Memorial Symposium for Wolfhart Zimmermann on May 22-23, 2017

With the passing of Wolfhart Zimmermann, former Director at the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP), in September 2016, the world of theoretical physics lost one of its most important and innovative pioneers: Zimmermann made outstanding contributions to in particular a uniform mathematical formulation of quantum field theories. The Symposium dedicated to the scientist will focus on the connection of his studies to current ideas and models in modern physics. It will take place on May 22-23, 2017 at the MPP.

The initiators of the Memorial Symposium are Wolfgang Hollik from the MPI for Physics and Klaus Sibold from Leipzig University. “With this event we wish to honor his lifetime achievements and commemorate a brilliant physicist and individual,” says Hollik. “We are very pleased that we were able to attract a number of renowned scientists to speak at the Symposium.”

Wolfhart Zimmermann was born on February 17, 1928 in Freiburg (Breisgau), where he took up his studies and received his doctorate. He established the foundations for his scientific reputation in Göttingen together with Harry Lehmann und Kurt Symanzik.

Their formulation of the quantum field theory was the first to unite, with mathematical consistency, the elements of quantum mechanics with those of the special theory of relativity. Up to the present day, their work continues to prove in practice to be an extremely efficient tool to describe strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions.