Abel Prize 2004

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has jointly awarded the 2004 Abel Prize to Mr Isadore M. Singer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Sir Michael Francis Atiyah, University of Edinburgh.

Atiyah and Singer will receive the prize "for their discovery and proof of the index theorem, bringing together topology, geometry and analysis, and their outstanding role in building new bridges between mathematics and theoretical physics."

The Atiyah-Singer index theorem is one of the great landmarks of twentieth century mathematics, influencing profoundly many of the most important later developments in topology, differential geometry and quantum field theory. Its authors, both jointly and individually, have been instrumental in repairing a rift between the worlds of pure mathematics and theoretical particle physics, initiating a cross-fertilization which has been one of the most exciting developments of the last decades.

The honour, from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, was set up to mark a field of scientific endeavour that is overlooked by the Nobel Prizes. The prize is named after the brilliant Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel, who died in 1829, and was created in 2002.

The first prize, awarded last year, went to French mathematician Jean-Pierre Serre for his role in shaping algebraic geometry and number theory. This year's prize is to be presented by Norway's King Harald at a May 25 ceremony in Oslo.