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Australian Mathematical Society Medal 1997

The Australian Mathematical Society Medal for 1997 was awarded to

Dr Michael K Murray

of the University of Adelaide. The following citation was read when Dr Murray was presented with the award at the Australian Mathematical Society Meeting in Auckland in July 1997.


Citation

Michael Murray is a differential geometer of high international standing who is certainly Australia's foremost expert on the relationship between the structure of (particularly low dimensional) manifolds and symmetry classes of solutions of systems of differential equations. His work in quantum field theory, particularly that which concerns Yang-Mills-Higgs monopoles, is world class in an area where some of the best of today's mathematicians are working.

Among the highlights in Michael's work are: his work on the theory of monopoles for gauge groups of rank higher than 1 (i.e. other than SU(2)), a subject which is essentially `his'; the introduction of the information metric, previously used in a statistical context, to the study of moduli spaces of solutions of sets of differential equations; his pioneering use of `bundle gerbes' in the study of quantum field theories.

The field in which Michael works, viz. the part of the interface between pure mathematics and mathematical physics which relates low dimensional geometry and topology to physics, is currently extremely active and competitive; workers in the area have won three Fields medals in the last dozen years. In this context, Michael's work is of a quality which deserves the Society's medal.


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Last update: 1/08/97