Ulf Lindström (born 12 November 1947) is a Swedish

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...

working in the fields of

string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

supersymmetry Supersymmetry is a Theory, theoretical framework in physics that suggests the existence of a symmetry between Particle physics, particles with integer Spin (physics), spin (''bosons'') and particles with half-integer spin (''fermions''). It propo ...

, and

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the differential geometry, geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of grav ...

. He earned his fil. kand. university degree at

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

in 1972 and continued under the supervision of Bertel Laurent with doctoral studies. The title of his PhD thesis was "Extensions of general relativity: scalar tensor theory, topology of space-time and supergravity." He spent the year 1978-1979 at

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

as a post-doc working with

Stanley Deser Stanley Deser (March 19, 1931 – April 21, 2023) was an American physicist known for his contributions to general relativity. He was an emeritus Ancell Professor of Physics at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts and a senior researc ...

, and after getting his doctoral degree, became a docent in Stockholm. During 1986-1987, he spent time as a research fellow at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

. In 2002 he moved from Stockholm University to Uppsala University where he is now the chairman of the theoretical physics department. His most well-known contributions to theoretical physics are in the field of supersymmetry where he was one of the first people to discuss the hyper-Kähler quotient construction which was later generalized and discussed in full detail by Hitchin, Karlhede, Lindström and Roček. Also, together with Martin Roček, he has developed the notion of "

projective superspace In supersymmetry, a theory of particle physics, projective superspace is one way of dealing with \mathcal=2 supersymmetric theories, i.e. with 8 real SUSY generators, in a manifestly covariant manner. See also * Superspace * Harmonic superspac ...

". Another important result was the construction (together with Paul Howe) of an eight-loop counterterm in N=8

supergravity In theoretical physics, supergravity (supergravity theory; SUGRA for short) is a modern field theory that combines the principles of supersymmetry and general relativity; this is in contrast to non-gravitational supersymmetric theories such as ...

which became part of the motivation to consider string theory as the major candidate for a finite quantum theory of gravity. He was also among the first to discuss the zero-tension limit of string theory and has lately been involved in developing the notion (introduced by

Nigel Hitchin Nigel James Hitchin FRS (born 2 August 1946) is a British mathematician working in the fields of differential geometry, gauge theory, algebraic geometry, and mathematical physics. He is a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of O ...

) of generalized complex geometry. He has for many years been the chairman of the

Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture The Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture at Stockholm University, dedicated to the memory of the Swedish physicist Oskar Klein (1894-1977), is held annually since 1988 by a prominent physicist, who also receives the Oskar Klein Medal. The lecture is spon ...

committee. A conference was held in honor of his 60th birthday in November 2007.

References

* Hitchin, N., Karlhede, A., Lindström, U. and Roček, M., ''Hyperkahler Metrics and Supersymmetry,'' Communications in Mathematical Physics 108 (1987) 535. * Howe, P. S. and Lindstrom, U., ''Higher Order Invariants In Extended Supergravity,'' Nuclear Physics B 181 (1981) 487. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindstrom, Ulf 1947 births Living people String theorists Swedish physicists Theoretical physicists Scientists from Stockholm