Leonard Mlodinow (; November 26, 1954) is an American theoretical physicist and
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
, screenwriter and author. In physics, he is known for his work on the
large N expansion, a method of approximating the spectrum of atoms based on the consideration of an infinite-dimensional version of the problem, and for his work on the
quantum theory of light inside
dielectric
In electromagnetism, a dielectric (or dielectric medium) is an electrical insulator that can be polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the mate ...
s.
He has also written books for the general public, five of which have been
''New York Times'' best-sellers, including
''The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives'', which was chosen as a
''New York Times'' notable book, and short-listed for the
Royal Society Science Book Prize; ''
The Grand Design'', co-authored with
Stephen Hawking, which argues that invoking God is not necessary to explain the origins of the universe; ''
War of the Worldviews'', co-authored with
Deepak Chopra; and ''Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior'', which won the 2013
PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He also makes public lectures and media appearances on programs including ''
Morning Joe'' and ''
Through the Wormhole'', and debated
Deepak Chopra on ABC's ''
Nightline''.
Biography
Mlodinow was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, of parents who were both
Holocaust survivor
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...
s. His father, who spent more than a year in the
Buchenwald
Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or sus ...
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
, had been a leader in the
Jewish resistance in his hometown of
Częstochowa, in
Nazi Germany-occupied Poland. As a child, Mlodinow was interested in both
mathematics and
chemistry, and while in high school was tutored in
organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, ...
by a professor from the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
. As recounted in his book ''Feynman's Rainbow'', his interest turned to
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
during a semester he took off from college to spend on a
kibbutz in Israel, during which he had little to do at night besides reading ''
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
''The Feynman Lectures on Physics'' is a physics textbook based on some lectures by Richard Feynman, a Nobel laureate who has sometimes been called "The Great Explainer". The lectures were presented before undergraduate students at the Californ ...
'', which was one of the few English books he found in the kibbutz library.
Mlodinow completed his doctorate at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. It was in that PhD dissertation that he developed a new type of
perturbation theory
In mathematics and applied mathematics, perturbation theory comprises methods for finding an approximate solution to a problem, by starting from the exact solution of a related, simpler problem. A critical feature of the technique is a middl ...
for
nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, based upon solving the problem in infinite dimensions, and then correcting for the fact that we live in three. The method has become the basis of the 1/d expansion used by theoretical chemists. He has also done pioneering and innovative
work in the quantum theory of
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics (NLO) is the branch of optics that describes the behaviour of light in ''nonlinear media'', that is, media in which the polarization density P responds non-linearly to the electric field E of the light. The non-linearity is typic ...
. The central problem of quantum nonlinear optics is how to quantize a
dielectric
In electromagnetism, a dielectric (or dielectric medium) is an electrical insulator that can be polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the mate ...
that, as well as the usual homogeneities and
anisotropy
Anisotropy () is the property of a material which allows it to change or assume different properties in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. It can be defined as a difference, when measured along different axes, in a material's physic ...
, can also have nonlinearities and
dispersion, and earlier attempts in this direction, while incorporating the known linear theory, had not fully reproduced the nonlinear equations.
In 1981, Mlodinow joined the faculty at
Caltech
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
. Later, he was named an
Alexander von Humboldt Fellow
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Resea ...
and worked at the
Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics
The Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics is a former institute of the Max Planck Society in Germany. Located in Munich, it was also known as the Werner Heisenberg Institute. The institute was founded in 1958 as a successor to the Max ...
in Munich, Germany. In 1986, Mlodinow left full-time academia to begin a writing career. In addition to his books, he wrote many episodes for a number of television series including ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and ''
MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both p ...
'', created computer games with director
Steven Spielberg and actor
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
, and wrote the screenplay for the 2009 film ''Beyond the Horizon''. He also continued to conduct research in theoretical physics, and again joined the faculty of Caltech in 2005, leaving in 2013. His latest work in physics concerns the
arrow of time
The arrow of time, also called time's arrow, is the concept positing the "one-way direction" or "asymmetry" of time. It was developed in 1927 by the British astrophysicist Arthur Eddington, and is an unsolved general physics question. This ...
,
quantum decoherence, and the relation between discrete
quantum random walks and the
relativistic equations of quantum theory.
Works
* ''Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking'' (2022) ()
* ''Stephen Hawking: A Memoir of Friendship and Physics'' (2020)
* ''Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change'' (2018) () A new look at the neuroscience of change—and how elastic thinking can help us thrive in a world changing faster than ever before.
* ''The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos'' (2015) () A history of human progress, from our time on the African savannah through the invention of modern quantum physics..
* ''Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior'' (2012) () Describes how things that we think are conscious, freely made choices, are in fact governed by our
subconscious
In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness.
Scholarly use of the term
The word ''subconscious'' represents an anglicized version of the French ''subconscient'' as coined in 1889 by the psycho ...
.
* ''
The War of the Worldviews'' (2011) () with
Deepak Chopra. From their contrasting scientific and spiritual perspectives, the two authors answer the big questions about the universe, consciousness, life, and God.
* ''
The Grand Design'' (2010) () with
Stephen Hawking. This book argues that invoking God is not necessary to explain the
origins of the universe. It became a No. 1
New York Times bestseller
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
* ''
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives'' (2008) (), deals with
randomness
In common usage, randomness is the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps often has no order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Individual rand ...
and people's inability to take it into account in their daily lives. The book was a "NY Times notable book of the year".
* ''
A Briefer History of Time'' (2005) (), with
Stephen Hawking.
* ''Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life'' (2003) (as published in US) (), is about his relationship with Richard Feynman and Richard Feynman's brilliance, during his post-doctoral years in Caltech, in the early eighties. The book offers an insight into Feynman's attitude towards physics and life, his relationship with
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann (; September 15, 1929 – May 24, 2019) was an American physicist who received the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles. He was the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Theoretical ...
and the rise of
String Theory.
* ''Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace'' (2001) () is a work on popular science that chronicles the idea of
curved space and the
history of geometry
Geometry (from the grc, γεωμετρία; '' geo-'' "earth", '' -metron'' "measurement") arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the stu ...
.
;Children's books
* ''The Kids of Einstein Elementary: Titanic Cat'', co-authored with Matt Costello and Josh Nash (2004) ()
* ''The Kids of Einstein Elementary: The Last Dinosaur'', co-authored with Matt Costello and Josh Nash (2004) ()
Awards and honors
* 2013
PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, ''Subliminal''
* 2010 Liber Press Award for the Popularization of Science
* In 2008 the
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP) awarded Mlodinow the Robert P. Balles Prize for Critical Thinking for his book ''The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives''
Articles
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "Mindware and Superforecasting." ''New York Times'' (October 15, 2015): 23.
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "It is, in Fact, Rocket Science," ''New York Times'' (May 15, 2015): 23.
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality." ''New York Times'' (October 25, 2013): 15.
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "Most of Us are Biased After All." ''New York Times'' (April 4, 2013): 58.
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "In Hollywood, Theories of Infinite Dimensions." ''New York Times'' (June 3, 2012): 58.
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "A Facial Theory of Politics." ''New York Times'' (April 22, 2012): 58.
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "Physics: Fundamental Feynman." ''Nature'' 471 (2011), 296–297.
* Hawking, Stephen, and Leonard Mlodinow. "The (elusive) theory of everything." ''Scientific American'' 303.4 (2010): 68–71.
* Hawking, Stephen, and Leonard Mlodinow. "Why God did not create the universe." ''Wall Street Journal (September 4—5, 2010) W'' 3 (2010).
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "A hint of hype, a taste of illusion." ''Wall Street Journal'' (November 20, 2009).
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "The Triumph of the Random," Was Joe Di Maggio's hitting streak a fluke?" ''Wall Street Journal'' (July 16, 2009).
* Mlodinow, Leonard. "Meet Hollywood's Latest Genius." ''Los Angeles Times'' (July 2, 2006).
References
External links
Homepage of Leonard Mlodinow*
PhysicsWeb Review of "Feynman's Rainbow"Library Cog Review of "Feynman's Rainbow"*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061217130958/http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews About "The Grand Design"Fortune Magazine Review of The Drunkard's Walk*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090710125757/http://www.its.caltech.edu/~len/images/Review-Barron's.pdf Barron's Book Review of The Drunkard's Walk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mlodinow, Leonard
1954 births
Living people
American science writers
21st-century American physicists
University of California, Berkeley alumni
California Institute of Technology faculty
Writers from Chicago
Jewish American scientists
Jewish American writers
Use mdy dates from August 2011
American television writers
American male television writers
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
Screenwriters from California
Screenwriters from Illinois
Mathematics popularizers
21st-century American Jews