Biography:Richard Feynman



Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Born	11 May 1918 New York City, U.S.
Died	15 February 1988 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Known for	Path integral formulation; Feynman diagrams; quantum electrodynamics; parton model
Awards	Nobel Prize in Physics (1965)

Richard Feynman (11 May 1918 - 15 February 1988) was an American theoretical physicist known for his work in quantum electrodynamics, the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, and the visual diagrammatic methods now called Feynman diagrams. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga for fundamental work in QED.

Feynman developed a formulation of quantum theory in which amplitudes are obtained by summing over possible histories. This approach, known as the path integral formulation, became a major tool in particle physics, statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, and quantum field theory.

Quantum electrodynamics

Feynman's diagrams turned complicated perturbative calculations into visual rules for interactions among particles and fields. In QED they represent the exchange of photons between charged particles, but the same diagrammatic logic spread into the broader language of quantum field theory.

Feynman also contributed to superfluidity, weak interactions, parton physics, quantum computing ideas, and science education. His lectures and public explanations made him one of the most recognizable physicists of the twentieth century.

See also

• Physics:Quantum Path integral formulation
• Physics:Quantum Feynman diagrams
• Physics:Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)
• Biography:Julian Schwinger

References

Source attribution: Biography:Richard Feynman