance have never
turned into a rhetorical artifact so making him able to go to the physical
core of the problem and providing the whole community of physicists with an
example of style. EJTP Best Paper Special
Issue 2007, " Physics of Emergence and Organization":
This book has been Published by the World Scientific. Eliano Pessa (Centro Interdipartimentale
di Scienze Cognitive, Universit`a di "Phase Transitions in
Biological Matter" EJTP Volume 4, Special Issue 16 part One. Abstract: In this paper we will deal with
usefulness of physical theory of phase transition in order to describe
phenomena of change occurring in the biological world. In particular, we will
assess the role of quantum theory in accounting for the emergence of
different forms of coherence seemingly characterizing a number of biological behaviours. In this regard we will introduce some
arguments that, while supporting the convenience (as well as the
unavoidability) of resorting to a quantum-theoretical framework to describe
biological emergence, point to the need for a suitable generalization of
actual quantum theory. Some possible ways to achieve such a generalization
will be shortly discussed. EJTP Best Annual Paper: Marcello Cini (Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita’
La Sapienza, "
Mental and Physical Objects in
Quantum Mechanics: Any Lessons for other Disciplines?" EJTP Volume 4, Issue 15 (July 2007); Abstract: The standard formulation of Quantum
Mechanics has raised from its beginning animated discussions about the
interpretation of the counterintuitive properties of mental objects (wave
functions or Schrödinger waves) introduced to represent the properties of the
physical objects.Two questions have since then been
formulated to which a universally accepted answer is still lacking. The first
one (Bohr, von Neumann) concerns the ontological nature of physical reality
(the existence of classical objects) and the role of the observer (wave
packet collapse) in assessing it. The second one is the non local character
of quantum physical quantities (Einstein Podolski
Rosen [EPR] long distance correlation of particles). An alternative
formulation of Quantum Mechanics, originally proposed in 1932 by Eugene
Wigner, taken up by Richard Feynman in 1987, and reelaborated
by myself in the years from 1998 to 2003, is possible. The mental objects of
standard Quantum Mechanics (Schrödinger waves) no longer appear in this new
formulation and are replaced by new ones (Wigner functions) which do not show
any more the puzzling properties which worried Einstein. My conclusion from
the preceding discussion is that different explanations of a given set of
experimental data may be derived according to the different nature of the
mental objects introduced to represent the properties of the physical objects
involved. The confusion between these two kind of
objects may be, however, very misleading. I will finally discuss two examples
of this conclusion from Biology and Economics. 2008 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2008: Geoffrey F. Chew (Theoretical Physics Group, Physics Division,
Lawrence For his fundamental contributions in
thinking the whole Particle Physics following a philosophy which is giving
new impulses to the most recent Physics' areas and for his latest
contributions on Quantum Cosmology. EJTP Best Paper Special
Issue 2008, " Lev Davidovich Landau and
his Impact on Contemporary Theoretical Physics (Horizons in World Physics,
Volume 264) ": This book has been Published by the Nova
Science Publishers . "From Landau's Order
Parameter to Modern Disorder Fields ". Abstract: Landau's work was crucial for the
development of the modern theory of phase transitions. He showed that such
transitions can be classified by an order parameter, which in the
low-temperature phase becomes nonzero. Together with Ginzburg
he made this order parameter a spacetime-dependent
order field and introduced a local energy functional whose extrema yield field equations and whose fluctuations
determine the universal critical behavior of second-order transitions. In the
same spirit, but from a dual point of view, I have developed in the last
twenty years a disorder field theory that describes phase transitions via the
statistical mechanics of grand-canonical ensembles of vortex lines in superfluids and superconductors, or of defect lines in
crystals. The Feynman diagrams of the disorder fields are pictures of the
vortex or defect lines. A nonzero ground state expectation value of the
disorder field at high temperature signalizes the proliferation of line like
excitations in the ordered phase. It was this description of the superconductor
that led in 1982 to a first understanding of the order of the superconducting
phase transition. Recent experimental progress in the critical regime of
high-TC superconductors will be able to verify the predicted tricritical point of the Ginzburg
parameter \kappa \approx 0.8/ \sqrt{2} where the second-order
transition becomes first-order. S. Esposito and G. Salesi (
Dipartimento di Scienze
Fisiche, Universit`a di Napoli “Federico II” & I.N.F.N. Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Universitario di M. S. Angelo, Via Cinthia,
80126 Facolt`a di Ingegneria,
Universita Statale di Bergamo, viale Marconi 5,
24044 Dalmine (BG), Italy & I.N.F.N. Sezione di Milano, via G. Celoria 16, I-20133 Milan, Italy ) "Generalized Ginzburg-Landau Models for Non-conventional
Superconductors" Abstract: We review some recent extensions of the
Ginzburg-Landau model able to describe several
properties of non-conventional superconductors. In the first extension,
s-wave superconductors endowed with two different critical temperatures are
considered, their main thermodynamical and magnetic
properties being calculated and discussed. Instead in the second extension we
describe spin-triplet superconductivity (with a single critical temperature),
studying in detail the main predicted physical properties. A thorough
discussion of the peculiar predictions of our models and their physical
consequences is as well performed. Giuseppe Vitiello
(Dipartimento
di Matematica e Informatica Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Gruppo Collegato di Salerno Quantum Field Theory
Project 2008 "Topological Defects,
Fractals and The Structure of Quantum Field Theory". Abstract: In this paper I discuss the formation
of topological defects in quantum field theory and the relation between
fractals and coherent states. The study of defect formation is particularly
useful in the understanding of the same mathematical structure of quantum
field theory with particular reference to the processes of non-equilibrium
symmetry breaking. The functional realization of fractals in terms of the
q-deformed algebra of coherent states is also presented. From one side, this
sheds some light on the dynamical formation of fractals. From the other side,
it also exhibits the fractal nature of coherent states, thus opening new
perspectives in the analysis of those phenomena where coherent states play a
relevant role. The global nature of fractals appears to emerge from local
deformation processes and fractal properties are incorporated in the
framework of the theory of entire analytical functions. EJTP Best Annual Paper: N. I. Farahat and W. I. Eshraim (Department
of Physics, Islamic " Hamilton-Jacobi
Formulation of A Non-Abelian Yang-Mills Theories"
EJTP Volume 5, Issue 17 (March 2008); Abstract: A non-Abelian
theory of fermions interacting with gauge bosons is treated as a constrained
system using the Hamilton-Jacobi approach. The equations of motion are
obtained as total differential equations in many variables. The integability conditions are satisfied, and the set of
equations of motion is integrable. A comparison
with Dirac’s method is done. 2009 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2009: Mario Rasetti (Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli
Abruzzi 24; 10129 Torino (Italy). Fondazione ISI - Institute for Scientific Interchange, Viale Settimio Severo, 65; 10133 Torino (Italy) For his fundamental
contributions to Non-linear Physics, Quantum Field Theory and Quantum
Information in a rarely elegant and rigorous global vision. And for his
promoting the scientific international interdisciplinary collaboration. EJTP Best Annual Paper: J. P. Singh (Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute
of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee
247667, India) " Relativistic Spin Operator with Observers in Motion" EJTP Volume 7, Issue 23 (March 2010); and
for his several innovative contributions to different Physics' areas from
Quantum Mechanics to Econophysics. Abstract: We
obtain transformation equations for the Bell basis states under an arbitrary
Lorentz boost and compute the expectation values of the relativistic center
of mass spin operator under each of these boosted states. We also obtain
expectation values for spin projections along the axes. 2010 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2010: N. David Mermin (Laboratory
of Atomic & Solid Physics Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY 14853-2501, USA) For his fundamental
contributions on the solid state physics, quantum field theory and
statistical mechanics, especially Mermin-Wagner
theorem and its remarkable applications. And for his promoting the scientific
international interdisciplinary collaborations. EJTP Best Annual Paper
2010: Tuluzov, and S. I. Melnyk (Kharkiv Regional Centre for Investment, of.405, vul. Tobolska, Kharkiv, 61072, Ukrain. M.K.Yankel Kharkov National University of Radio Electronics, Lenin Ave.4, 61161, Kharkov Ukraine) "Physical Methodology
for Economic Systems Modeling”, EJTP 7, No. 24 (2010) 57–78. .and for his
several innovative contributions to different Physics' areas Theoretical
Physics. Abstract: The paper discusses the possibility of constructing
economic models using the methodology of model construction in classical
mechanics. At the same time, unlike the “econophysical”
approach, the properties of economic models are derived without involvement
of any equivalent physical properties, but with account of the types of symmetry
existing in the economic system. It has been shown that at this approach
practically all known mechanical variables have their “economic twins”. The variational principle is formulated on the basis of
formal mathematical construction without involving the subjective factor
common to the majority of models in economics. The dynamics of interaction of
two companies has been studies in details, on the basis of which we can
proceed to modeling of more complex and realistic economic systems.
Prediction of the possibility of constructing economic theory on the basis of
primary principles analogously to physics has been made. EJTP Best Special Issue
Paper 2010: Robert carroll (Department
of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1409 W. Green
Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801-2975 USA) "Quantum potential as
information: a mathematical survey", New trends in quantum
information, Aracne
Editorice, Rome, Italy (2010) and for his major contributions of different aspects of Mathematical
Physics and Applied Mathematics.. Abstract: We
obtain transformation equations for the Bell basis states under an arbitrary
Lorentz boost and compute the expectation values of the relativistic center
of mass spin operator under each of these boosted states. We also obtain
expectation values for spin projections along the axes. 2012 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2012: Basil J. Hiley (Theoretical
Physics Research Unit, Birkbeck, University of
London, UK) For his fundamentals contribution to Theoretical Physics, in
particular for the Algebraic Approach to Quantum Mechanics which
has made possible a deeper understanding of non-locality and the Quantum
Mechanics and Quantum Field Theories' connections. In addition to his
achievements, we want also to recognize his paramount importance as natural
philosopher, his critical and open minded attitude towards the role of science
in contemporary
culture. “I would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the
considerable mathematical help I have received from Maurice de Gosson, Ernst Binz and Fabio Frescura without whose input my work would not have been
possible. I would also like to
acknowledge the input of my colleagues Robert Callaghan, David Robson and
Graham Yendall who have helped me clarify many
difficult points that have cropped up over the years and above all the
acknowledge the considerable input of David Bohm
whose discussion have made my work possible”. B. J. Hiley. EJTP Best Annual Paper
2012: Yasuhito Kaminaga (Department of Mathematics, Gunma National
College of Technology, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan) For your Paper entitled "Covariant Analytic Mechanics with
Differential Forms and Its Application to Gravity". EJTP 9, No. 26
(2012) 199–216. Abstract: We
discuss fundamentals of the covariant analytic mechanics with differential
forms. We apply it to typical field theories, such as a scalar field, the electromagnetic
field, and a non-abelian gauge field, as well as
the Newtonian mechanics of a harmonic oscillator. A significant feature of
the covariant analytic mechanics is that the canonical equations, in addition
to the Euler-Lagrange equation, are not only manifestly Lorentz covariant but
also gauge covariant. In the latter half of the paper, we apply the covariant
analytic mechanics to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, and show that
the gravitational field can be successfully treated within the framework of
it. We obtain the canonical equations of gravity with manifest diffeomorphism covariance Majorana Prize committee (2012): Erasmo Recami (Head of the Committee) Fabio Majorana E.C. George Sudarshan Eliano Pessa Jason Zimba Leonardo Chiatti José Luis Loَpez-Bonilla Ignazio Licata Ammar Sakaji For
suggestions and information: majorana[AT]ejtp.info
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