Christof Wetterich

Last updated
Christof Wetterich
Wetterich 2.jpg
BornApril 12, 1952
Freiburg, West Germany
Alma mater
Known for
AwardsMax-Planck Research Prize (2005)
Scientific career
Fields Theoretical physics
Institutions
Thesis Ein vereinheitlichtes Modell der schwachen und elektromagnetischen Wechselwirkung  (1979)
Doctoral advisor Josef Honerkamp

Christof Wetterich (born April 12, 1952) is a German theoretical physicist. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the Heidelberg University. He is known for his works in Seesaw mechanism in GUT, quintessence, Wetterich equation for functional renormalization group, asymptotic safety in quantum gravity.

Contents

Early life and education

Wetterich was born in Freiburg on April 12, 1952. He studied physics in University of Paris VII, University of Cologne and Freiburg University, where he received his PhD in 1979 and habilitated in 1983.

Research and career

His major research interests are cosmology and quantum field theory. The Wetterich’s two representative developments of the theoretical method are quintessence and functional renormalization group. These methods have found applications in many areas of physics. In functional renormalization, it provides a suitable framework to study quantum gravity (asymptotic safety), [1] Yang–Mills theories [2] and it was also useful in non-relativistic quantum systems like the BCS to BEC crossover where it bridges the two theories in a unified theoretical language. [3] [4]

In 1977-1986, He has done fundamental calculative work for the theoretical understanding of tiny masses of neutrinos in GUT. [5] [6] This work is integrated to Type II seesaw mechanism in later works.

In 1987-2001, he has done his two works which are best known in all of his theoretical proposals. the dynamical dark energy or quintessence is worked at 1987. [7] [8] This could explain the observed accelerated expansion of the Universe. The functional renormalization group, relates macro physical structures to micro physical law through to an renormalization group of effective average action. Its formula derived as Wetterich equation(or FRG Flow Equation). This is worked at 1993. [9] The review of FRG is published at 2001. [10]

In 2013, based on dilatation symmetry, he proposed the cosmon field model which planck mass is only increased but has not big bang singularity. [11]

He worked at CERN in Geneva and DESY in Hamburg. Since 1992 he has a chair for theoretical physics at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg.

Honours and awards

Wetterich received the Max-Planck Research Prize [12] in 2005. Since 2006 he is member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences. [13]

References

  1. ↑ Reuter, M. (1998-01-15). "Nonperturbative evolution equation for quantum gravity". Physical Review D. 57 (2). American Physical Society (APS): 971–985. arXiv: hep-th/9605030v1 . Bibcode:1998PhRvD..57..971R. doi:10.1103/physrevd.57.971. ISSN   0556-2821.
  2. ↑ Reuter, M.; Wetterich, C. (1994). "Effective average action for gauge theories and exact evolution equations". Nuclear Physics B. 417 (1–2). Elsevier BV: 181–214. Bibcode:1994NuPhB.417..181R. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(94)90543-6. ISSN   0550-3213.
  3. ↑ Diehl, S.; Gies, H.; Pawlowski, J. M.; Wetterich, C. (2007-08-01). "Flow equations for the BCS-BEC crossover". Physical Review A. 76 (2). American Physical Society (APS): 021602. arXiv: cond-mat/0701198 . Bibcode:2007PhRvA..76b1602D. doi:10.1103/physreva.76.021602. ISSN   1050-2947.
  4. ↑ Diehl, S.; Floerchinger, S.; Gies, H.; Pawlowkski, J.M.; Wetterich, C. (2010-07-19). "Functional renormalization group approach to the BCS-BEC crossover". Annalen der Physik. 552 (9). Wiley: 615–656. arXiv: 0907.2193 . Bibcode:2010AnP...522..615D. doi:10.1002/andp.201010458. ISSN   0003-3804.
  5. ↑ Wetterich, C. (1981). "Neutrino masses and the scale of B-L violation". Nuclear Physics B. 187 (2). Elsevier BV: 343–375. Bibcode:1981NuPhB.187..343W. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(81)90279-0. ISSN   0550-3213.
  6. ↑ Lazarides, G.; Shafi, Q.; Wetterich, C. (1981). "Proton lifetime and fermion masses in an SO(10) model". Nuclear Physics B. 181 (2). Elsevier BV: 287–300. Bibcode:1981NuPhB.181..287L. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(81)90354-0. ISSN   0550-3213.
  7. ↑ Wetterich, C. (1988). "Cosmology and the fate of dilatation symmetry". Nuclear Physics B. 302 (4). Elsevier BV: 668–696. arXiv: 1711.03844 . Bibcode:1988NuPhB.302..668W. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(88)90193-9. ISSN   0550-3213.
  8. ↑ The Cosmon Model for an Asymptotically Vanishing Time Dependent Cosmological "Constant", C. Wetterich, Astron. Astrophys. 301, 321 (1995), arXiv:hep-th/9408025v1
  9. ↑ Wetterich, Christof (1993). "Exact evolution equation for the effective potential". Physics Letters B. 301 (1). Elsevier BV: 90–94. arXiv: 1710.05815 . Bibcode:1993PhLB..301...90W. doi:10.1016/0370-2693(93)90726-x. ISSN   0370-2693.
  10. ↑ Berges, Jürgen; Tetradis, Nikolaos; Wetterich, Christof (2002). "Non-perturbative renormalization flow in quantum field theory and statistical physics". Physics Reports. 363 (4–6). Elsevier BV: 223–386. arXiv: hep-ph/0005122 . Bibcode:2002PhR...363..223B. doi:10.1016/s0370-1573(01)00098-9. ISSN   0370-1573.
  11. ↑ Wetterich, Christof (2013). "universe without expansion". Physics of the Dark Universe. 2 (4). Elsevier BV: 184–187. arXiv: 1303.6878 . Bibcode:2013PDU.....2..184W. doi:10.1016/j.dark.2013.10.002.
  12. ↑ There exists a short public video Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine (German) as a film portrait to the winners in addition.
  13. ↑ Portrait at the HAW homepage
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