Martinus J. G. Veltman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martinus J. G. Veltman
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Veltman in 2005
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Martinus Justinus Godefriedus Veltman
27 June 1931 Waalwijk, Netherlands
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| Died | 4 January 2021 (aged 89) Bilthoven, Netherlands
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| Nationality | Dutch |
| Alma mater | Utrecht University |
| Known for | Renormalization of Yang–Mills theory Dimensional regularization Schoonschip vDVZ discontinuity Passarino–Veltman reduction |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physics (1999) Dirac Medal (1996) High Energy and Particle Physics Prize (1993) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Intermediate particles in S-matrix theory and calculation of higher order effects in the production of intermediate vector bosons (1963) |
| Doctoral advisor | Léon C. P. van Hove |
| Doctoral students |
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Martinus Justinus Godefriedus "Tini" Veltman (born June 27, 1931 – died January 4, 2021) was a Dutch scientist. He was a theoretical physicist, meaning he studied how the universe works using math and theories.
In 1999, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics with his former student, Gerardus 't Hooft. They received the award for their important work on how tiny particles interact. Their research helped us understand the "electroweak interactions" in physics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Martinus Veltman was born in Waalwijk, Netherlands, on June 27, 1931. He was the fourth of six children. His father was a primary school principal. Many of his father's family members were also teachers.
As a young person, Martinus was very interested in radio electronics. This was a challenging hobby during World War II. The German army had taken most of the radio equipment available.
In 1948, he began studying mathematics and physics. He attended Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Beginning His Research Career
In 1955, Veltman started working as an assistant. He joined Professor Michels at the Van Der Waals laboratory in Amsterdam. Professor Michels was an experimental physicist. He studied how materials behave under very high pressure.
Veltman's main jobs were to manage a large library. He also helped Professor Michels prepare for his lectures.
His research career really took off when he moved back to Utrecht. In 1955, he began working with Léon Van Hove. He earned his master's degree in 1956. After that, he served two years in the military.
He returned in February 1959. Van Hove then hired him as a doctoral researcher. Veltman earned his PhD in theoretical physics in 1963. He became a professor at Utrecht University in 1966.
Work at CERN and Schoonschip
In 1960, Léon Van Hove became the director of the theory division at CERN. CERN is a big European laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. It focuses on high-energy physics. Veltman followed him there in 1961.
In 1960, Veltman married Anneke. Their daughter, Hélène, was born in the Netherlands. Later, Anneke and Hélène moved to Geneva to live with Martinus. Hélène also became a particle physicist. She earned her PhD at University of California, Berkeley. She now works in finance in London.
From 1963 to 1964, Veltman spent time at SLAC in the United States. While there, he created a computer program called Schoonschip. This program helped scientists work with complex math equations. It is known as one of the very first computer algebra systems.
Veltman was also involved in a neutrino experiment at CERN in 1963. He helped analyze images from the detectors. When others lost interest, Veltman continued analyzing the data. This made him the main spokesperson for the group at a conference in 1963.
Nobel Prize-Winning Work
In 1971, Gerardus 't Hooft was Veltman's PhD student. Together, they made a huge discovery in physics. They showed how to "renormalize" a complex theory called Yang–Mills theory.
This meant they found a way to make calculations in this theory work. They proved it was possible if certain symmetries were "broken" in a special way. This process is called the Higgs mechanism. Their work was a major achievement in 20th-century physics. It helped us understand how fundamental forces work.
Later Career and Legacy
In 1980, Veltman became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1981, he left Utrecht University. He moved to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the United States. He retired from there in 1996. After retiring, he moved back to the Netherlands.
In 1999, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with 't Hooft. They were honored for explaining the "quantum structure of electroweak interactions." This means their work helped us understand how two of the universe's basic forces, the electromagnetic and weak forces, are connected.
In 2003, Veltman wrote a book for everyone. It was called Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. It helped explain particle physics to a wider audience.
Martinus Veltman passed away on January 4, 2021. He died at his home in Bilthoven, Netherlands. An asteroid, 9492 Veltman, was named in his honor.
See also
In Spanish: Martinus J. G. Veltman para niños
