Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 29 (2008) Winner
Leonard Susskind
レナード・サスカインド
Leonard Susskind
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1940-06-16 （South Bronx, New York City, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- New York (birth and upbringing) → Palo Alto / Stanford (employment) → Waterloo (Perimeter Institute affiliation) → Seoul (Korea Institute for Advanced Study affiliation)
Career
- Occupations
- theoretical physicist, professor, science writer
- Active Years
- 1966-
- Affiliations
- Yeshiva University (faculty), Tel Aviv University (visitor/short-term), Stanford University (faculty), Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics (founding director), Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (associate member), Korea Institute for Advanced Study (distinguished professor)
- Memberships
- National Academy of Sciences (member), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (member), Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (associate member), Korea Institute for Advanced Study (distinguished/visiting professor)
- Influenced By
- Yoichiro Nambu, Gabriele Veneziano, Steven Weinberg
- Influenced
- Eduardo Fradkin (doctoral student), Barak Kol (doctoral student), Douglas Stanford (doctoral student), The broader string theory and black hole research community
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City College of New York | — | Department of Physics | B.S. | 1958–1962 | United States |
| Cornell University | — | Department of Physics | Ph.D. | 1962–1965 | United States |
City College of New York
Department of Physics
Degree:
B.S.
Period:
1958–1962
Year of Graduation:
1962
Country:
United States
Originally planned engineering, switched to physics and graduated
Cornell University
Department of Physics
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
1962–1965
Year of Graduation:
1965
Country:
United States
Doctoral advisor: Peter A. Carruthers
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | J. J. Sakurai Prize | — | — | American Physical Society | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Oskar Klein Medal | — | — | Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture organizers | 受賞 |
| 2008 | Pomeranchuk Prize | — | — | Pomeranchuk Prize organizers | 受賞 |
| 2023 | Dirac Medal (ICTP) | — | — | International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Science Writing Award | — | — | Unknown awarding organization | 受賞 |
| 1975 | Boris Pregel Award | — | — | Awarding organization (New York related) | 受賞 |
J. J. Sakurai Prize
1998
Organization:
American Physical Society
Result:
受賞
Oskar Klein Medal
2018
Organization:
Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture organizers
Result:
受賞
Pomeranchuk Prize
2008
Organization:
Pomeranchuk Prize organizers
Result:
受賞
Dirac Medal (ICTP)
2023
Organization:
International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Result:
受賞
Science Writing Award
1998
Organization:
Unknown awarding organization
Result:
受賞
Boris Pregel Award
1975
Organization:
Awarding organization (New York related)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Cosmic Landscape
2005 popular science / theoretical physics 352 pagesAn accessible presentation of the string theory landscape idea, discussing how a multitude of vacua may address fine-tuning and the observed values of physical constants.
string theory landscapeanthropic principlecosmology
Translations
- Japanese translation available (details vary)
The Black Hole War
2008 popular science / history and philosophy of science 336 pagesA popular account of the debate with Stephen Hawking over the black hole information paradox and Susskind's arguments defending information conservation in quantum mechanics.
black hole information paradoxquantum mechanics and gravityscientific debate history
Translations
- Japanese translation available (details vary)
The Theoretical Minimum (book series)
2013 textbook / introductory series 320 pagesA series based on Susskind's Stanford lectures that rigorously introduces the mathematical foundations needed to begin doing theoretical physics: classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and field theory.
education and outreachmathematical foundationsconceptual understanding of physics
Translations
- Japanese translations available for some volumes
Bibliography
- The Cosmic Landscape (2005)
- The Black Hole War (2008)
- The Theoretical Minimum series (2013–2023)
- Numerous academic papers (string theory, lattice gauge theory, black hole thermodynamics, etc.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- clear and pedagogicalaccessible explanations without sacrificing mathematical rigorargumentative with historical context
- Recurring Motifs
- holographic principleblack holes and information preservationstring theory landscapeapplications of information and computation theory
Legacy
Susskind is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of string theory. His string-theoretic interpretation of the holographic principle, introduction of the landscape idea, and contributions to the black hole information debate are especially significant. He has also had a large impact as an educator and popularizer of physics.
Academic Societies
- National Academy of Sciences
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Archives
- Stanford University Physics Department archives (related materials)
In Popular Culture
- His popular books and lectures are frequently cited or featured in documentaries and online course materials
Quotes
-
Known for his paper describing the world as a hologram.
Source: Paper: "The World as a Hologram" (1995) -
In his books he notes that the real tools for understanding the quantum universe are abstract mathematics, but he attempts to explain them as plainly as possible.
Source: The Black Hole War (book) (2008)
Trivia
- Worked as a plumber from age 16 (took over from his ill father).
- Originally intended to study mechanical engineering but switched to physics.
- Has four children and is a great-grandfather.
- Sometimes referred to as one of the 'fathers of string theory'.