David Gross facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Gross
Gross in 2007
Born	David Jonathan Gross (1941-02-19) February 19, 1941 (age 84) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	Hebrew University of Jerusalem (BSc, MSc) University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
Known for	Asymptotic freedom Het... string Gross–Neveu model
Spouse(s)	Shulamith Toaff Gross (divorced) Jacquelyn Savani
Children	2
Awards	Dirac Medal (1988) Harvey Prize (2000) Nobel Prize in Physics (2004)
Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical physics
Institutions	University of California, Santa Barbara Harvard University Princeton University
Thesis	Investigation of the many-body, multichannel partial-wave scattering amplitude (1966)
Doctoral advisor	Geoffrey Chew
Doctoral students	Natan Andrei Frank Wilczek Edward Witten William E. Caswell< Eric D'Hoker Rajesh Gopakumar Nikita Nekrasov Stephen Bernard Libby
Signature

David Jonathan Gross (born February 19, 1941) is a famous American theoretical physicist. He studies the tiny particles that make up everything around us. He is also a string theorist, which is a field that tries to explain the universe using tiny vibrating strings.

In 2004, David Gross won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He shared this important award with Frank Wilczek and David Politzer. They won for their discovery of something called asymptotic freedom. This discovery helped us understand how the strongest force in nature works. Gross is currently a professor at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Early Life and Education

David Gross was born in Washington, D.C., in February 1941. His parents were Nora (Faine) and Bertram Myron Gross.

He earned his first degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel in 1962. Later, he received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. His doctoral advisor was Geoffrey Chew.

Discovering Asymptotic Freedom

In 1973, while at Princeton University, David Gross and his student, Frank Wilczek, made a huge discovery. They found out about asymptotic freedom. This is a key feature of how tiny particles interact.

Imagine you have two very strong magnets. The closer they are, the stronger they pull. But with quarks, it's the opposite! Quarks are the tiny building blocks inside protons and neutrons. Asymptotic freedom means that the closer quarks are to each other, the weaker the strong nuclear force between them becomes. When they are extremely close, they act almost like free particles.

This discovery helped Gross and Wilczek create a theory called quantum chromodynamics (QCD). This theory explains the strong nuclear force. This force holds quarks together inside particles like protons and neutrons.

The other side of asymptotic freedom is that the force between quarks gets stronger as you try to pull them apart. This is why you can never break an atom's nucleus into its individual quarks. They are always stuck together!

Completing the Standard Model

The discovery of QCD was very important. It helped complete the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model is like a rulebook that describes the basic forces in the universe. These forces are:

• The electromagnetic force (like magnets and electricity)
• The weak force (involved in radioactive decay)
• The strong force (which holds atomic nuclei together)

Because of this groundbreaking discovery, David Gross, along with David Politzer and Frank Wilczek, received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Gross also worked at Harvard University as a junior fellow from 1966 to 1969. He was a professor at Princeton University until 1997. He continues his research in physics at the KITP.

Supporting Science and the Planet

David Gross is not just a scientist; he also speaks up for important causes.

In 2003, he was one of many Nobel Prize winners who signed the Humanist Manifesto. This document expresses a belief in human values and reason.

In 2008, he joined 19 other American Nobel laureates in physics. They wrote a letter to President George W. Bush. They asked for more money for basic science research. They wanted to fix cuts made to science funding.

In 2015, Gross signed the Mainau Declaration 2015 on Climate Change. This declaration was about the dangers of climate change. A total of 76 Nobel laureates signed it. It was given to the French President before the important COP21 climate summit in Paris.

Family Life

David Gross has two children from his first marriage to Shulamith (Toaff). He also has a stepdaughter with his second wife, Jacquelyn Savani. He has three brothers: Larry Gross, Samuel R. Gross, and Theodore (Teddy) Gross.

Honors and Awards

David Gross has received many awards and honors for his amazing work in physics:

• J. J. Sakurai Prize, American Physical Society (1986)
• Fellowship Prize, MacArthur Foundation (1987)
• Dirac Medal, International Center for Theoretical Physics (1988)
• Oscar Klein Medal, Royal Swedish Academy (2000)
• Harvey Prize, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (2000)
• High Energy and Particle Physics Prize, European Physical Society (2003)
• Grande Médaille d'Or, French Academy of Sciences (2004)
• Nobel Prize in Physics (2004)
• Golden Plate Award, Academy of Achievement (2005)
• San Carlos Borromeo Award, University of San Carlos, Philippines (2008)
• Honorary Doctorate in Science, the University of Cambodia (2010)
• Richard E. Prange Prize, University of Maryland (2013)
• Medal of Honor, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia (2016)

Memberships and Societies

David Gross is also a member of many important scientific groups:

• Fellow, American Physical Society (1974)
• Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1985)
• Member, National Academy of Sciences (1986)
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1987)
• Member, American Philosophical Society (2007)
• Foreign Member, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2011)
• Foreign Member, Russian Academy of Sciences (2016)

See also

In Spanish: David Gross para niños

• List of Jewish Nobel laureates