The Editors of the Physical Review journals congratulate Mehran Kardar of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yoshiki Kuramoto of Kyoto University for sharing the highest honor in statistical physics — the IUPAP Boltzmann Medal.
Kardar’s work has profoundly changed our understanding of the scaling properties of equilibrium and non-equilibrium fluctuations. He has revolutionized the description of growing interfaces, flux lines, polymers, membranes, and the electromagnetic vacuum, leading to fundamental advances across fields as diverse as hard and soft condensed matter physics, fluid mechanics, and biophysics. A renowned educator, Kardar has shaped generations of physicists through his mentorship and widely acclaimed textbooks on the statistical physics of particles and fields. His ability to distill complex ideas into precise and elegant formulations makes him a towering figure in the field.
Kuramoto’s groundbreaking work contributed greatly to our understanding of nonequilibrium systems, especially nonlinear oscillations, weak turbulence, and nonlinear dynamics in general. He notably established the scientific field of synchronization of coupled oscillators, a vibrant area of nonlinear science with profound connections to statistical mechanics. Kuramoto’s grasp of the essence of problems and its expression through simple and beautiful equations has influenced many areas of science, not only physics and mathematics but also chemistry, biology, neuroscience, physiology, complex networks, electrical and mechanical engineering, and numerous other disciplines.
The Editors of the Physical Review journals congratulate the winners for this outstanding achievement and thank them for their contributions to the advancement of physics.
