Lars Onsager Prize
An American Physical Society award honoring outstanding contributions to theoretical statistical physics, established in 1993 in memory of Lars Onsager and administered through APS prize committees.
The Lars Onsager Prize recognizes outstanding research in theoretical statistical physics, honoring advances that deepen understanding of collective behavior, fluctuations, and emergent phenomena. The award carries the name of the Nobel laureate Lars Onsager and highlights work across classical and quantum problems in many-body theory.
The prize is administered and presented by the American Physical Society (APS) and is intended to spotlight theoretical achievements that have had substantial influence on the field. It is typically conferred on individuals whose analytic, conceptual or mathematical contributions have clarified central issues in statistical mechanics.
The award was established in 1993 by Drs. Russell and Marian Donnelly in memory of Lars Onsager (founder memorial). Onsager is remembered for foundational results such as the Onsager reciprocal relations and his exact solution of the two-dimensional Ising model; the prize commemorates that tradition of elegant, rigorous theoretical work.
Selection and criteria
- Nomination by peers, often accompanied by supporting letters that describe the impact of the candidate's work.
- Evaluation by an APS-appointed committee of experts in theoretical statistical physics.
- Emphasis on originality, depth, and lasting influence rather than a single isolated result.
- Open to scientists whose research spans equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, critical phenomena, stochastic processes, and related fields.
Typical research topics recognized by the prize include phase transitions, critical phenomena, non-equilibrium dynamics, stochastic thermodynamics, and quantum many-body problems. Recipients are often leaders whose theoretical frameworks or exact results have become standard tools for subsequent work.
Notable aspects of the Lars Onsager Prize include its role in highlighting theoretical physics within the broader community and in encouraging rigorous approaches to complex systems. Laureates frequently give invited talks at APS meetings and their citations serve as guideposts to important directions in statistical physics. For further institutional information and lists of past recipients, consult the society's prize pages and official descriptions of the award (theoretical statistics prize).
Related articles
Author
AlegsaOnline.com Lars Onsager Prize Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/56088
Sources
- pages.uoregon.edu : "Archived copy" · web.archive.org
- aps.org : "Lars Onsager Prize"
- ibnlive.in.com : "Indian physicist wins Lars Onsager prize"
- ecns.cn : "Chen-Ning Yang, the 'luckiest' physicist"
- nbi.ku.dk : "Christopher Pethick wins Onsager Prize"
- physics.ohio-state.edu : "Jason Ho to Receive Onsager Prize"
- princeton.edu : "FACULTY AWARD: American Physical Society honors four faculty"
- phas.ubc.ca : "Affleck is awarded the Lars Onsager prize"
- aps.org : "2018 Lars Onsager Prize Recipient"