Kenneth G. Wilson

Kenneth G. Wilson was a prominent physicist known for his groundbreaking work in statistical mechanics, particularly in understanding phase transitions, like how water turns to ice. He developed theories that describe how microscopic interactions among particles lead to macroscopic behaviors, such as critical phenomena observed in materials. Wilson introduced the concept of renormalization group techniques, a mathematical approach that helps explain how physical properties change across different scales. His contributions fundamentally advanced our understanding of complex systems in physics, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1982.