Chen Ning Yang

Chen Ning Franklin YANG (??? pinyin: Yáng Zhènníng) (born September 22, 1922) is a Chinese American physicist, who worked on statistical mechanics and symmetry principles. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957 at the age of 35, with Tsung-Dao Lee, for a theory in which, to the surprise of theoretical physicists, the weak force between elementary particles did not have parity (mirror-reflection) symmetry. The theory was experimentally verified by Chien-Shiung Wu. Yang is also well known for his collaboration with Robert Mills in developing a gauge theory of a new class. Such "Yang-Mills theories" are now a fundamental part of the Standard Model of particle physics.

Related Topics:
Pinyin - September 22 - 1922 - Chinese American - Physicist - Statistical mechanics - Symmetry principles - Nobel Prize in Physics - 1957 - Tsung-Dao Lee - Weak force - Elementary particle - Parity - Chien-Shiung Wu - Robert Mills - Gauge theory - Standard Model - Particle physics

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Born in Hefei, Anhui, China Yang attended elementary school in Beijing, and middle school first in Beijing, then in Kunming.

Related Topics:
Hefei - Anhui - China - Elementary school - Beijing - Middle school - Kunming

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He received his Bachelor of Science degree from National Southwest Associated University (??????) in Kunming in 1942. Two years later, he studied for his Master of Science degree with a full scholarship at Tsinghua University, at the time also in Kunming. He attended the University of Chicago on a Tsinghua University Fellowship in January 1946. There he studied for his Ph.D. with Edward Teller and after receiving it in 1948, remained for a year as an assistant to Enrico Fermi. In 1949 he moved to the Institute for Advanced Study and in 1965 to Stony Brook University.

Related Topics:
Bachelor of Science - National Southwest Associated University - 1942 - Master of Science - Scholarship - Tsinghua University - University of Chicago - 1946 - Ph.D. - Edward Teller - 1948 - Enrico Fermi - 1949 - Institute for Advanced Study - 1965 - Stony Brook University

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He has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Academia Sinica, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Princeton University (1958).

Related Topics:
American Physical Society - Academia Sinica - Princeton University

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Yang married Chih-li Tu (??? Dù Zhìl?), a teacher, in 1950 and has two sons and a daughter: Franklin Jr., Gilbert, and Eulee (in order of age).

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He retired from Stony Brook University in 1999 and returned to Tsinghua University. His wife died in the winter of 2003. At the age of 82, Yang became engaged to 28-year old Weng Fan who is studying for a masters at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies,

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1999 - Tsinghua University - 2003 - Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

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and married her in early 2005.

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