Hugo Duminil-Copin

Hugo Duminil-Copin (born 26 August 1985) is a

French mathematician specializing in probability Hugo Duminil-Copin
theory. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 2022.

Biography
The son of a middle school sports teacher and a former
female dancer who became a primary school teacher,
Duminil-Copin grew up in the outer suburbs of Paris, Duminil-Copin in 2014
where he played a lot of sports as a child, and initially Born 26 August 1985
considered attending a sports-oriented high school to Châtenay-Malabry, Île-de-
pursue his interest in handball.[1] He decided to attend France, France
a school focused on mathematics and science,[1] and Alma mater Lycée Louis-le-Grand
enrolled at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, then at
École normale supérieure
the École normale supérieure (Paris) and the
University of Paris-Sud
University Paris-Sud. He decided to focus on math
instead of physics, because he found the rigour of Awards Rollo Davidson Prize (2012)
mathematical proof more satisfying, but developed an Oberwolfach Prize (2013)
interest in percolation theory, which is used in
EMS Prize (2016)
mathematical physics to address issues in statistical
New Horizons in Mathematics
mechanics.[1] In 2008, he moved to the University of
Prize (2017)
Geneva to write a PhD thesis under Stanislav Smirnov.
Duminil-Copin and Smirnov used percolation theory Fields Medal (2022)
and the vertices and edges connecting them in a lattice Scientific career
to model fluid flow and with it phase transitions. The Fields Mathematics
pair investigated the number of self-avoiding walks
Institutions University of Geneva
that were possible in hexagonal lattices, connecting
combinatorics to percolation theory. This was Institut des Hautes Études
published in the Annals of Mathematics in 2012, the Scientifiques
same year in which Duminil-Copil was awarded his Thesis Phase transition in random-
PhD at the age of 27.[1] cluster and O(n)-models (https://
archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:1
In 2013, after his postdoctorate, Duminil-Copin was 8929) (2011)
appointed assistant professor, then full professor in
Doctoral Stanislav Smirnov
2014 at the University of Geneva.[2] In 2016, he
advisor
became permanent professor at the Institut des Hautes
Études Scientifiques.[3] Since 2019, he has been
member of the Academia Europaea.[4]
Since 2017, Duminil-Copin has been the principal investigator of the European Research Council –
Starting Grant “Critical behavior of lattice models (CriBLam)”. He is a member of the Laboratory
Alexander Grothendieck, a CNRS joint research unit with IHES.[2]

Duminil-Copin's work focuses on the mathematical area of statistical physics. Duminil-Copin uses ideas
from probability theory to study the critical behavior of various models on networks.[2] His work focuses
on identifying the critical point at which phase transitions occur, what happens at the critical point, and
the behaviour of the system just above and below the critical point.[1] He has been working on dependent
percolation models whereby the state of an edge in one part of a lattice will affect the state of edges
elsewhere, to shed light of Ising models, which are used to study phase transitions in ferromagnetic
materials. In collaboration with Vincent Beffara in 2011, he was able to produce a formula for a
determining the critical point for many two-dimensional dependent percolation models.[1] In 2019, along
with Vincent Tassion and Aran Raoufi, he published research on the size of connected components in the
lattice when the system is just below and above the critical point. They showed that below the critical
point, the probability of having two vertices in the same connected component of the lattice would decay
exponentially with separation distance, and that a similar result applies above the critical point, and that
there is an infinite connected component above the critical point. Duminil-Copin and his associates
proved this characteristic, which they called "sharpness", using mathematical analysis and computer
science.[1] He has also shed more light on the nature of the phase transition at the critical point itself, and
whether the transition will be continuous or discontinuous, under various circumstances, with a focus on
Potts models.[1]

Duminil-Copin is researching conformal invariance in dependent percolation models in two dimensions.

He said that by proving the existence of these symmetries, a great deal of information about the models
would be extracted.[1] In 2020, he and his collaborators proved that rotational invariance exists at the
boundary between phases in many physical systems.[5][6]

Duminil-Copin was awarded the 2017 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize for his work on Ising type
models.[7]

Duminil-Copin was awarded the Fields Medal in 2022 for "solving longstanding problems in the
probabilistic theory of phase transitions in statistical physics, especially in dimensions three and
four".[8][9] Wendelin Werner credited Duminil-Copin with generalising the field of percolation theory,
saying that "Everything is easier, streamlined. The results are stronger. … The whole understanding of
these physical phenomena has been transformed."[1] Werner said that Duminil-Copin has solved
"Basically half of the main open questions" in percolation theory.[1]

Duminil-Copin's hobbies include sports, which he has stated helps him find inspiration when working.[1]
He is married and has a daughter.[10]

Awards
2022 Fields Medal[11][12][13]
2019 Dobrushin Prize[2]
2018 Invited speaker (session Probability and session Mathematical Physics) at the
International Congress of Mathematicians of Rio de Janeiro[14]
 2017 Loève Prize[15]
2017 Jacques Herbrand Prize[16]
2017 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize[7]
2016 Prize of the European Mathematical Society[17]
2015 Early Career Award of the International Association of Mathematical Physics[18]
2015 Peccot Lectures at the Collège de France[19]
2013 Oberwolfach Prize[20]
2012 Rollo Davidson Prize (with Vincent Beffara)[13]
2012 Vacheron-Constantin Prize[21]

Selected publications
Duminil-Copin, Hugo (2016). Graphical representations of lattice spin models : cours
Peccot, Collège de France : janvier-février 2015. Spartacus IDH. ISBN 978-2-36693-022-1.
OCLC 987302673 (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/987302673).
Duminil-Copin, Hugo; Smirnov, Stanislav (1 May 2012). "The connective constant of the
honeycomb lattice equals ". Annals of Mathematics. 175 (3): 1653–1665.
arXiv:1007.0575 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1007.0575). doi:10.4007/annals.2012.175.3.14 (http
s://doi.org/10.4007%2Fannals.2012.175.3.14). ISSN 0003-486X (https://search.worldcat.or
g/issn/0003-486X). S2CID 59164280 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:59164280).
Beffara, Vincent; Duminil-Copin, Hugo (18 March 2011). "The self-dual point of the two-
dimensional random-cluster model is critical for " (https://hal-ens-lyon.archives-ouverte
s.fr/ensl-00495872/file/BD%3Afkcriticalpoint.pdf) (PDF). Probability Theory and Related
Fields. 153 (3–4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 511–542. arXiv:1006.5073 (ht
tps://arxiv.org/abs/1006.5073). doi:10.1007/s00440-011-0353-8 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2F
s00440-011-0353-8). ISSN 0178-8051 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0178-8051).
S2CID 55391558 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:55391558).
Duminil-Copin, Hugo; Hammond, Alan (13 October 2013). "Self-Avoiding Walk is Sub-
Ballistic". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 324 (2). Springer Science and
Business Media LLC: 401–423. arXiv:1205.0401 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1205.0401).
Bibcode:2013CMaPh.324..401D (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013CMaPh.324..401
D). doi:10.1007/s00220-013-1811-1 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs00220-013-1811-1).
ISSN 0010-3616 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0010-3616). S2CID 10829154 (https://api.
semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:10829154).
Bauerschmidt, Roland; Duminil-Copin, Hugo; Goodman, Jesse; Slade, Gordon (2012).
"Lectures on Self-Avoiding Walks". MathProblems. arXiv:1206.2092 (https://arxiv.org/abs/12
06.2092).

References
1. Cepelewicz, Jordana (5 July 2022). "Hugo Duminil-Copin Wins the Fields Medal" (https://ww
w.quantamagazine.org/hugo-duminil-copin-wins-the-fields-medal-20220705/). Quanta
Magazine. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220705073201/https://www.quantamaga
zine.org/hugo-duminil-copin-wins-the-fields-medal-20220705/) from the original on 5 July
2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
 2. "Hugo Duminil-Copin, a French mathematician and a permanent professor at IHES, has
been awarded the Fields Medal" (https://www.cnrs.fr/en/hugo-duminil-copin-french-mathema
tician-and-permanent-professor-ihes-has-been-awarded-fields-medal). CNRS. 5 July 2022.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220705100814/https://www.cnrs.fr/en/hugo-duminil
-copin-french-mathematician-and-permanent-professor-ihes-has-been-awarded-fields-meda
l) from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
3. "Webpage of Hugo Duminil-Copin" (https://www.ihes.fr/~duminil/CV.html). www.ihes.fr.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20201022114443/https://www.ihes.fr/~duminil/CV.htm
l) from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
4. Hasani, Ilire; Hoffmann, Robert. "Academy of Europe: Duminil-Copin Hugo" (https://www.ae-
info.org/ae/Member/Duminil-Copin_Hugo). Academy of Europe. Archived (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20210411153807/https://www.ae-info.org/ae/Member/Duminil-Copin_Hugo) from
the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
5. "Mathematicians Prove Symmetry of Phase Transitions" (https://www.wired.com/story/mathe
maticians-prove-symmetry-of-phase-transitions/). Wired. ISSN 1059-1028 (https://search.wo
rldcat.org/issn/1059-1028). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20210714020405/https://
www.wired.com/story/mathematicians-prove-symmetry-of-phase-transitions/) from the
original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
6. Duminil-Copin, Hugo; Kozlowski, Karol Kajetan; Krachun, Dmitry; Manolescu, Ioan;
Oulamara, Mendes (21 December 2020). "Rotational invariance in critical planar lattice
models". arXiv:2012.11672 (https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.11672) [math.PR (https://arxiv.org/arc
hive/math.PR)].
7. "Breakthrough Prize – Mathematics Breakthrough Prize Laureates – Hugo Duminil-Copin"
(https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/3/L3806). Breakthrough Prize. Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20220604184316/https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/3/L3806) from
the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
8. "Fields Medal 2022: Short citation" (https://www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IMU/Prizes/Fields/
2022/IMU_Fields22_Duminil-Copin_citation.pdf) (PDF). Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20220705101407/https://www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IMU/Prizes/Fields/2022/IMU_Field
s22_Duminil-Copin_citation.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July
2022.
9. Hoyer, Lukas von (5 July 2022). "Der "Nobelpreis der Mathematik" geht an Schweizerin und
Schweizer" (https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/panorama/fields-medaille-2022-nobelpre
is-der-mathematik-an-2-forscher-aus-der-schweiz-id63197656.html). Augsburger
Allgemeine (in German). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220705091535/https://ww
w.augsburger-allgemeine.de/panorama/fields-medaille-2022-nobelpreis-der-mathematik-an-
2-forscher-aus-der-schweiz-id63197656.html) from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved
5 July 2022.
10. Celerier, Pierre (5 July 2022). "Duminil-Copin, Fields-winning mathematician with 'aesthetic
vision' " (https://phys.org/news/2022-07-duminil-copin-fields-winning-mathematician-aestheti
c-vision.html). Phys.org. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220705100104/https://phy
s.org/news/2022-07-duminil-copin-fields-winning-mathematician-aesthetic-vision.html) from
the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
11. "Fields Medals 2022" (https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/fields-medal/fields-medals-20
22). International Mathematical Union (IMU). 6 June 1958. Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20220705072608/https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/fields-medal/fields-medals-20
22) from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
12. Larousserie, David (5 July 2022). "La médaille Fields pour Hugo Duminil-Copin,
mathématicien probabiliste de 36 ans et " percolateur " universel" (https://www.lemonde.fr/s
ciences/article/2022/07/05/la-medaille-fields-pour-hugo-duminil-copin-percolateur-universel_
6133388_1650684.html). Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
220705072301/https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2022/07/05/la-medaille-fields-pour-h
ugo-duminil-copin-percolateur-universel_6133388_1650684.html) from the original on 5 July
2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
13. "Hugo Duminil-Copin, mathématicien français et professeur permanent à l'IHES, est lauréat
de la médaille Fields" (https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/hugo-duminil-copin-mathematicien-francais-et-p
rofesseur-permanent-lihes-est-laureat-de-la-medaille). CNRS (in French). 5 July 2022.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220705081144/https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/hugo-duminil-
copin-mathematicien-francais-et-professeur-permanent-lihes-est-laureat-de-la-medaille)
from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
14. "Hugo Duminil-Copin – National Meeting of the SPM 2021" (https://enspm2021.spm.pt/hugo
-dominil-coupin/). National Meeting of the SPM 2021 – Encontro Nacional da Sociedade
Portuguesa de Matemática 2021. 12 December 1940. Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20220707010940/https://enspm2021.spm.pt/hugo-dominil-coupin/) from the original on 7
July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
15. "Hugo Duminil-Copin awarded the Loève Prize and the Grand Prix Jacques Herbrand" (http
s://www.ihes.fr/en/hugo-duminil-copin-awarded-the-loeve-prize-and-the-grand-prix-jacques-
herbrand/). IHES. 8 August 2017. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220707010939/ht
tps://www.ihes.fr/en/hugo-duminil-copin-awarded-the-loeve-prize-and-the-grand-prix-jacque
s-herbrand/) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
16. "Hugo Duminil-Copin receives the Prix Jacques Herbrand 2017" (https://www.nccr-swissma
p.ch/news-and-events/news/hugo-duminil-copin-receives-prix-jacques-herbrand-2017).
SwissMAP. 21 November 2017. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220707010947/htt
ps://www.nccr-swissmap.ch/news-and-events/news/hugo-duminil-copin-receives-prix-jacque
s-herbrand-2017) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
17. "Hugo Duminil-Copin is awarded the European Mathematical Society Prize" (https://www.ihe
s.fr/en/hugo-duminl-copain-is-awarded-the-european-mathematical-society-prize/). IHES. 30
June 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220707010943/https://www.ihes.fr/en/h
ugo-duminl-copain-is-awarded-the-european-mathematical-society-prize/) from the original
on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
18. "International Association of Mathematical Physics" (http://www.iamp.org/page.php?page=p
age_award). IAMP. 31 January 2018. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/202112310920
49/http://iamp.org/page.php?page=page_award) from the original on 31 December 2021.
Retrieved 5 July 2022.
19. "Hugo Duminil-Copin" (https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-cours-peccot/guestlecturer-2
014-2015__1.htm). Collège de France. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220707010
943/https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-cours-peccot/guestlecturer-2014-2015__1.htm)
from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
20. "Hugo Duminil-Copin receives the Oberwolfach Prize" (https://www.nccr-swissmap.ch/news-
and-events/news/hugo-duminil-copin-receives-oberwolfach-prize). SwissMAP. 5 June 2014.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220707010951/https://www.nccr-swissmap.ch/new
s-and-events/news/hugo-duminil-copin-receives-oberwolfach-prize) from the original on 7
July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
21. "Rencontre avec Hugo Duminil-Copin, CQFD du 29.03.2013" (http://pages.rts.ch/la-1ere/pro
grammes/cqfd/4740869-cqfd-du-29032013.html). rts.ch. 29 March 2013. Archived (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20220707010951/https://pages.rts.ch/la-1ere/programmes/cqfd/29-03-2
013) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
Further reading
Chang, Kenneth (5 July 2022). "Fields Medals in Mathematics Won by Four Under Age 40"
(https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/05/science/fields-medal-math). The New York Times.
Retrieved 5 July 2022.
"Le Français Hugo Duminil-Copin remporte la médaille Fields, avec trois autres
mathématiciens" (https://www.leparisien.fr/sciences/le-francais-hugo-duminil-copin-remporte
-la-medaille-fields-avec-trois-autres-mathematiciens-05-07-2022-TP4PTEJ3XRB7BKWPHG
Y6ECQBSY.php). leparisien.fr (in French). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
Bischoff, Manon (5 July 2022). "Fields-Medaille: Mathematik-Preis für 24-dimensionale
Kugeln" (https://www.spektrum.de/news/fields-medaille-2022-vier-gewinner-darunter-eine-fr
au/2037034). Spektrum der Wissenschaft (in German). Retrieved 5 July 2022.

External links
Hugo Duminil-Copin's papers on arxiv (https://arxiv.org/search/math-ph?searchtype=author
&query=Duminil-Copin,+H)
"Chemins auto-évitants sur le réseau en nid d'abeille, Lecture at the Institut Henri Poincaré,
19/11/2016" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqMLxYHe5lg). YouTube. 23 November
2016.
"Page on IHES website" (https://www.ihes.fr/professeur/hugo-duminil-copin/).
Hugo Duminil-Copin (https://mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=168435) at the Mathematics
Genealogy Project

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hugo_Duminil-Copin&oldid=1248022770"