Lucien Szpiro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lucien Serge Szpiro
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Szpiro at the Mathematical Research Institute of Oberwolfach
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| Born | 23 December 1941 Paris, France
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| Died | 18 April 2020 (aged 78) Paris, France
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| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | Paris-Sud University |
| Known for | Szpiro's conjecture |
| Awards | Prix Doistau–Blutel (1987) Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (2012) Member of the Academia Europaea |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | City University of New York CNRS |
| Doctoral advisor | Pierre Samuel |
| Doctoral students | Ahmed Abbes Emmanuel Ullmo Shou-Wu Zhang |
| Influences | Maurice Auslander Claude Chevalley Alexander Grothendieck |
Lucien Serge Szpiro (born December 23, 1941 – died April 18, 2020) was a French mathematician. He was famous for his important work in areas of mathematics like number theory and geometry. He came up with a big idea called Szpiro's conjecture. He was also a respected professor at the CUNY Graduate Center in the United States and worked at the CNRS in France.
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Early Life and Education
Lucien Serge Szpiro was born in Paris, France, on December 23, 1941. He went to Paris-Sud University. There, he earned his Ph.D., which is a high-level university degree. His main teacher was Pierre Samuel.
Szpiro's early studies were greatly helped by the ideas of other famous mathematicians. These included Maurice Auslander, Claude Chevalley, and Alexander Grothendieck. In 1971, he earned another advanced degree called a Doctorat d'État.
Career in Mathematics
From 1963 to 1965, Szpiro worked as a high school teacher in Paris. Then, he became a professor at the University of Paris. He worked there from 1965 to 1969.
Szpiro spent many years, from 1969 to 1999, at the CNRS. This is a big research center in France. He started as a researcher and became a distinguished professor. Later, in 1999, he became an emeritus professor at CNRS. This means he retired but kept his title.
After leaving CNRS, he moved to the United States. He became a distinguished professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. He also visited and taught at other universities. These included Columbia University and the Institute for Advanced Study.
Szpiro also helped run important math journals. He was the editor-in-chief of Astérisque from 1991 to 1993. He also edited the Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France. He helped manage the libraries for the French Mathematical Society.
He guided 17 students who were working on their Ph.D. degrees. Some of his notable students include Ahmed Abbes, Emmanuel Ullmo, and Shou-Wu Zhang.
Mathematical Research
In the 1970s, Szpiro worked on a part of mathematics called commutative algebra. He proved a difficult idea known as the Auslander zero divisor conjecture. With Christian Peskine, he also created a new way to study algebraic shapes. This was called liaison theory.
In the 1980s, Szpiro became interested in Diophantine geometry. This area deals with equations where you look for whole number solutions. He realized how important a paper by Arakelov was for this field. This led to a new way of thinking called Arakelov theory. This theory helped Gerd Faltings prove the Mordell conjecture. Szpiro also found a connection between certain geometric properties and another idea called the Bogomolov conjecture.
Szpiro's Conjecture
In 1981, Szpiro came up with his famous idea, Szpiro's conjecture. This idea connects two important numbers related to a special type of curve called an elliptic curve. These numbers are the curve's discriminant and its conductor.
His conjecture helped inspire another very important idea in mathematics. This is called the abc conjecture. In 1988, it was shown that the abc conjecture was similar to a changed version of Szpiro's conjecture.
Szpiro's conjecture and its related ideas are considered very important. They have many consequences in number theory. These include Roth's theorem and the Fermat–Catalan conjecture.
After 1999, Szpiro started new research. He began working on a field called algebraic dynamics.
Awards and Recognition
In 1987, Szpiro received the Prix Doistau–Blutel. This award came from the French Academy of Sciences. He earned it for his work in algebra and geometry. It also recognized his help with the proof of the Mordell conjecture.
In 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This is a special honor for mathematicians. He was also a Member of the Academia Europaea.
Death
Lucien Szpiro passed away on April 18, 2020. He died in Paris, France, from a cardiac arrest.
