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Table of Contents

Biography

AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjects

Relationships

PeopleInstitutions

Resources

Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as Subject

Chen Ning Yang

Photo

Dates

September 22, 1922 – present

Authorized Form of Name

Yang, Chen Ning, 1922-

Additional Forms of Names

杨振宁, 1922-

Yang, C. N. (Chen Ning), 1922-

Yang, Zhenning, 1922-

Yō, Shinnei, 1922-

杨振寧, 1922-

楊振寧, 1922-

Biography

Abstract

Chen Ning Yang is Albert Einstein Professor of Physics Emeritus at State University of New York, Stony Brook (1999-present) and won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Tsung-Dao Lee in 1957. Other institutional affiliations include the Institute for Advanced Study. His research interests include statistical mechanics and symmetry principles.

Important Dates

September 22, 1922Birth, Hefei Shi (China).

1942Obtained BSc, National Southwest Associated University, Kunming Shi (China).

1944Obtained MSc, Tsinghua University, Kunming Shi (China).

1948Obtained PhD, University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).

1948 – 1949Instructor in Physics, University of Chicago.

1949 – 1966Member (1949-1955) and Professor (1955-1966), Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (N.J.).

1957Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics with Tsung-Dao Lee "for their penetrating investigation of the so-called parity laws which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles".

1962 – 1978Member, Board of Trustees, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

1965Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1965Chair, Panel of Theoretical Physics, Physics Survey Committee, National Academy of Sciences.

1966 – 1971Member, Science Advisory Committee, International Business Machines (IBM).

1966 – presentAlbert Einstein Professor of Physics (1966-1999); Director, Institute for Theoretical Physics (1966-1999); and Albert Einstein Professor of Physics Emeritus (1999-present), State University of New York, Stony Brook, Stony Brook (N.Y.).

1968 – 1970Member, High Energy Physics Advisory Panel, United States Atomic Energy Commission.

1970 – 1971Chair, Division of Particles and Fields, American Physical Society.

1970 – 1976Member, Board of Trustees, Rockefeller University.

1972 – 1976Chair, Division of Particles and Fields, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.

1977 – 1980President, National Association of Chinese Americans.

1978 – 1989Member, Board of Trustees, Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

1980 – 1983Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Max Planck Institute for Physics.

1981 – 1999Member, Board of Trustees, Stony Brook Foundation.

1983 – 1988Member, Board of Directors, Neuroscience Institute.

1983 – 1990Member, Board of Directors, Scientific American, Inc.

1986Awarded National Medal of Science.

1986 – presentDistinguished Professor-at-Large, Chinese University of Hong Kong.

1989 – 1994President, Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies.

1996 – 2004President, Asia Pacific Center of Theoretical Physics.

1998 – 1999Member, Board of Trustees, Brookhaven Science Associates.

1998 – presentProfessor, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China).

1999Awarded Lars Onsager Prize, American Physical Society.

Occupation

Particle physicist.

Places

Birth

Hefei Shi (China)

Undergraduate Education

Kunming Shi (China)

Graduate Education

Kunming Shi (China)

Chicago (Ill.)

Employment

Princeton (N.J.)

Stony Brook (N.Y.)

Beijing (China)

Subjects

Particles (Nuclear physics).

Statistical mechanics.

Symmetry (Physics).

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Lee, T. D., 1926-

Shared 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics "for their penetrating investigation of the so-called parity laws which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles" and both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

PhD advisor at University of Chicago, "On the angular distribution in nuclear reactions and coincidence measurements," and both employed at University of Chicago.

Colleagues

Adler, Stephen L.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Allison, Samuel King, 1900-1965

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Anderson, Herbert Lawrence

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Arnowitt, Richard

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Bardeen, William A.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Blume, Martin, 1932-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Brown, G. E. (Gerald Edward), 1926-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Brueckner, Keith A.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Case, Kenneth M.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Charney, Jule G.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Cooper, Leon N. (Leon Neil), 1930-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Courant, Ernest D. (Ernest David), 1920-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Dempster, Arthur Jeffrey

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Deser, S. (Stanley)

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

DeWitt, Bryce S. (Bryce Seligman), 1923-2004

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Dolan, Gerald

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Dyson, Freeman J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Feibelman, Peter J.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Feinberg, Gerald, 1933-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Garwin, Richard L.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Gell-Mann, Murray

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Glauber, Roy J., 1925-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Glimm, James

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study and State University of New York, Stony Brook.

Hartle, J. B. (James B.)

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Jain, Jainendra K.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Kinoshita, T. (Toichiro)

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Kraichnan, Robert H., 1928-2008

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Kroll, Norman Myles, 1922-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Low, Francis E. (Francis Eugene), 1921-2007

Both employed at Institute for Advanced Study.

Luttinger, Joaquin M.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Marburger, John H., III (John Harmen), 1941-2011

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

McCoy, Barry M.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Merzbacher, Eugen

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Morse, Marston, 1892-1977

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Mulliken, Robert Sanderson

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Nambu, Yoichiro, 1921-2015

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Pines, David, 1924-2018

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Simpson, John A. (John Alexander), 1916-2000

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Sprouse, Gene D.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Steinberger, J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Szilard, Leo

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Van Nieuwenhuizen, Peter

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Watson, Kenneth M.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Wentzel, Gregor, 1898-1978

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Weyl, Hermann, 1885-1955

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Wu, Tai Tsun

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Zener, Clarence, 1905-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Additional

Berlin, Theodore H., 1917-1962

Lazarus, David, 1921-

Pais, Abraham, 1918-2000

Pickering, Andrew, 1948-

Wolfenstein, L. (Lincoln)

Wu, Ta-you

Institutions

Major Positions

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)

Member and Professor.

Qing hua da xue (Beijing, China)

Obtained MSc (1944). Professor.

State University of New York at Stony Brook. Department of Physics

Albert Einstein Professor of Physics; Director, Institute for Theoretical Physics; and Albert Einstein Professor of Physics Emeritus.

University of Chicago. Department of Physics

Obtained PhD (1948). Instructor in Physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

Chair, Division of Particles and Fields and received 1999 Lars Onsager Prize.

Asia-Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics

President.

Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies

President.

Brookhaven Science Associates

Member, Board of Trustees.

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Distinguished Professor-at-Large.

IBM Research

Member, Science Advisory Committee.

International Union of Pure and Applied Physics

Chair, Division of Particles and Fields.

Max-Planck-Institut fur Physik

Chair, Scientific Advisory Board.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member and Chair, Panel of Theoretical Physics, Physics Survey Committee.

Rockefeller University

Member, Board of Trustees.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Member, Board of Trustees.

Scientific American

Member, Board of Trustees.

U.S. Atomic Energy Commission

Member, High Energy Physics Advisory Panel.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Member, Board of Trustees.

Xi nan lian he da xue (Kunming Shi, China)

Obtained BSc (1942).

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Andrew Pickering interviews conducted for his book CONSTRUCTING QUARKS, 1978-1982.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Gibbs Symposium records, 1964-1989.

Manuscript and Archives.

Yale University Library

Box 208240, New Haven, CT 06520, USA

High energy physics session [sound recording], 1964 April 30.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Is parity conserved in weak interactions?: manuscript by Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee, 1956.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Karl D. Hartzell Stony Brook oral history project, 1986-1989.

Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library

State University of New York at Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA

Nobel laureates on scientific research project : oral history, 1964.

Oral History Research Office

Columbia University

Box 20, Room 801 Butler Library, New York, NY 10027, USA

Oral history interview with Chen Ning Yang, 1980 November 1.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Reminiscences of Chen Ning Yang : oral history, 1964.

Oral History Research Office

Columbia University

Box 20, Room 801 Butler Library, New York, NY 10027, USA

Sidney Gelber Stony Brook history project, 1947-1988.

Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library

State University of New York at Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA

Symposium of the Forum on Physics and Society [sound recording] : Science in China ; 1973 January 30.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

20th Century Chinese Physicists and Physics [sound recording], 2014 March 6.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Abraham Pais papers, 1875 -2000 (bulk 1936-1998).

Rockefeller Archive Center

15 Dayton Ave., Pocantico Hills, North Tarrytown, NY 10591-1598, USA

Murray Gell-Mann papers, 1931-2001 (bulk 1955-1993).

Institute Archives

California Institute of Technology

1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Oral history interview with David Lazarus, 1981 December 4.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with David Pines, 1981 April 13 and 16.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Lincoln Wolfenstein, 1997 April 19.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Ta-You Wu, 1977 February 5.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Tsung-Dao Lee, 1980 October 31.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Outtakes and candid footage from the production of : The world of Enrico Fermi, circa 1930-1968.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Text materials for documentary film: The world of Enrico Fermi, circa 1930-1968.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

The world of Enrico Fermi [motion picture].

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Theodore Berlin papers, 1944-1962.

Rockefeller Archive Center

15 Dayton Ave., Pocantico Hills, North Tarrytown, NY 10591-1598, USA

Published Resources

Author

"Particle Physics in the Early 1950s," in Pions to Quarks: Particle Physics in the 1950s, ed. Laurie M. Brown, Max Dresden, and Lillian Hoddeson (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press: 1989), 40-46

Elementary particles and weak interactions / by T.D. Lee and C.N. Yang.

Elementary particles; a short history of some discoveries in atomic physics.

From nuclei to stars : festschrift in honor of Gerald E. Brown / editor, Sabine Lee.

High energy collisions: third international conference, organized by C. N. Yang [et al.]

Selected papers II, with commentaries / Chen Ning Yang.

Selected papers, 1945-1980, with commentary / Chen Ning Yang.

Subject

50 years of Yang-Mills theory / edited by Gerardus 't Hooft.

Chen Ning Yang Nobel Prize Biography