Roman Jackiw was a Polish-born American theoretical physicist whose profound contributions transformed our understanding of quantum field theory and particle physics. Born on November 8, 1939, in Lubliniec, Poland, he earned his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College before completing his PhD at Cornell University in 1966 under the supervision of Hans Bethe and Kenneth Wilson. After serving as a junior fellow at Harvard University from 1966 to 1969, where he collaborated with John Bell at CERN on current algebra problems, Jackiw joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a professor in the Department of Physics. He held the prestigious Jerrold Zacharias chair at MIT and remained a vital member of the Center for Theoretical Physics until his retirement, continuing his affiliation as professor emeritus until his death on June 14, 2023, at the age of 83.
Jackiw's most celebrated contribution came with the discovery of the axial vector current anomaly, now known as the Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly, which resolved the puzzle of the neutral pion decay into two photons and became one of the most cited papers in theoretical physics. His mathematical sophistication and rigorous approach led to the development of innovative methods for analyzing quantum field theories, particularly through the application of topological techniques that proved essential to the development of the Standard Model. For many years, Jackiw focused on applying topological methods in quantum field theory, creating analytical frameworks that provided deep insights into gauge theories and quantum anomalies. Although not directly involved in constructing the Standard Model, the methodologies he invented became indispensable tools for its advancement and refinement by other physicists.
Beyond his individual research, Jackiw played a pivotal role in establishing MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics in 1967, serving as its director after Herman Feshbach and helping to create what would become one of the world's premier theoretical physics research hubs. His influence extended through his mentorship of numerous students and postdocs, including Dong-Su Bak, and his collaborations with other leading physicists like David Gross, with whom he demonstrated important connections between fermions in the Standard Model. Jackiw's exceptional contributions were recognized with prestigious awards including the Heineman Prize in 1995 and the Dirac Medal in 1998, as well as election to the National Academy of Sciences. His legacy endures through the continued relevance of his work in contemporary theoretical physics and the thriving intellectual community he helped cultivate at MIT, which has produced thousands of publications and influenced generations of theoretical physicists worldwide.
