The Argentine Luis Caffarelli won the “Nobel” of mathematics

After his work with the “partial differential equations” that allow us to describe phenomena such as the problem of ice melting in water or the growth of populations, the Buenos Aires mathematician Luis Caffarelli won today the Abel Prize, considered the Nobel of mathematics, and is the first South American to receive the prestigious Norwegian prize. “It is an honor to receive this distinction, which highlights a lifetime of work,” said the Argentine and said he was “surprised” and “happy,” in statements to the Norwegian news agency. NTB. Differential equations are tools used by scientists to predict the behavior of the physical world and appear as laws of nature to describe phenomena as different as the flow of water or the growth of populations, the Norwegian Academy said in a statement. The 74-year-old mathematician, graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in 1972 and currently a professor at the University of Texas, was distinguished for his “fundamental contributions to the theory of the regularity of nonlinear partial differential equations,” the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. These equations have been the subject of intense study since the time of Isaac Newton. However, despite the efforts of numerous mathematicians over the centuries, the solutions to some of the key equations remain unsolved. Caffarelli provided enlightening solutions to these problems with applications to solid-liquid interfaces, jet and cavitation flows, gas and liquid flows in porous materials, as well as financial mathematics, as indicated.” Few other living mathematicians have contributed as much to our understanding of partial differential equations as Caffarelli.” Differential equations play a major role in many disciplines, including physics, economics, and biology.” By combining his brilliant geometric knowledge with ingenious analytical tools and methods, he has had and continues to have a very important impact on the field,” said Helge Holden, chair of the Abel committee. Cafarelli made more than 130 collaborations and advised more than 30 doctoral students for half a century. In addition, he won numerous awards, such as the Leroy Steele Lifetime Achievement Award granted by the American Mathematical Society, the Wolf Prize and the Shaw Prize.President Alberto Fernández congratulated the mathematician and said that he is an “example of infinite Argentine talent.” “I congratulate the mathematician Luis A. Caffarelli enormously for this #AbelPrize, another example of the infinite Argentine talent. Our public education makes us proud,” the president wrote through his social networks.

Original source in Spanish