The Dirac 2020 medal awarded each year by the International Center for Theoretical Physics 'Abdus Salam' (Ictp) in Trieste goes to three theoretical physicists, pioneers of string theory. These are Andre Neveu, of the University of Montpellier, Pierre Ramond, of the University of Florida and Miguel Virasoro, an Argentine who has done most of his work in Italy and is now a professor at the La Sapienza University of Rome.
The award was given to him "for pioneering contributions to the conception and formulation of string theory", which describes matter as composed of one-dimensional microscopic objects, called strings, which can be seen as tiny strands of energy, which vibrate following different schemes.
String theory attempts to bring together Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes gravity, and quantum mechanics, which describes the fundamental elements of matter. It is applied in various fields and has fostered important developments in pure mathematics. Virasoro's work "was very important because it made it possible to complete calculations that were not possible before", comments Giorgio Parisi, president of the Accademia dei Lincei and member of the Dirac medal selection committee.
Andre Neveu and Pierre Ramond have expanded these works, extending the calculations to include the other portion of matter, that consisting of fermions. "These works had crucial importance in string theory - concludes Parisi - years before scientists realized that these formulations could actually describe strings".
The Dirac Medal has been awarded since 1985 to the best physicists in the world, many of whom have won Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals or Wolf Prizes. The awards ceremony will take place in 2021.
