You’ve mixed up 2005 with 2006 actually. The schedule is correct, I think.

-cvj

The only thing in that article that surprises me is that they call him a “native New Yorker”. I always thought he was from Tucson, Arizona.

Polchinski’s discovery of D-branes and their properties is, according to the Academy citation, “one of the most important insights in 30 years of work on string theory.”

Maybe they got this wrong?

No disagreement. KC did not in fact say that Joe invented membranes. [Although I took it that way, hence my quibble.] And her remark could be interpreted as meaning that he essentially discovered D-branes by being the one who first understood their crucial role. Which is, of course, correct.

With respect, I must say that you need to read both your history, and what she actually said.

KC’s statement did not say that he discovered membranes. Read it carefully. There are different types of membrane, and yes others had talked about those, but that’s not what is being discussed…. D-branes, and the very specific way they work in the context of string theory, are very important for various brane-world scenarios which are indeed testbed ideas for the building blocks for our universe. So the statement is accurate, since Joe is without doubt one fo the discoveres of D-branes and unquestionably the prime mover in their coming to fruition as a tool in modern physics.

We could get into a silly more refined discussion about who actually discovered D-branes, etc…but it’s been done before…. and it’s, well, silly. Realisation as open String b.c.s *plus* realizing the things are dynamical objects with a geometrical picture as a brane…. Joe’s name is in there on the key papers, and long before your 1995 date..more like 1989… ok…*then* you add in his 1995 realisation of their absolutely essential role in string theory, and I there’s really nothing more to be said. End of story.

What you say is true, just not necessarily in disagreement with what was said.

Cheers,

-cvj

…he “discovered” higher dimensional membrane-like objects that may well be the building blocks of the universe.

Not to diminish Joe’s key 1995 breakthrough in realizing the importance of D-branes, membranes were “discovered” at least as early as 1986. I don’t know who published the first membrane paper, but I think Brits like Michael Duff were among the early workers in that area.

I know some setting up come comes with each individual, but I think software should have progressed well enough that the nature of voice patterns should have been figured out? Voice feed through your own laptop, for later viewing?

Just thinking out loud.

-cvj

Cheers,

-cvj