A THEORIST WHO SOLVED RIDDLES

Author: Associated Press

Date: Tuesday, October 19, 1982
Page: ?????
Section: RUN OF PAPER

The theory helps explain such things as the nature of magnetism and the behavior of quarks, tiny, yet-to-be-discovered particles that are thought to be the fundamental constituents of matter.

The announcement that Wilson, 46, had won the Nobel Prize was almost expected by his family and friends, according to his father, E. Bright Wilson, a retired professor of physical chemistry at Harvard University who lives in Concord, Mass.

Wilson himself was not so sure, although, he said, "I knew that I was a contender."

Wilson's theory, called renormalization group theory, helps explain what are called phase transitions. The boiling of water - turning water into steam - is an example of such a transition, says Leo Kadanoff, a physicist at the University of Chicago whose research is related to Wilson's.

Another example, Kadanoff said in a telephone interview from Chicago, occurs when a magnet is heated. At a certain critical temperature, it loses its magnetism.

"What Wilson did was develop a mathematical theory that explains in detail and with accuracy how these phase transitions occur," Kadanoff said.

The problem has long been studied by physicists and has yielded several previous Nobel Prizes, notably to Lev Landau, a Soviet scientist, in 1962 and to Lars Onsager, a Norwegian-American who won the chemistry award in 1968.

But Wilson's theory does more than explain phase transitions. The techniques he used to develop the theory have been used to improve understanding of quarks, Kadanoff said. The theory also helps explain the behavior of certain materials at very low temperatures.

The Swedish Academy of Sciences praised Wilson for solving the problem of phase transitions in a "definite and profound way" in two research papers published in 1971.

"Wilson succeeded in an ingenious way to solve the problem. Instead of a frontal attack, he developed a method to divide the problem into a sequence of simpler problems in which each part could be solved," the academy said.

Wilson said he believes that winning the Nobel Prize will contribute to his campaign to "to get science refinanced."

"We are moving from an era where science served the government and its military needs to a time when science will serve the economy and the needs of society. More money is coming from government to universities to help this process," he said.

Wilson said he telephoned his father immediately after he was awakened yesterday morning by a call from Stockholm informing him of his prize.

"Of course, I'm very happy," the father said from his Concord., Mass., home during a telephone interview. "People in physics have been telling me for a long time that it was going to happen. It is nice when it does happen."

Wilson is the oldest of six children. All went on to careers in academics or science. His younger brother, David, is a biochemist on the Cornell faculty. A sister grew up to be an economist, while another brother runs his own electronics firm. Another brother and sister are still in college.

Wilson said he had expected that if he won the award he would share it with Michael Fisher of Cornell and with Kadanoff. The three shared Israel's Wolf Prize several years ago.

"I was certainly very proud to share the Wolf Prize with Michael and Leo. I only can only hope that they can participate in the Nobel Prize in the future."

Kadanoff said Wilson "did magnificent work. He's very, very deserving of it. I couldn't be more pleased."

Born June 8, 1936, in Waltham, Mass., Wilson earned a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology in 1961.

The prize brings the recipient the equivalent of $157,000.

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