J. Michael Kosterlitz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Kosterlitz
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Kosterlitz at Nobel press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, December 2016
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John Michael Kosterlitz
June 22, 1943 Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
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| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | United States |
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| Known for | Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition KTHNY theory |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Condensed matter physics |
| Institutions | Brown University University of Birmingham Cornell University |
| Thesis | Problems in strong interaction physics (1969) |
| Academic advisors | David Thouless (postdoc) |
Michael Kosterlitz (born June 22, 1943) is a Scottish-American physicist. He is a professor of physics at Brown University. He is known for his important work in a field called condensed matter physics.
In 2016, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He shared this big award with two other scientists, David Thouless and Duncan Haldane. They were recognized for their discoveries about how matter can behave in strange ways.
Early Life and School
Michael Kosterlitz was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. His parents were German-Jewish immigrants. His father, Hans Walter Kosterlitz, was a famous biochemist.
Michael went to school at Robert Gordon's College and then the Edinburgh Academy. He later studied at the University of Cambridge. In 1969, he earned his PhD degree from the University of Oxford.
Career and Research
After finishing his studies, Michael Kosterlitz worked at different universities. He spent time at the University of Birmingham and Cornell University. At Birmingham, he worked with David Thouless, who would later share the Nobel Prize with him.
In 1974, he became a teacher at the University of Birmingham. Since 1982, he has been a physics professor at Brown University in the United States. He also visits Aalto University in Finland to do research. Since 2016, he has been a special professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.
Kosterlitz studies how materials behave, especially in very thin layers. He looks at how things change from one state to another, like how ice melts into water. He also researches random systems and how electrons move in materials.
Awards and Recognition
Michael Kosterlitz has received several important awards for his scientific work.
- In 2016, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. This was for his discoveries about "topological phase transitions." This means he found new ways to understand how materials change their properties.
- He also received the Maxwell Medal and Prize in 1981.
- In 2000, he won the Lars Onsager Prize. This award was given for his work on something called the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition. This is a special way that materials can change their state.
Since 1992, he has been a member of the American Physical Society.
The Kosterlitz Centre at the University of Aberdeen is named after his father, Hans Kosterlitz. His father was a pioneer in studying endorphins, which are natural pain relievers in the body.
Personal Life
In the 1960s, Michael Kosterlitz was a skilled mountain climber. He climbed in the UK, the Italian Alps, and Yosemite. There is even a climbing route in Italy named "Fessura Kosterlitz" after him.
Michael Kosterlitz is a citizen of the United States. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978.
See also
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
- In Spanish: Michael Kosterlitz para niños
