ISSN 1729-5254Majorana Prize
Ettore Majorana
(1906-1938?) "There are many categories of scientists, people of
second and third rank, who do their best, but do not go very far. There are
also people of first-class rank, who make great discoveries, fundamental to
the development of science. But then there are the geniuses, like Galileo and
Enrico Fermi to Giuseppe Cocconi. Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics aims to promote a style in
theoretical physics able to join together the most advanced researches in
different areas with a critical approach to very foundational questions.
On the occasion of the Majorana Centenary
in 2006 and the editing of the Special Issue about his Legacy in Contemporary
Physics, the Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics has established a
prize in memory of the great Sicilian physicist Ettore
Majorana (1906 - 1938), universally known for
Quantum-Relativistic Equation for any Spin and Neutrino Mass Theory.
The "Majorana Medal" is an annual
prize of excellence for the researchers who showed peculiar creativity,
critical sense and mathematical rigour in
theoretical physics - in its broadest sense.
The Majorana Prize committee announces the
names of the laureates in January. The prize is then formally awarded on
March 27, the anniversary of Ettore Majorana disappearance.
The prize awarded by the Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics
(EJTP) consists of a medal and an award certificate administrated by the
Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics (EJTP) copyright and intellectual
property.
The prize will be awarded to three different categories:
1- The Best Person in Physics.
2- The Best Special Issue Paper.
3- The Best Paper.
The first category is a tribute EJTP pays to an outstanding
personality in Physics. The second and third categories are directly related
to EJTP editorial activity.
2006 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2006 Erasmo Recami (Univ. For his fundamental
contributions in: Extended Relativity, in
particular on the Theory of Tachyonic Objects and
the role of iper-c velocity in Field Theory; Strong Gravity and Semiclassical Models of Particle Structure; Analysis of the Tunneling
Processes at Imaginary Time. For his constant and
critical attention towards Physics Foundations and its History, as it is
shown by his excellent and fundamental work on Ettore
Majorana life and science. Ennakkal Chandy George Sudarshan ( For his fundamental
contributions in: Quantum Field Theory and
particle Physics, in particular on Tachyons; Formalism of Dynamic Maps
in Open Quantum Systems; Sudarshan-Glauber Representation in Quantum Optics. For his epistemological
work on Indian Phylosophy and Modern Physics
connections. EJTP Best Paper Special
Issue 2006, "Majorana Legacy": Jason Zimba ( "Anticoherent " Spin
States via the Majorana Representation. For his elegant geometric
representation on non-local states in
Riemann - Majorana Sphere Abstract: In this article we
define and exhibit '' anticoherent" spin
states, which are in a sense '' the
opposite" of the familiar coherent spin states. Since the familiar
coherent states are as "classical" as spin states can be, the anticoherent states may turn out to be better candidates
for applications involving non-classical behaviors such as quantum
entanglement. Thanks to the Majorana representation of spinors
as 2s-tuples of points on the Riemann sphere, classes of anticoherent
states are easy to find; the development of such examples also leads us into
some curious geometry involving the perfect solids. EJTP Best Annual Paper: Gordon W. Semenoff ( Stretching the Electron as
Far as it Will Go. For their research on Majorana Zero Modes. Abstract: Effects associated with
the existence of isolated zero modes of Majorana
fermions are discussed. It is argued that the quantization of this system
necessarily contains highly extended quantum states and that populating and
depopulating such states by interacting with the quantum system leads to
long-ranged teleportation-like processes. Also leads to spontaneous violation
of fermion parity symmetry. A quasi-realistic model
consisting of a quantum wire embedded in a p-wave superconductor is discussed
as an explicit example of a physical system with an isolated Majorana zero mode. 2007 Majorana Prizes Laureates: EJTP Best Person in
Physics 2007: Lee Smolin (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics For his fundamental
contributions to Unified Theories and Quantum Gravity, and - at the same -
for his critical attitude in this field. His mathematical mastery and
elegance have never turned into a rhetorical artifact so making him able to
go to the physical core of the problem and providing the whole community of
physicists with an example of style. EJTP Best Paper Special
Issue 2007, " Physics of Emergence and Organization":
This book will be Published by the World Scientific. Eliano Pessa (Centro Interdipartimentale
di Scienze Cognitive, Universit`a di "Phase Transitions in
Biological Matter" EJTP Volume 4, Special Issue 16 part One. Abstract: In this paper we will
deal with usefulness of physical theory of phase transition in order to
describe phenomena of change occurring in the biological world. In particular,
we will assess the role of quantum theory in accounting for the emergence of
different forms of coherence seemingly characterizing a number of biological behaviours. In this regard we will introduce some
arguments that, while supporting the convenience (as well as the
unavoidability) of resorting to a quantum-theoretical framework to describe
biological emergence, point to the need for a suitable generalization of actual
quantum theory. Some possible ways to achieve such a generalization will be
shortly discussed. EJTP Best Annual Paper: Marcello Cini (Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita’ La Sapienza, "
Mental and Physical Objects in
Quantum Mechanics: Any Lessons for other Disciplines?" EJTP Volume 4, Issue 15 (July 2007); Abstract: The standard formulation
of Quantum Mechanics has raised from its beginning animated discussions about
the interpretation of the counterintuitive properties of mental objects (wave
functions or Schrödinger waves) introduced to represent the properties of the
physical objects.Two questions have since then been
formulated to which a universally accepted answer is still lacking. The first
one (Bohr, von Neumann) concerns the ontological nature of physical reality
(the existence of classical objects) and the role of the observer (wave
packet collapse) in assessing it. The second one is the non local character
of quantum physical quantities (Einstein Podolski
Rosen [EPR] long distance correlation of particles). An alternative
formulation of Quantum Mechanics, originally proposed in 1932 by Eugene Wigner, taken up by Richard Feynman in 1987, and reelaborated by myself in the years from 1998 to 2003, is
possible. The mental objects of standard Quantum Mechanics (Schrödinger
waves) no longer appear in this new formulation and are replaced by new ones
(Wigner functions) which do not show any more the
puzzling properties which worried Einstein. My conclusion from the preceding discussion
is that different explanations of a given set of experimental data may be
derived according to the different nature of the mental objects introduced to
represent the properties of the physical objects involved. The confusion
between these two kind of objects may be, however,
very misleading. I will finally discuss two examples of this conclusion from
Biology and Economics 2007 Majorana Prize committee: Erasmo Recami (Head of the
Committee) Fabio Majorana E.C. George Sudarshan Eliano Pessa Jason Zimba Leonardo Chiatti Ignazio Licata Ammar Sakaji For suggestions and information: majorana[AT]ejtp.info
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