Michael Green (physicist) facts for kids

Michael Boris Green is a famous British physicist. He is known for being one of the first people to develop string theory. He taught physics at important universities like Queen Mary University of London and the University of Cambridge. He even held a very special position called the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics from 2009 to 2015. This role was also held by the famous scientist Stephen Hawking.

Early Life and Education

Michael Green was born in London on May 22, 1946. His parents were Genia Green and Absalom Green. He went to William Ellis School in London.

After school, he studied at Churchill College, Cambridge. In 1967, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in theoretical physics. He then continued his studies and received his PhD in elementary particle theory in 1970.

Michael Green's Career in Physics

After getting his PhD, Dr. Green worked as a researcher at several top universities. These included Princeton University, Cambridge, and the University of Oxford.

From 1978 to 1993, he was a Lecturer and Professor at Queen Mary College, part of the University of London. In 1993, he became the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.

Lucasian Professor of Mathematics

On November 1, 2009, Michael Green took on the very special role of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. This is a highly respected position at the University of Cambridge. He followed Stephen Hawking in this role. He held this position until 2015.

Research and String Theory Discoveries

Michael Green is best known for his work on string theory. This is a complex idea in physics that suggests the smallest parts of the universe are not tiny particles, but tiny vibrating strings.

He worked closely with another physicist, John Henry Schwarz. Together, they made some very important discoveries:

• In 1982, they helped discover something called type II string theory.
• In 1984, they found a way to fix a problem in another type of string theory, called type I. This discovery is known as the Green–Schwarz mechanism. It was a huge breakthrough and started what scientists call the "First Superstring Revolution."

Dr. Green also researched something called Dirichlet boundary conditions in string theory. This work helped lead to the idea of D-branes, which are like surfaces where the ends of these tiny strings can attach.

Awards and Recognitions

Michael Green has received many important awards for his contributions to physics:

• The Paul Dirac Medal and Maxwell Medals from the Institute of Physics in the UK.
• The Dirac Medal from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics.
• The Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics from the American Physical Society.

In 1989, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. He has written more than 150 research papers.

Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

On December 12, 2013, Michael Green shared the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics with John Henry Schwarz. They received this award "for opening new perspectives on quantum gravity and the unification of forces." This means their work helped scientists understand how gravity works at a tiny level and how all the forces in the universe might be connected.

Selected Publications

Michael Green has co-authored important books on string theory, including:

• Green, M., John H. Schwarz, and E. Witten. Superstring Theory. Vol. 1, Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 1988.
• Superstring Theory. Vol. 2, Loop Amplitudes, Anomalies and Phenomenology. Cambridge University Press, 1988.