The last month passed away Sergio Doplicher , Emeritus Professor of Quantum Theories at the Department of Mathematics of la Sapienza University of Rome. He graduated in physics long ago, in 1963 Laurea in Fisica, and Physics remained his main interest during his scientific life. After the Laurea he became one of the most prominent figures in Mathematical Physics at the international level with his fundamental works on the algebraic approach to Quantum Field Theory. The center of his interest was developing the theory on few first principles like relativistic invariance and the structure of the algebra of observables following from the physical idea of causality. He provided the first proof of the connection between spin and statistics based on first principles and studied the superselection rules. He studied from a new point of view the problem of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen avoiding the paradox of non-locality. More recently he devoted himself in a very original way to the study of the foundations of quantum gravity developing the notion of quantum space-time.
Among his achievements in mathematics one must mention a new abstract theory of group duality used in the proof of the existence of a unique group of internal symmetries.
He wrote a book in Italian Mondo Quantistico e Umanesimo, Carocci 2018, which represents the scientific testimony of a man of deep culture as he was. In the last years he became an expert on Dante’s Divina Commedia and was invited to speak in the meetings of specialists. He published three books of poems well appreciated by the men of letters.
According to the Rector of Sapienza Prof. Antonella Polimeni “Doplicher was an exceptional scientist of extraordinary kindness with an uncommon culture ” He was a member of Academia Europaea, Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and received several awards among which the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award and the Premio Nazionale del Presidente della Repubblica della Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
Authors:
Gianni Jona-Lasinio,Giovanni Gallavotti