Sir Michael Francis Atiyah (1929 to 2019) was a British-Lebanese mathematician who specialized in geometry. With Isadore Singer he proved the Atiyah-Singer index theorem in 1963, connecting the topology of a manifold to the solutions of differential equations defined on it, and with Friedrich Hirzebruch he co-founded topological K-theory. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 and the Abel Prize in 2004. The Atiyah-Hirzebruch theorem, built on this K-theory work, gives one of the standing constraints on the Hodge conjecture: it shows the conjecture cannot hold at the level of integral cohomology classes, only rationally.
Facts
BirthplaceHampstead, London, England 1 Nationality / CultureBritish (Lebanese descent) 1 Defining ContributionThe Atiyah-Singer index theorem (1963), proved jointly with Isadore Singer, and the co-founding of topological K-theory with Friedrich Hirzebruch. 1 Notable WorkAtiyah-Singer index theorem; co-founding topological K-theory 1 AwardFields Medal (1966); Abel Prize (2004) 1 Connections
Associated With
The Atiyah-Hirzebruch theorem constrains the Hodge conjecture, showing it cannot hold at the level of integral cohomology classes.
Source Clay Mathematics Institute
In Branch
Source Michael Atiyah (Wikipedia)
Source Michael Atiyah (Wikipedia)
Mentored
Source Ruth Lawrence (Wikipedia)
Principal Result
Source Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem (Wikipedia)
Proofs Credited
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Michael Atiyah (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Michael Atiyah (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInfobox: awards
Berwick Prize (1961) Fields Medal (1966) Royal Medal (1968) De Morgan Medal (1980) Copley Medal (1988) Abel Prize (2004)
Lead section
Sir Michael Francis Atiyah (; 22 April 1929 - 11 January 2019) was a British-Lebanese mathematician specialising in geometry.
Lead section, gender reference
His contributions include the Atiyah-Singer index theorem and co-founding topological K-theory.
View the Source 2. International Mathematical Union: Fields Medal
International Mathematical UnionThe Fields Medalists, chronologically listedQuote, The Fields Medalists, chronologically listed
Michael Francis Atiyah
3. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters: Abel Prize laureates
The Norwegian Academy of Science and LettersLaureates list, 2004Quote, Laureates list, 2004
2004: Sir Michael Francis Atiyah and Isadore M. Singer
Clay Mathematics Institute
Clay Mathematics InstituteAssociated With: Hodge Conjecture, Section 2, Remark (iv), p. 2Quote, Associated With: Hodge Conjecture, Section 2, Remark (iv), p. 2
the Atiyah and Hirzebruch theorem [2] that the Hodge conjecture cannot hold integrally
Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem (Wikipedia)
Principal Result: Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem, Lead sentence of the article on the resultQuote, Principal Result: Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem, Lead sentence of the article on the result
In differential geometry, the Atiyah-Singer index theorem, proved by Michael Atiyah and Isadore Singer (1963), states that for an elliptic differential operator on a compact manifold, the analytical index (related to the dimension of the space of solutions) is equal to the topological index (defined in terms of some topological data).
Ruth Lawrence (Wikipedia)
Mentored: Ruth Lawrence, EducationQuote, Mentored: Ruth Lawrence, Education
her thesis adviser was Sir Michael Atiyah
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.