Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Zhou Xiangyu and other people's latest academic achievements attracted the attention of international counterparts [mathematics---The wonderful path of the Cognitive World (scholarship)]

Zhou Xiangyu lover lead the children to play, on the office blackboard, transcribed Shen Fu "childlike" in a paragraph.

This passage writes that children are full of curiosity and interest in the world, Zhou Xiangyu, and so does research.

　　In this lively world, there are a group of scholars who have been quietly cultivated in the field of human basic research. For most people, the problems they think about are too far away from life, but without these solid explorations, the pace of human civilization will eventually be trapped in modest.

The Culture edition launches a series of reports, approaching mathematicians, archaeologists, astronomers ... This is a concern, but also a tribute.

--Editor

　　　　　　　　　　　　

April 30 9 o'clock, Beijing Zhongguancun area like other days of the year is packed with cars and people. Traffic lights, crowded traffic line into a long queue, a tight burst of horn sound transmission car owners anxious.

This area, almost the most innovative places in Beijing and even the whole country, is changing rapidly. Life goes as fast as a pointer.

In the new building of the Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, southwest corner of separated Bridge, the air seems to have solidified and quiet.

A cup of coffee was placed on the table, and Zhou Xiangyu had been working for one hours. If not abroad or go out, his life almost every day so: seven or eight o'clock in the morning to the office, noon canteen dinner, the afternoon to continue research, evening, and so the children back home, eat dinner, a three mouth each room a corner, is still reading, research.

Walking on campus, some doll face Zhou Xiangyu, no special. At work, in addition to the occasional calculus, Zhou Xiangyu sits in the office leather chair, thinking and thinking quietly.

"All the way is not a walk, all the results are standing on the shoulders of giants to get."

Recently, Zhou Xiangyu and Guanqian, associate professor of Peking University, a proof of Demailly's strong-open conjecture (a proof of demailly's strong openness conjecture) in the world's Top mathematical journal, Ann. of math. Posted on. This is the second time that the paper was accepted by the journal after the 2014. In addition, they recently collaborated in another high-level paper was also "invent." Math. "Accepted and published online. This series of results has aroused intensive attention in the international Mathematics circle.

Zhou Xiangyu did not feel surprised and surprised by this. "I can only say that I have paid so much time and value." "Although it took only a few months to write a paper, Zhou Xiangyu has been exploring it for more than 10 years. "All roads are not a walk-through, only a little bit of progress." ”

Many people have heard the story: Newton was smashed into the apple, found the gravity, kekule in the dream, to understand the ring structure of benzene. In the study of Zhou Xiangyu, there were moments like this that suddenly became enlightened. At first, he had not slept for three days and three nights, my dissertation. After long study, he began to understand: all progress is just a small step forward, paving a piece of masonry, far from the distance will not suddenly clear up.

In the eyes of Zhou Yu and his peers, the study of mathematics is like an expedition, "even if the last walk, but also left behind a trace and path." Many problems may not be solved in a few hundred years, but in the process, science is developing. Shang, director of the Institute of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the mathematician is a professional "existence": on the one hand, mathematicians to prove themselves in the work of the sponsors, and constantly publish papers to obtain financial support; On the other hand, some stage results, such as the "scenery" of the expedition, may not be conducive to the achievement of the final goal Makes the picture of the scientific world clearer.

So, no matter how busy, Zhou Xiangyu every year at least listen to the Hundred Academic report, "Academic communication is very important to research, to know where others go, in fact, all the results are standing on the shoulders of giants." ”

"The state of getting knowledge every day is enough to rejoice, even if the research is blocked, will not be frustrated, give up"

Zhou Xiangyu's office has a blackboard, usually full of mathematical calculus, these two days, the above copied a paragraph, "Yu Childish, can intolerance on the day, perspicacious." See the insignificant, the texture will be carefully observed. So when there is extravasation ... "This passage from the Qing Dynasty Shen Fu's" childlike ", is the lover to play when the children are busy writing, Zhou Xiangyu very much like, think do research is so: curiosity, interest in the world. Therefore has not been willing to wipe away.

Since childhood, Zhou Xiangyu realized that his love of mathematics, a problem, even if there is a clear answer, he is willing to take the time to find a fun alternative. But mathematics is more attractive to him, but also lies in the beauty of simplicity-the world is a myriad of things, but often a rule, a formula can be explained.

After graduating from work, Zhou Xiangyu had no brother to earn much. When he was young, he occasionally borrowed money from his brother. But he has been grateful to his own interests, the family gave a great understanding and support.

"For the researcher, there are two kinds of external recognition, one is social recognition, including material, honor, one is academic recognition, in their own research field, academic circle, to achieve results." "In the long term, for mathematicians, social recognition is only a byproduct of the inevitable, and if it is pursued, the academic path is difficult to adhere to."

However, even in the academic field, the "blocked" frustration also follows. "The inability to achieve the goal is mostly the state of the stride. "Zhou Xiangyu that the academic path has not progressed, is not the same as no harvest, read a book, more contact with a point of view, are progress, every day to obtain new knowledge of the state is enough to rejoice, so think, even if the study is blocked, will not be frustrated, give up."

In this regard, still in a long time also hold the same attitude, mathematicians tend to focus on themselves rather than outside, as for the results, the outside evaluation, not self-controllable. Because of this, China has always been a large number of Austrian, but it is difficult to become a mathematical powerhouse. "Arcane emphasis on skills and training, proper training is necessary, overtraining can hurt mathematical thinking." "In the long thought, mathematics is the path of the cognitive world, in the study, it is broken down into specific problems, each problem is refined into a formula." If researchers only confine them, they forget why they set out and lose their distance.

"Math research is a job, but it's a job that smart people can work hard enough to do."

Every week, Zhou Xiangyu will attend one to two workshops to talk to students about cutting-edge progress, research trends, late-night, and forgetting to eat is a common occurrence.

"To become a great nation of mathematics, we must have our own fruits, we have to cultivate a lot of talents." Zhou Xiangyu said, these years, the Chinese Academy of Sciences to learn pure mathematics more people, but the relative proportion is less. As a stranger in the 60 's, they passed through the bitter days, the demand for material life is not high, to today's young and middle-aged researchers, Zhou Xiangyu monk in a long time have many worries. In fact, the temptation of social multiple choice, the high cost of housing, education, and indeed let young and middle-aged mathematics researchers more frustration and pressure.

Zhou Xiangyu student Deng Fu Sound, university lecturer of Chinese Academy of Sciences, just came back from abroad, children are still in kindergarten. Before he went abroad, he had been living in the school dormitories of Beijing Yuquan Road, where he was given a suburb of Huairou, seventy or eighty kilometres apart, and the office in Zhongguancun. After graduating for nearly 5 years, Deng Fu still has no housing, but he enjoys the current life: law, full of the joy of acquiring knowledge. "The tide is always changing rapidly, but many fleeting, I like to explore the essence, looking for the invariable law." ”

Today, mathematics is already a huge treasure, and its development is partly driven by external forces to solve the application problems of other disciplines, and more rely on their own logic to continue to explore and explain the world. Mathematics is not used as a point of reference, but through knowledge transformation, but also to promote the great progress of science and technology.

Now, relying on more and more scientific research topics and the financial support behind, mathematicians are getting better. "To continue to send papers, access to financial support, which is an examination, is also a professional mathematician to continue to explore the distance and obtain supplies, but how not only in which, do not forget the goal is the researcher must face the risk." "It's still long.

An executive at a mathematical institute told reporters that she felt that mathematicians ' greatest trait was diligence, which she had been exposed to for a long time. "Math research is a job, but it's a job that smart people can work hard enough to do," he reports. ”

"Why do you want to be a bench? "Mathematicians are often asked this question. The young Deng Fu did not agree, "What is Bench?" is math research boring and tasteless? Or is there no name, no profit? He feels that each person's belief in supporting work and life is not the same, so long as he feels valuable, meaningful and interested, it is worth insisting on. "No matter what the bench, sit for a long time, are very hot." ”

Selected from: http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2015-05/04/nw.D110000renmrb_20150504_1-08.htm

　　

CAs Academician Zhou Xiangyu and other people's latest academic achievements attracted international attention [Mathematics---The wonderful path of the Cognitive World (scholarship)]