Leigh Page

Infobox_Scientist
name = Leigh Page

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image_width =
caption =
birth_date = birth date|1884|10|13
birth_place = New Jersey, USA
death_date = death date and age |1952|9|14|1884|10|13
death_place = New Haven, Connecticut, USA
nationality = USA
field = Physicist
work_institution = Yale University
alma_mater = Yale University
doctoral_advisor = Henry Andrews Bumstead [http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/hbumstead.pdf]
known_for = Conformal Invariance

Leigh Page (October 13, 1884, New Jersey - September 14, 1952, New Haven, Connecticut) developed the theory of Conformal Invariance originally suggested by Harry Bateman. Chairman of Mathematical Physics at the Sloane Physics Laboratory of Yale University for over three decades, he is the namesake of Yale’s prestigious [http://www.yale.edu/physics/news/leigh_page.html Leigh Page Prize Lectures] . [W. F. G. Swann, "Leigh Page: 1884-1952", " [http://www.sciencemag.org Science] ", V117, N3038, pp. 289-290 (Mar 1953).]

Biography

Leigh Page was born October 13, 1884 in South Orange, New Jersey ["Prof. Page of Yale Relativity Expert; Faculty Member 40 Years-Who Called Formulae of Einstein 'Too Restricted' Dies at 68", "The New York Times", September 17, 1952.] to Edward Day Page & Nina Lee. He came to the Sheffield Scientific School “Sheff” at Yale in 1909 as an assistant professor in drawing and graduate student under Henry Andrews Bumstead [http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/hbumstead.pdf] . He switched to physics in 1912, was appointed assistant professor of physics in 1916, and professor of mathematical physics in 1922, where he remained until his death in 1952. Devoting most of his time to teaching, Page conducted research and wrote several textbooks, [Leigh Page, "Introduction to Electrodynamics", D. Van Nostrand Co.(1922).] [ Leigh Page, "Introduction to Theoretical Physics", D. Van Nostrand Co.(1928).] [Leigh Page, "Principles of Electricity", D. Van Nostrand Co.(1931)] [Leigh Page, "Electrodynamics", D. Van Nostrand Co.(1940).] which appeared in various editions, often with the assistance of colleague Norman I. Adams, Jr. In 1967 Yale University sponsored the first of his namesake [http://www.yale.edu/physics/news/leigh_page.html Leigh Page Prize Lectures] , an honor since bestowed on several Nobel laureates and other notable physicists.

cientific Contributions

Page derived a complete electromagnetic theory, including Maxwell's equations, from only Coulomb's law and the Lorentz transformation. [Leigh Page, "A Derivation of the Fundamental Relations of Electrodynamics from Those of Electrostatics", " [http://www.ajsonline.org/ American Journal of Science] ", V34, pp. 57-68 (1912).] His “emission theory” successfully explained blackbody radiation and other phenomena in electrodynamic terms, [Leigh Page, "The Distribution of Energy in the Normal Radiation Spectrum", " [http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v7/i2/p229_1 Physical Review] ", S2, V7, N2, pp. 229-240 (Feb 1916).] [Leigh Page, "Is a Moving Mass Retarded by the Reaction of its own Radiation?", " [http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v11/i5/p376_1 Physical Review] ", S2, V11, N5, pp. 376-400 (May 1918).] [Leigh Page, "The Motion of an Electrical Doublet", " [http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v12/i5/p371_1 Physical Review] ", S2, V12, N5, pp. 371-380 (Nov 1918).] but was eventually abandoned in favor of later theories of quantum mechanics.

Along with Norman Adams, Page established the relation between the “conformal transformation” and a constant relative acceleration. This theory, known as “conformal relativity”, “conformal invariance”, or “conformal field theory”, is applied today as an invariance of gauge field theories for both electromagnetic and strong interactions. The symmetry of “conformal invariance” provides a valid approximation at very high energies or short distances when particle masses can safely be ignored.

References

External links

* [http://www.yale.edu/physics/news/leigh_page.html Leigh Page Prize Lectures]

Persondata
NAME = Page, Leigh
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American Physicist
DATE OF BIRTH = October 13, 1884
PLACE OF BIRTH = New Jersey, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH = September 14, 1952
PLACE OF DEATH = New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.