Miguel Ángel Virasoro (;9 May 1940 – 23 July 2021)
was an
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
(
naturalized
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
)
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, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
and
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 ...
. Virasoro worked in
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, but he spent most of his professional career in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
at
La Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is as such one of the ...
. He shared a name with his father, the
philosopher Miguel Ángel Virasoro.
He was known for his foundational work in
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 ...
, the study of
spin glass
In condensed matter physics, a spin glass is a magnetic state characterized by randomness, besides cooperative behavior in freezing of spins at a temperature called the "freezing temperature," ''T''f. In ferromagnetic solids, component atoms' ...
es, and his research in other areas of
mathematical
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
and
statistical physics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...
.
The Virasoro–Shapiro amplitude,
[Virasoro, M. (1969). "Alternative constructions of crossing-symmetric amplitudes with Regge behavior." ''Physical Review'', 177(5), 2309–2311.] the
Virasoro algebra
In mathematics, the Virasoro algebra is a complex Lie algebra and the unique nontrivial central extension of the Witt algebra. It is widely used in two-dimensional conformal field theory and in string theory. It is named after Miguel Ángel ...
,
the
super Virasoro algebra
In mathematical physics, a super Virasoro algebra is an extension of the Virasoro algebra (named after Miguel Ángel Virasoro) to a Lie superalgebra. There are two extensions with particular importance in superstring theory: the Ramond algebra (n ...
, the
Virasoro vertex operator algebra, the
Virasoro group, the
Virasoro conjecture, the
Virasoro conformal block
In two-dimensional conformal field theory, Virasoro conformal blocks (named after Miguel Ángel Virasoro (physicist), Miguel Ángel Virasoro) are special functions that serve as building blocks of correlation function (quantum field theory), correl ...
, and the
Virasoro minimal model are all named after him.
Biography
Early life in Argentina
Miguel Ángel Virasoro was born in
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
in on May 9, 1940.
He shared a name with
his father, a noted Argentinian philosopher who founded dialectical
existentialism
Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...
.
The younger Virasoro studied physics at the
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
(UBA) from 1958 to 1966. He received his
Licenciate degree in 1962 and his PhD in 1966.
Research in Israel and the United States
In 1966, Virasoro left Argentina after
La Noche de los Bastones Largos, a violent dislodging of students and teachers from UBA who opposed the military government of Argentinian
General Juan Carlos Onganía.
The military dictatorship of Onganía would last from 1966 to 1970. After leaving Argentina, Virasoro worked as a
postdoctoral researcher
A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...
at the
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science ( ''Machon Weizmann LeMada'') is a Public university, public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, fourteen years before the State of Israel was founded. Unlike other List of Israeli uni ...
in
Rehovot
Rehovot (, / ) is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of .
Etymology
Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu (movement), Bilu movement, proposed the name "Rehovot ...
,
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
until 1968. He then worked at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
(UW-M) in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
until 1969.
After his time at UW-M, Virasoro spent another year as a postdoc in the United States at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
.
Return to Argentina
Virasoro returned to Argentina after the end of Juan Carlos Onganía's dictatorship in 1970. In 1971, he accepted a
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
ship at his
alma mater
Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
UBA.
Virasoro remained at UBA until 1975, at which time he accepted a year-long position at the
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...
in
Princeton, New Jersey
The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...
. Then in 1976,
General Jorge Rafael Videla came to power in Argentina and established another military dictatorship. As a result, Virasoro was unable to return to his home country after his year in the United States and instead moved to Europe.
Professional career in Europe
In Europe, Virasoro took a temporary position at the
École normale supérieure
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...
in
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1976. Virasoro then moved to
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in 1977 where he worked as a professor at the
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
The Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN; "National Institute for Nuclear Physics") is the coordinating institution for nuclear, particle, theoretical and astroparticle physics in Italy.
History
INFN was founded on the 8th of August 1 ...
at the
University of Turin
The University of Turin (Italian language, Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public university, public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the List ...
from 1977 until 1981. He then moved to
La Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is as such one of the ...
, where he remained for thirty years until his Italian retirement and his return to Argentina in 2011.
At La Sapienza, Virasoro performed research in
mathematical physics
Mathematical physics is the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the de ...
,
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 ...
, and
statistical mechanics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...
and taught courses on
electromagnetism
In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is the dominant force in the interacti ...
and on physical-mathematical models for economics.
He was also a director of the
Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is a research center for physical and mathematical sciences, located in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.
The center operates under a tripartite agreement between the Ita ...
(ICTP) in
Trieste, Italy from 1995 until 2002.
Later years and death
In his later years, Virasoro received several awards, honors, and appointments. In 1987, he was awarded a
Guggenheim fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
from the
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...
. In 1993, he was awarded the
Rammal Award by the
French Physical Society. In 1998, he was elected as an international honorary member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
. In 2009, he was awarded the
Enrico Fermi Prize
The Enrico Fermi Prize, first awarded in 2001, is given by the Italian Physical Society (Società Italiana di Fisica). It is a yearly award of €30,000 honoring one or more Members of the Society who have "particularly honoured physics with thei ...
of the
Italian Physical Society The Italian Physical Society () is a non-profit organization whose aim is to promote, encourage, protect the study and the progress of physics in Italy and in the world. It was founded in 1897.
It is associated with the journal series ''Nuovo Cime ...
, which he shared with Greek physicist
Dimitri Nanopoulos
Dimitri V. Nanopoulos (; ; born 13 September 1948) is a Greek physicist. He is one of the most regularly cited researchers in the world, cited more than 48,500 times across a number of separate branches of science.
Biography
Dimitri Nanopoulos w ...
, for "the discovery of an infinite-dimensional algebra of primary importance for the construction of string theories." In 2020, he was awarded the
Dirac Medal The Dirac Medal or Dirac prize can refer to different awards named in honour of the physics Nobel Laureate Paul Dirac.
* Dirac Medal (ICTP), awarded by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste
* Dirac Medal (IOP), awar ...
of the ICTP, which he shared with French physicists
André Neveu and
Pierre Ramond
Pierre Ramond (; born 31 January 1943) is distinguished professor of physics at University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He initiated the development of superstring theory.
Academic career
Ramond completed his BSEE from Newark College of ...
, "for their pioneering contributions to the inception and formulation of string theory which introduced new
boson
In particle physics, a boson ( ) is a subatomic particle whose spin quantum number has an integer value (0, 1, 2, ...). Bosons form one of the two fundamental classes of subatomic particle, the other being fermions, which have half odd-intege ...
ic and
fermion
In particle physics, a fermion is a subatomic particle that follows Fermi–Dirac statistics. Fermions have a half-integer spin (spin 1/2, spin , Spin (physics)#Higher spins, spin , etc.) and obey the Pauli exclusion principle. These particles i ...
ic symmetries into physics."
From 2011 until his death, Virasoro was an honorary professor at the
Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento in his home country of Argentina.
Virasoro died on July 23, 2021, at the age of 81.
Research
String theory
Much of Virasoro's early work helped found a branch of
theoretical particle physics which would later be understood as
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 ...
. In 1968 while Virasoro was in Israel, his colleague
Gabriele Veneziano
Gabriele Veneziano ( ; ; born 7 September 1942) is an Italian theoretical physicist widely considered the father of string theory. He has conducted most of his scientific activities at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, and held the Chair of Elementar ...
discovered a formula (the
Veneziano amplitude) which described the
scattering
In physics, scattering is a wide range of physical processes where moving particles or radiation of some form, such as light or sound, are forced to deviate from a straight trajectory by localized non-uniformities (including particles and radiat ...
of open strings. Then in 1969 during his time at
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
, Virasoro successfully generalized Veneziano's theory and discovered a formula (the Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude) which described the scattering of closed strings. At the time, the formulas of Veneziano and Virasoro were understood in terms of so-called
dual resonance models. Only later was their work understood to describe strings.
Soon after his discovery of the Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude, Virasoro introduced what became known as the
Virasoro algebra
In mathematics, the Virasoro algebra is a complex Lie algebra and the unique nontrivial central extension of the Witt algebra. It is widely used in two-dimensional conformal field theory and in string theory. It is named after Miguel Ángel ...
. The Virasoro algebra is an infinite-dimensional
Lie algebra
In mathematics, a Lie algebra (pronounced ) is a vector space \mathfrak g together with an operation called the Lie bracket, an alternating bilinear map \mathfrak g \times \mathfrak g \rightarrow \mathfrak g, that satisfies the Jacobi ident ...
which describes the
conformal symmetry
Conformal symmetry is a property of spacetime that ensures angles remain unchanged even when distances are altered. If you stretch, compress, or otherwise distort spacetime, the local angular relationships between lines or curves stay the same. Th ...
of the
worldsheet
In string theory, a worldsheet is a two-dimensional manifold which describes the embedding of a string in spacetime. The term was coined by Leonard Susskind as a direct generalization of the world line concept for a point particle in special an ...
of a string embedded in
spacetime
In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum. Spacetime diagrams are useful in visualiz ...
. A
supersymmetric
Supersymmetry is a theoretical framework in physics that suggests the existence of a symmetry between particles with integer spin (''bosons'') and particles with half-integer spin (''fermions''). It proposes that for every known particle, there ...
generalization of this algebra, the
super Virasoro algebra
In mathematical physics, a super Virasoro algebra is an extension of the Virasoro algebra (named after Miguel Ángel Virasoro) to a Lie superalgebra. There are two extensions with particular importance in superstring theory: the Ramond algebra (n ...
, describes the
super conformal symmetry of the
worldsheet
In string theory, a worldsheet is a two-dimensional manifold which describes the embedding of a string in spacetime. The term was coined by Leonard Susskind as a direct generalization of the world line concept for a point particle in special an ...
of a
supersymmetric string (or superstring). Pedagogical introductions to the Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude and the Virasoro algebra may be found in
David Tong's introductory lectures on string theory.
Several mathematical concepts related to Lie algebras and
conformal field theory
A conformal field theory (CFT) is a quantum field theory that is invariant under conformal transformations. In two dimensions, there is an infinite-dimensional algebra of local conformal transformations, and conformal field theories can sometime ...
are named after Virasoro. These include the
Virasoro vertex operator algebra, the
Virasoro group, the
Virasoro conjecture, the
Virasoro conformal block
In two-dimensional conformal field theory, Virasoro conformal blocks (named after Miguel Ángel Virasoro (physicist), Miguel Ángel Virasoro) are special functions that serve as building blocks of correlation function (quantum field theory), correl ...
, and the
Virasoro minimal model.
Spin glasses
While working in Italy, Virasoro studied spin glasses and other systems in statistical mechanics. Together with Italian physicist
Giorgio Parisi
Giorgio Parisi (born 4 August 1948) is an Italian theoretical physicist, whose research has focused on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods ...
and French physicist
Marc Mézard, Virasoro discovered the
ultrametric
In mathematics, an ultrametric space is a metric space in which the triangle inequality is strengthened to d(x,z)\leq\max\left\ for all x, y, and z. Sometimes the associated metric is also called a non-Archimedean metric or super-metric.
Formal d ...
organization of low-temperature
spin glass
In condensed matter physics, a spin glass is a magnetic state characterized by randomness, besides cooperative behavior in freezing of spins at a temperature called the "freezing temperature," ''T''f. In ferromagnetic solids, component atoms' ...
states in infinite dimensions.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virasoro, Miguel
1940 births
2021 deaths
Theoretical physicists
String theorists
Argentine scientists
Argentine physicists
Scientists from Buenos Aires
Academic staff of the Sapienza University of Rome
University of Buenos Aires alumni
Enrico Fermi Award recipients
Italian physicists