Guido Altarelli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guido Altarelli
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| Born | 12 July 1941 Rome, Italy
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| Died | 30 September 2015 (aged 74) Geneva, Switzerland
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| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | Sapienza University of Rome |
| Known for | Altarelli-Parisi equations |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics |
| Institutions | Sapienza University of Rome University of Roma Tre |
Guido Altarelli was a brilliant Italian scientist who studied the tiny particles that make up everything around us. He was a theoretical physicist, which means he used math and ideas to understand how the universe works, rather than doing experiments in a lab. He was born on July 12, 1941, and passed away on September 30, 2015.
A Life in Physics
Guido Altarelli began his journey in physics at the Sapienza University of Rome. He earned his degree in 1963. After that, he worked at several famous universities around the world. These included the University of Florence in Italy and New York University in the United States. He also spent time at the Rockefeller University and Boston University.
From 1970 to 1992, he was a professor at the Sapienza University of Rome. He taught theoretical physics there. Later, he moved to the newer University of Roma Tre.
Working at CERN
A big part of Altarelli's career was spent at CERN. This is a huge science lab in Switzerland. It's famous for having the Large Hadron Collider. From 1987 to 2006, he was a senior physicist in CERN's Theory Division. He even led this division from 2000 to 2004.
At CERN, he played a key role in understanding results from experiments. He also helped prepare for big projects like the LEP and LHC particle accelerators. His work helped scientists make sense of the data they collected.
His Most Famous Work
Guido Altarelli is best known for something called the Altarelli-Parisi equations. He developed these equations with another scientist, Giorgio Parisi, in 1977. These equations are super important in understanding quantum chromodynamics (QCD).
QCD is the theory that describes the strong force. This force holds tiny particles called quarks and gluons together. These particles make up protons and neutrons, which are inside atoms. The Altarelli-Parisi equations help scientists understand how these particles behave inside protons and neutrons. They show how the "parton densities" (the way quarks and gluons are distributed) change when you look at them with different energy levels.
Awards and Recognition
Guido Altarelli received many awards for his important contributions to physics. These awards recognized his deep understanding of particle physics.
- He became a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
- In 2011, he received the Julius Wess Award. This award is for great achievements in particle physics.
- In 2012, he won the prestigious J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics. This is one of the top awards for theoretical physicists.
- He also received the High Energy and Particle Physics Prize in 2015. This award came from the European Physical Society.
