Miguel Ángel Virasoro (physicist)
Miguel Ángel Virasoro | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 9, 1940 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | July 23, 2021 (aged 81) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Known for | Cavity method Virasoro algebra Virasoro conformal block Virasoro–Shapiro amplitude Virasoro group Virasoro conjecture |
| Father | Miguel Ángel Virasoro (philosopher) |
| Awards | Enrico Fermi Prize (2009) Dirac Medal (2020) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | String theory |
| Institutions | École normale supérieure Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Institute for Advanced Study University of California, Berkeley La Sapienza University of Rome University of Wisconsin–Madison Weizmann Institute of Science Ioffe Institute University of Bonn |
Miguel Ángel Virasoro (Spanish: [miˈɣel ˈaŋxel βiɾaˈsoɾo];9 May 1940 – 23 July 2021) was an Argentine (naturalized Italian) mathematician and theoretical physicist. Virasoro worked in Argentina, Israel, the United States, and France, but he spent most of his professional career in Italy at La Sapienza University of Rome. He shared a name with his father, the philosopher Miguel Ángel Virasoro. He was known for his foundational work in string theory, the study of spin glasses, and his research in other areas of mathematical and statistical physics. The Virasoro–Shapiro amplitude, the Virasoro algebra, the super Virasoro algebra, the Virasoro vertex operator algebra, the Virasoro group, the Virasoro conjecture, the Virasoro conformal block, and the Virasoro minimal model are all named after him.