Stanisław Łojasiewicz | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-10-09)9 October 1926 |
| Died | 14 November 2002(2002-11-14) (aged 76) |
| Alma mater | Jagiellonian University |
| Known for | Łojasiewicz inequality, Łojasiewicz factorization lemma |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Jagiellonian University |
| Tadeusz Ważewski | |
Stanisław Łojasiewicz (Polish: [ˈwɔjaɕɛvit͡ʂ]; 9 October 1926 – 14 November 2002) was a Polish mathematician, professor at the Jagiellonian University and a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences known for his work in real algebraic geometry and theory of distributions.[1][2]
Early life and education
Stanisław Łojasiewicz was born in 1926 in Warsaw to father Stanisław, who served as captain in the Polish Army. In 1945, he was admitted to the Jagiellonian University. During his studies he was particularly interested in the theory of differential equations and was influenced by Tadeusz Ważewski. In 1950, he was awarded a doctorate for his work in this branch of mathematics.[3]
Career
At the end of the 1950s, Łojasiewicz solved the problem of distribution division by analytic functions, introducing the Łojasiewicz inequality. Its solution opened the road to important results in the new theory of partial differential equations. The method established by Łojasiewicz led him to advance the theory of semianalytic sets, which opened an important chapter in modern analysis.[1]
From 1956 to 1960, Łojasiewicz taught at universities in Kingston, Chicago, Berkeley and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. In 1962, he became professor at the Jagiellonian University.[3] In 1967-68, he worked at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques where he produced an elegant proof of the Malgrange preparation theorem.[4]
Honours and awards
In 1970, Łojasiewicz delivered an invited address on the subject of semianalytic geometry at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Nice, France.[4] In 1971, Łojasiewicz became a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and in 1980, its full member.[3]
In 1984, Łojasiewicz was awarded the Wacław Sierpiński Medal.[5] The following year, he accepted the Jurzykowski Prize. In 1998, he became the recipient of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Commander's Cross with Star).[6]
Death and legacy
On 14 November 2002, Łojasiewicz died of heart attack when returning from a scientific conference in Italy. He was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków.[7]
The Łojasiewicz Lectures[3] are a series of annual lectures in mathematics given at the Jagiellonian University in honour of Łojasiewicz.
See also
References
- Pawłucki, Wieslaw (2003), "Stanisław Łojasiewicz (1926–2002)" (PDF), Roczniki Polskiego Towarzystwa Matematycznego, Ser. II: Wiadomości Matematyczne (in Polish), 39: 183–190.
- "prof. zw. dr hab. czł. rzecz. PAN Stanisław Łojasiewicz". nauka-polska.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- "Stanisław Łojasiewicz". Instytut Matematyki UJ. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- "Stanisław Łojasiewicz". Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- "Medal i wykład im. Wacława Sierpińskiego". Polish Mathematical Society (in Polish). Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- "M.P. 1998 nr 36 poz. 495". ISAP (in Polish). Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- Tkaczyński, Jan Wiktor (2018). Pro Memoria III. Profesorowie Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego spoczywający na cmentarzach Krakowa 1803-2017 [Pro Memoria III: Jagiellonian University Professors Buried at the Cemeteries of Kraków in 1803-2017] (in Polish). Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. p. 183. ISBN 978-83-233-4527-5.