Nicholas Manton facts for kids

Nicholas Stephen Manton (born on October 2, 1952, in City of Westminster, London) is a British mathematical physicist. He is a professor at the University of Cambridge. He teaches in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. He is also a fellow at St John's College.

Education

Nicholas Manton studied at the University of Cambridge. He earned his PhD degree there in 1978. His main teacher was Peter Goddard. His PhD paper was about "Magnetic Monopoles and Other Extended Objects in Field Theory." This means he studied special kinds of particles and shapes in physics.

What He Studies

Nicholas Manton is known for his work on tiny, stable "particles" called solitons. These are like waves that keep their shape as they move. He figured out how these particles interact with each other.

Understanding Tiny Particles

He looked at how monopoles (magnets with only one pole) and other special shapes behave. He found a way to describe their movements using a "geometrical idea." This idea helps scientists understand how these tiny particles move and interact. It's like mapping out their possible paths.

Skyrmions and Atomic Nuclei

Manton also helped develop the idea of skyrmions. These are special kinds of solitons. Scientists use skyrmions as a model to understand how atomic nuclei (the centers of atoms) are put together.

The Sphaleron Discovery

One of his important discoveries is the "sphaleron." This is an unstable solution in the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model is a theory that describes the basic particles and forces in the universe. The sphaleron involves the Higgs field, which gives particles their mass.

The sphaleron helps explain how certain particle numbers (like baryon number and lepton number) could have changed in the early universe. This change happened at an energy level that can be studied at the Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider is a huge machine that smashes tiny particles together.

Supergravity and Superstring Theory

Manton also worked on something called "type I supergravity." This is a complex theory that tries to combine gravity with other forces. It's also related to superstring theory, which suggests that the universe's smallest parts are tiny vibrating strings.

Awards and Honors

Nicholas Manton has received important awards for his work. In 1996, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.