The Bethe Lecture Series Fall 2006

“…the spirit of physics, the idea of discovery … the beauty of how it fits together, and the beauty that the laws of physics are immutable.”

—Hans A. Bethe

The Bethe Lecture series honors Hans A. Bethe, Professor Emeritus of Physics at Cornell, whose research extended across fields as diverse as the quantum theory of solids and the nuclear processes of the sun, receiving the Nobel Prize for the later work in 1967. The Bethe Lectures have been given annually since 1977.

David J. Gross
Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics
University of California, Santa Barbara

David Gross joined the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara in January 1997. He received his Ph.D. from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1966 and then was a Junior Fellow at Harvard. In 1969 he went to Princeton where he was appointed Professor of Physics in 1972, and later Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics, and Thomas Jones Professor of Mathematical Physics.

Kavli Institute of Theoretical PhysicsUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraDavid Gross joined the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara in January 1997. He received his Ph.D. from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1966 and then was a Junior Fellow at Harvard. In 1969 he went to Princeton where he was appointed Professor of Physics in 1972, and later Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics, and Thomas Jones Professor of Mathematical Physics.Dr. Gross was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow (1970-74), was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1974, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985, Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1986 and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1987. He is the recipient of the J. J. Sakurai Prize of the American Physical Society in 1986, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowhip Prize in 1987, the Dirac Medal in1988, the Oscar Klein Medal in 2000 and the Harvey Prize of the Technion in 2000. He has received two honorary degrees.

Kavli Institute of Theoretical PhysicsUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraDavid Gross joined the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara in January 1997. He received his Ph.D. from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1966 and then was a Junior Fellow at Harvard. In 1969 he went to Princeton where he was appointed Professor of Physics in 1972, and later Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics, and Thomas Jones Professor of Mathematical Physics.Dr. Gross was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow (1970-74), was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1974, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985, Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1986 and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1987. He is the recipient of the J. J. Sakurai Prize of the American Physical Society in 1986, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowhip Prize in 1987, the Dirac Medal in1988, the Oscar Klein Medal in 2000 and the Harvey Prize of the Technion in 2000. He has received two honorary degrees.In 2004 David Gross was selected to receive France’s highest scientific honor, the Grande Médaille D’Or, for his contributions to the understanding of fundamental physical reality. The Frederick W. Gluck Chair in Theoretical Physics, an endowed chair for the director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, was established in 2002 with a generous gift from UCSB Trustee Fred Gluck.

The Lectures

The Search for a Theory of Fundamental Reality: The Theory of Elementary Particles
Physics Colloquium.
Monday, October 16, 4:30 p.m.
Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.

The Search for a Theory of Fundamental Reality: Questions and Speculations
Physics Colloquium.
Tuesday, October 17, 4:30 p.m.
Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.

The Search for a Theory of Fundamental Reality: The Coming Revolutions
Public Lecture.
Wednesday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.
Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.

The Abstracts

The Search for a Theory of Fundamental Reality:The Theory of Elementary Particles
Physics Colloquium.
Monday, October 16, 4:00 p.m.

In the first lecture, Professor Gross will recount the development of the theory of elementary particles, which starts at the beginning of the 20th century with Rutherford’s discovery of the nucleus and ends in the 1970’s with his personal account of the discovery of asymptotic freedom and the emergence of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong nuclear force. QCD, together with the theory of electromagnetism and the theory of the weak nuclear force, constitutes the “Standard Model” of particle physics that explains all observed matter and all observed forces of nature - except gravity.

The Search for a Theory of Fundamental Reality:Questions and Speculations
Physics Colloquium.
Tuesday, October 17, 4:30 p.m.

Professor Gross will discuss the many profound questions that remain unanswered by this extremely successful theory. He will explain why we have been led to search for a unified theory of all the various forces of nature, including gravity, and why we believe that a new, quantum symmetry of Spacetime might be soon discovered. Finally, he will address how these speculations have led to a new kind of theory - string theory - in which all the basic constituents of matter and the quanta of force are different vibrations of a single extended string-like entity.

The Search for a Theory of Fundamental Reality:The Coming Revolutions
Public Lecture.
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.
 
In the third lecture, intended for the general public, Professor Gross will discuss the current status of string theory, its successes and its problems, and why this theory suggests that a revolution in our understanding of the nature of space and time is imminent. He will end with a discussion of whether we will ever achieve a final theory, a theory of everything.

All Lectures will be held in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall