Philip W. Anderson, Nobel Laureate in Physics, Is Dead at 96 - The New York Times

Philip W. Anderson, Nobel Laureate in Physics, Is Dead at 96 - The New York Times

“His fingerprints are everywhere”

Philip Anderson, one of the most influential theoretical physicists of the twentieth century, died on 29 March, aged 96. The Nobel laureate specialized in condensed matter, and his concept of ‘Anderson localization’ of electrons explains everything from how fog reflects light to why non-crystalline metals are electrical insulators. Anderson was also a forceful opponent of reductionism, and he spelled out his vision in his influential 1972 Science essay ‘More Is Different’. “Anderson was the pre-eminent condensed-matter theorist of his day — a day that lasted for over 50 years — and his fingerprints are everywhere,” says physicist Nigel Goldenfeld.

New York Times | 5 min read
Read Philip Anderson’s review of Robert Laughlin’s book A Different Universe: “My message is this: buy the book.” (Nature, from 2005)