Mathematics Atlas

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Mathematicians

Chen-Ning Yang

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Chinese-born physicist who, with Robert Mills, introduced the Yang-Mills gauge theory in 1954, the mathematical and physical framework the Clay Mathematics Institute's Yang-Mills existence and mass gap problem asks be put on a rigorous footing. He shared the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics with Tsung-Dao Lee for showing that parity is violated in weak interactions. He worked at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, from 1949.

Facts
Birth Date
1922-10-01 1
Death Date
2025-10-18 1
Birthplace
Hefei, Anhui, China 1
Death Place
Beijing, China 1
Nationality / Culture
Chinese, naturalized American citizen 1964, renounced American citizenship 2015 1
Defining Contribution
With Robert Mills, introduced Yang-Mills gauge theory in 1954, the framework underlying the Clay Mathematics Institute's Yang-Mills existence and mass gap Millennium Prize problem. 2
Notable Work
Conservation of Isotopic Spin and Isotopic Gauge Invariance, with Robert Mills (Physical Review, October 1954) 2
Award
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1957, shared with Tsung-Dao Lee 3
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Yang and Mills introduced the underlying gauge theory in 1954; the Millennium Prize question about its rigorous quantum construction and mass gap was posed by the Clay Mathematics Institute in 2000, not by Yang or Mills themselves.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Phys.org, Chinese Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Chen Ning Yang Dies at 103
Phys.org, October 2025, 2025Article body
Quote, Article body
Professor Yang is one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, having made revolutionary contributions to modern physics.
View the Source
2. Clay Mathematics Institute
Clay Mathematics Institutehttps://www.claymath.org/millennium/yang-mills-the-maths-gap/
Quote, https://www.claymath.org/millennium/yang-mills-the-maths-gap/
Almost half a century ago, Yang and Mills introduced a remarkable new framework to describe elementary particles using structures that also occur in geometry.
View the Source
3. The Nobel Prize, Official Site
The Nobel Foundation
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