Tom Kibble
Tom Kibble | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Walter Bannerman Kibble 23 December 1932 |
| Died | 2 June 2016 (aged 83) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh (BSc, MA, PhD) |
| Known for | Einstein–Cartan–Sciama–Kibble theory Kibble–Zurek mechanism Higgs boson Higgs mechanism Cosmic strings Spontaneous symmetry breaking |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics Quantum field theory |
| Institutions | Imperial College London |
| Thesis | Topics in quantum field theory: 1. Schwinger's action principle; 2. Dispersion relations for inelastic scattering processes (1958) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Polkinghorne |
| Doctoral students | John W. Barrett
Seifallah Randjbar-Daemi Jonathan Ashmore |
Sir Thomas Walter Bannerman Kibble CBE FRS MAE (/ˈkɪbəl/; 23 December 1932 – 2 June 2016) was a British theoretical physicist, senior research investigator at the Blackett Laboratory and Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. His research interests were in quantum field theory, especially the interface between high-energy particle physics and cosmology. He is best known as one of the first to describe the Higgs mechanism, and for his research on topological defects. From the 1950s he was concerned about the nuclear arms race and from 1970 took leading roles in promoting the social responsibility of the scientist.