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| Res Jost | |
|---|---|
| Name | Res Jost |
| Birth date | 1918-02-16 |
| Birth place | Basel |
| Death date | 1990-10-17 |
| Death place | Zürich |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Fields | Mathematical physics |
| Alma mater | ETH Zurich |
| Doctoral advisor | Paul Scherrer |
| Known for | Axiomatic quantum field theory, Jost function, Jost–Lehmann–Dyson representation |
Res Jost (16 February 1918 – 17 October 1990) was a Swiss mathematical physicist noted for rigorous work in quantum field theory and contributions to the axiomatic and analytic structure of scattering theory. His research influenced developments in S-matrix theory, the theory of distributions, and the mathematical foundations used by researchers at institutions such as CERN and Institute for Advanced Study.
Born in Basel, Jost studied physics and mathematics at ETH Zurich where he was supervised by Paul Scherrer for his doctoral studies. During his formative years he encountered contemporary figures and movements including Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Wolfgang Pauli, John von Neumann, and the milieu of European theoretical physics centered in Zurich, Princeton, and Cambridge.
Jost held appointments at several European institutions, collaborating with researchers from University of Zurich, University of Geneva, Max Planck Society, and research centers such as CERN and the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques. He interacted with leading mathematicians and physicists including Rudolf Haag, Arthur Wightman, Klaus Hepp, Konrad Osterwalder, Hermann Weyl, Emile Borel, and visitors from Institute for Advanced Study and Harvard University. His network extended to scholars at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Université Paris-Sud, and University of Milan.
Jost made foundational contributions to the axiomatic framework of quantum field theory building on concepts from Wightman axioms, Haag–Ruelle scattering theory, and analytic continuation techniques related to the LSZ reduction formula. He developed analytic tools related to the Jost function and the Jost–Lehmann–Dyson representation that impacted studies in scattering theory, dispersion relations, and the analyticity properties used in S-matrix theory and the derivation of analytic continuation results akin to those employed by researchers at Princeton and CERN. His work connected rigorous distribution theory from Laurent Schwartz and complex analysis traditions associated with Henri Cartan and Lars Ahlfors to problems addressed by physicists such as Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, Freeman Dyson, and Gerard 't Hooft.
Jost collaborated with proponents of algebraic and constructive approaches including Rudolf Haag, Dieter Kastler, and Konrad Osterwalder, influencing later developments in constructive quantum field theory pursued by teams at University of Göttingen, ETH Zurich, and University of Hamburg. His methods informed rigorous spectral and scattering analyses used in works by Israel Michael Sigal and Elliott H. Lieb.
Jost authored key papers and monographs that became standard references in mathematical physics. Notable results include the formulation and applications of the Jost function in potential scattering, proofs related to analytic properties of correlation functions following the spirit of Wightman axioms, and contributions to the Jost–Lehmann–Dyson representation which linked commutator functions to dispersion relations used by practitioners influenced by Geoffrey Chew and Murray Gell-Mann. His publications were cited alongside works by Arthur Wightman, Wolfgang Pauli, Paul Dirac, John Bell, Enrico Fermi, and Lev Landau in contexts spanning analytic S-matrix studies and rigorous treatments of quantum fields.
He contributed reviews and chapters in collections edited by figures such as Eugene Wigner, Ludwig Faddeev, and Wolfgang Pauli and was referenced in mathematical treatments by Michael Reed, Barry Simon, and Francesco Guerra.
Jost received recognition from Swiss and international mathematical physics communities, participating in conferences sponsored by International Centre for Theoretical Physics, European Physical Society, and Royal Society-connected events. His standing led to visiting positions and invited lectures at institutions including Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, CERN, Collège de France, and University of Cambridge.
Jost lived and worked primarily in Zürich and maintained connections with academic centers across Europe and North America. His legacy endures in the rigorous approach to quantum field theory and scattering theory taught in courses at ETH Zurich, Princeton University, University of Milan, and referenced in the literature of mathematical physics produced by groups at Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Perimeter Institute, and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. His name is preserved in technical terms such as the Jost function and the Jost–Lehmann–Dyson representation, and his influence persists among scholars working on axiomatic structures, spectral theory, and analytic methods linking mathematics and theoretical physics.
Category:Swiss physicists Category:Mathematical physicists Category:1918 births Category:1990 deaths