Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy 2008

Maxim Kontsevich

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy 2008 with one half* (mathematics) jointly to Maxim Kontsevich, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), Bures-sur-Yvette, France, and Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA, “for their important contributions to mathematics inspired by modern theoretical physics".


Edward Witten

The laureates in mathematics, the mathematician Maxim Kontsevich and the theoretical physicist Edward Witten, have used the methodology of physics to develop a revolutionary new mathematics intended for the study of various types of geometrical objects. Their work is not only of great interest in the discipline of mathematics but may also find applications in totally different areas.

Its results are of considerable value for physics and research into the fundamental laws of nature. According to string theory, which is an ambitious attempt to formulate a theory for all the natural forces, the smallest particles of which the Universe is composed are vibrating strings. This theory predicts the existence of additional dimensions and requires very advanced mathematics. The laureates have resolved several important mathematical problems related to string theory and have in this way paved the way for its further development.

The Crafoord Prize for 'Mathematics and Astronomy' is awarded every third year. This annual prize is awarded on a rotational basis among three disciplines: 'Mathematics and Astronomy', 'Geosciences' and 'Biosciences'. The prize money is USD 500,000.

* Kontsevich and Witten are awarded one half. The other half (astronomy) is awarded to Rashid Alievich Sunyaev, Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia and Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany, “for his decisive contributions to high-energy astrophysics and cosmology, in particular processes and dynamics around black holes and neutron stars and demonstration of the diagnostic power of structures in the background radiation".

Visual Numerics Releases Updated IMSL C# and JMSL Numerical Libraries

Visual Numerics, Inc., the Houston, Texas based producer of numerical analysis and visualization software, announced the availability of the IMSL® C# Numerical Library version 5.0 and JMSL™ Numerical Library for Java™ Applications version 5.0.

The IMSL C# Numerical Library, which is written in 100% Visual C# .NET, is designed to make programming easier and faster, provides fully managed code, and ensures that programs written today will stay compliant and remain compatible with future applications. The IMSL C# Library also contains powerful algorithms that are the backbone of common analytics, such as profit maximization, product design optimization, supply chain efficiency optimization, and demand forecasting.

The JMSL Library is the broadest collection of mathematical, statistical, financial, data mining and charting classes available in 100% Java. It is the only solution for Java programmers, which combines integrated charting capabilities with the reliable mathematical and statistical functionality of the industry-leading IMSL™ Numerical Library algorithms. The JMSL Library is platform independent, which makes it easy to embed in existing, standalone or networked applications.

With newly released versions, these libraries now include enhanced algorithms for better performance, as well as new process control chart capabilities and graph visualization. The combination of these features is optimal for companies that are developing analytical applications in .NET and Java, and require highly accurate algorithms for quantitative analysis such as predictive modeling and quality control.

New features of IMSL C# 5.0 and JMSL 5.0 include:

Enhanced Performance: Both IMSL C# Library 5.0 and JMSL Library 5.0 now offer users more options to help their numerical applications perform faster. IMSL C# Library programmers can use a version of the library that directly embeds the Intel Math Kernel Library, which results in improved application performance for many tasks including linear algebra and matrix multiply functions. The JMSL Library algorithms now take advantage of new Java features that improve performance, especially in function areas like Fast Fourier Transform algorithms and matrix multiplication.

Process Control Charts: More visualization options for different applications including 13 new classes of process control charts, which are useful for any field requiring quantitative analysis including quality control, environmental or life sciences.

Sparse Linear Function: An algorithm that efficiently solves the sparse matrix problems common in application areas like engineering and financial modeling.

New 2D Spline Function: An algorithm that helps with the computation of curves, which are commonly used in science, biomechanics and business applications.

For more information, visit the company site: Visual Numerics, Inc.,