Freeman Dyson, born in 1923, British-born American theoretical physicist and astrophysicist. Dyson was born in Crowthorne, England, and educated at the University of Cambridge, where he worked in applied mathematics for the British government even before his graduation. He received his bachelor's degree in 1945. After six years as a researcher in the United Kingdom and the United States, Dyson became professor of physics at Cornell University in 1951. He moved to the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University in 1953.
Dyson's research began at an important time in the study of physics. During the years just after World War II (1939-1945), new experimental evidence raised questions about how quantum theory, developed during the 1920s and 1930s to describe the relationships between electrons and atomic nuclei, might be extended to cover the interactions of matter and light. But the mathematical techniques used to extend quantum theory had internal difficulties that led to seemingly absurd results. However, about 1949 two dominant, and seemingly unrelated, theoretical solutions to these mathematical problems emerged: one theory was developed by the American physicist Richard P. Feynman, and the other was developed by the American physicist Julian S. Schwinger and independently by the Japanese physicist Tomonaga Shin’ichiro. About 1950 Dyson showed that both theories were reducible to a single formalism, and he became a major figure in the application of these ideas. The resulting theory and the mathematical techniques associated with it became central to modern theoretical physics during the second half of the 20th century.
Since the time he was a student Dyson has been interested in the military applications of physics and the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. His books that discuss nuclear strategy and arms control include his autobiography, Disturbing the Universe (1979), and Weapons and Hope (1984).
Dyson's research began at an important time in the study of physics. During the years just after World War II (1939-1945), new experimental evidence raised questions about how quantum theory, developed during the 1920s and 1930s to describe the relationships between electrons and atomic nuclei, might be extended to cover the interactions of matter and light. But the mathematical techniques used to extend quantum theory had internal difficulties that led to seemingly absurd results. However, about 1949 two dominant, and seemingly unrelated, theoretical solutions to these mathematical problems emerged: one theory was developed by the American physicist Richard P. Feynman, and the other was developed by the American physicist Julian S. Schwinger and independently by the Japanese physicist Tomonaga Shin’ichiro. About 1950 Dyson showed that both theories were reducible to a single formalism, and he became a major figure in the application of these ideas. The resulting theory and the mathematical techniques associated with it became central to modern theoretical physics during the second half of the 20th century.
Since the time he was a student Dyson has been interested in the military applications of physics and the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. His books that discuss nuclear strategy and arms control include his autobiography, Disturbing the Universe (1979), and Weapons and Hope (1984).
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