Carl Ludwig Siegel
Carl Ludwig Siegel (31 December 1896 – 4 April 1981) was a German mathematician specialising in analytic number theory. He is known for, amongst other things, his contributions to the Thue–Siegel–Roth theorem in Diophantine approximation, Siegel's method, Siegel's lemma and the Siegel mass formula for quadratic forms. He has been named one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century.
Carl Ludwig Siegel | |
|---|---|
Carl Ludwig Siegel in 1975 | |
| Born | 31 December 1896 |
| Died | 4 April 1981 (aged 84) Göttingen, West Germany |
| Alma mater | University of Göttingen |
| Known for | Brauer–Siegel theorem Siegel modular form Siegel modular variety Siegel zero Smith–Minkowski–Siegel mass formula Thue–Siegel–Roth theorem Siegel's theorem on integral points Siegel domain |
| Awards | Wolf Prize (1978) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Institute for Advanced Study |
| Doctoral advisor | Edmund Landau |
| Doctoral students |
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André Weil, without hesitation, named Siegel as the greatest mathematician of the first half of the 20th century. Atle Selberg said of Siegel and his work:
He was in some ways, perhaps, the most impressive mathematician I have met. I would say, in a way, devastatingly so. The things that Siegel tended to do were usually things that seemed impossible. Also after they were done, they still seemed almost impossible.