MATHEMATICIANS gathering in Kyoto, Japan, for their biggest ever conference
are pondering potential winners of the Fields Medals 鈥� the mathematics equivalent
of the Nobel prize. Top of the list is Shigefumi Mori, a Japanese mathematician
who specialises in geometry.
Four thousand mathematicians are due to spend nine days debating theorems,
from next Tuesday, at ICM-90, the four-yearly International Congress of
Mathematicians. Four Fields Medallists will be announced at the opening
ceremony.
Mori has home advantage in the contest, but at 39 years of age knows
this is his last chance: no one older than 40 is considered for a medal.
His closest rival is Vaughan Jones, a topologist from New Zealand. Jones鈥�
theory of knots has found applications in areas such as theoretical physics
and molecular biology.
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The third favourite in the poll is an American called Edward Witten.
He is one of the men behind 鈥榮tring theory鈥� 鈥� an attempt to link relativity
and quantum physics which implies a 10-dimensional universe. Witten thinks
the theory is 鈥榗lose to the truth鈥�.
Only three Japanese have won Fields Medals, a failing the country鈥檚
press feels keenly. Three leading papers, the Asahi, Mainichi and Nihon
Keizai have reported on candidates for medals and they want at least one
to be Japanese.
鈥楾he maths level of the Japanese is one of the highest in the world,鈥�
said Kunihiko Kodaira of Tokyo University, himself a medal winner in 1954.
鈥業t would be better if more Japanese got the prize.鈥�
The way medallists are selected has come in for criticism from some
mathematicians. Unlike the Nobel prizes, the names of the committee members
who select the Fields Medal winners are not made public.
The ICM argues that keeping the committee names private eases the pressure
for them to choose well-known figures.
Whoever wins would not have been popular with Mr Nobel. The Swedish
benefactor refused to endow a prize for mathematics after his wife ran off
with a mathematician.
