Lawrence Allen Zalcman (June 9, 1943 – May 31, 2022) was professor emeritus of Mathematics at

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...

. His research concerns

Complex analysis Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates Function (mathematics), functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathemati ...

and

potential theory In mathematics and mathematical physics, potential theory is the study of harmonic functions. The term "potential theory" was coined in 19th-century physics when it was realized that two fundamental forces of nature known at the time, namely gravi ...

, and their relations with

approximation theory In mathematics, approximation theory is concerned with how function (mathematics), functions can best be approximation, approximated with simpler functions, and with quantitative property, quantitatively characterization (mathematics), characteri ...

harmonic analysis Harmonic analysis is a branch of mathematics concerned with the representation of Function (mathematics), functions or signals as the Superposition principle, superposition of basic waves, and the study of and generalization of the notions of Fo ...

integral geometry In mathematics, integral geometry is the theory of measures on a geometrical space invariant under the symmetry group of that space. In more recent times, the meaning has been broadened to include a view of invariant (or equivariant) transformation ...

and

partial differential equation In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which imposes relations between the various partial derivatives of a Multivariable calculus, multivariable function. The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be sol ...

s. On top of his scientific achievements, Zalcman received numerous awards for mathematical exposition, including the

Chauvenet Prize The Chauvenet Prize is the highest award for mathematical expository writing. It consists of a prize of $1,000 and a certificate, and is awarded yearly by the Mathematical Association of America in recognition of an outstanding expository article ...

in 1976, the

Lester R. Ford Award Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from Wisc ...

in 1975 and 1981, and the

Paul R. Halmos – Lester R. Ford Award The Paul R. Halmos – Lester R. Ford Award (formerly known as the Lester R. Ford Award) is a $1,000 prize given annually by the Mathematical Association of America for authors of articles of expository excellence published in ''The American Mathema ...

in 2017. Zalcman was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

on June 9, 1943. Zalcman received his Ph.D. from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1968 under the supervision of Kenneth Myron Hoffman. In 1961, Zalcman graduated from Southwest High School in

. In the theory of normal families, Zalcman's Lemma, which he used as part of his treatment of

Bloch's principle Bloch's Principle is a philosophical principle in mathematics stated by André Bloch. Bloch states the principle in Latin as: ''Nihil est in infinito quod non prius fuerit in finito,'' and explains this as follows: Every proposition in whose sta ...

, is named after him. Other eponymous honors are Zalcman domains, which play a role in the classification of

Riemann surface In mathematics, particularly in complex analysis, a Riemann surface is a connected one-dimensional complex manifold. These surfaces were first studied by and are named after Bernhard Riemann. Riemann surfaces can be thought of as deformed vers ...

s, and Zalcman functions in complex dynamics. In the theory of partial differential equations, the Pizzetti-Zalcman formula is named after him. In 2012, Zalcman became a fellow of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

. Zalcman died in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

on May 31, 2022.

Selected publications

* * with

Peter Lax Peter David Lax (born Lax Péter Dávid; 1 May 1926) is a Hungarian-born American mathematician and Abel Prize laureate working in the areas of pure and applied mathematics. Lax has made important contributions to integrable systems, fluid dyn ...

''Complex proofs of real theorems''
American Mathematical Society 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zalcman, Lawrence 1943 births 2022 deaths Israeli mathematicians Fellows of the American Mathematical Society Academic staff of Bar-Ilan University Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Complex analysts