Mikhail Shifman

Mikhail "Misha" Arkadyevich Shifman (Russian:

Михаи́л Арка́дьевич Ши́фман; born 4 April 1949) is Mikhail Shifman
a theoretical physicist (high energy physics), formerly
at the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental
Physics, Moscow, currently Ida Cohen Fine Professor
of Theoretical Physics, William I. Fine Theoretical
Physics Institute, University of Minnesota.

Scientific contributions
Shifman is known for a number of basic contributions
to quantum chromodynamics, the theory of strong
interactions, and to understanding of supersymmetric
gauge dynamics. The most important results due to M.
Born April 4, 1949
Shifman are diverse and include (i) the discovery of
Riga, Latvia
the penguin mechanism in the flavor-changing weak
decays (1974);[1] (ii) introduction of the gluon Alma mater Moscow Institute of Physics and
condensate and development of the SVZ sum rules Technology
relating properties of the low-lying hadronic states to Known for Penguin mechanism
the vacuum condensates (1979);[2] (iii) introduction of Quantum Chromodynamics
the invisible (aka KSVZ) axion (1980)[3] (iv) first KSVZ axion
exact results in supersymmetric Yang–Mills theories Nonperturbative supersymmetry
(NSVZ beta function, gluino condensate,1983– Supersymmetric gauge theories
1988);[4] (v) heavy quark theory based on the operator Awards Humboldt Research Award
product expansion (1985–1995);[5] (vi) critical domain (1993)
walls (D-brane analogs) in super-Yang-Mills (1996);[6] Sakurai Prize (1999)
(vii) non-perturbative (exact) planar equivalence
Lilienfeld Prize (2006)
between super-Yang–Mills and orientifold non-
Chaires Blaise Pascal
supersymmetric theories (2003);[7] (viii) non-Abelian (2007)
flux tubes and confined monopoles (2004 till Pomeranchuk Prize (2013)
present).[8] His paper with A. Vainshtein and Zakharov ICTP Dirac Medal (2016)
on the SVZ sum rules[2] is among the all-time top cited Elected to the National
papers in high-energy physics. Academy of Sciences
(2018)
Fulbright Distinguished
Honors and awards Scholar (2022)

Mikhail Shifman received the Alexander-von- Regents Professor of the

Humboldt Award in 1993, the Sakurai Prize in 1999, University of Minnesota (2024)
the Ida Cohen Fine Chair in Theoretical Physics[9][10] Scientific career
and the Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize in 2006;[11] he is Fields Theoretical High Energy Physics
the 2007 laureate of the Blaise Pascal Chair,[12] 2013 Institutions William I. Fine Theoretical
Pomeranchuk Prize and he was awarded the 2016 Physics Institute, University of
Dirac Medal and Prize of the ICTP.[13] In May 2018, Minnesota
M. Shifman was elected to the US National Academy Institute for Theoretical and
of Sciences.[14] 2022: Fulbright Distinguished Scholar. Experimental Physics (ITEP)
In 2024, Mikhail Shifman was appointed as the
Academic Boris L. Ioffe, Arkady Vainshtein,
University of Minnesota Regents Professor. He is also advisors Valentine I. Zakharov
a Fellow of the American Physical Society.[13]

Political positions
In February-March 2022, he signed two open letters by Russian scientists condemning the 2022 Russian
invasion of Ukraine.[15][16]

Selected books
M. Shifman, ed. (1992). Vacuum Structure and QCD Sum Rules. Amsterdam: North
Holland. ISBN 9780444897459.
Shifman, M. (1999). ITEP Lectures on Particle Physics and Field Theory (2 volumes).
Singapore: World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-02-2639-8.
Mikhail A. Shifman (2001). "Foreword and Notes from the Editor". In Mikhail A. Shifman
(ed.). At The Frontier of Particle Physics: Handbook of QCD (On the occasion of the 75th
birthday of Professor Boris Ioffe, in 3 volumes). Singapore: World Scientific.
doi:10.1142/9789812810458_fmatter (https://doi.org/10.1142%2F9789812810458_fmatter).
ISBN 981-02-4445-2.
M. Shifman, ed. (2007). Felix Berezin, The Life and Death of the Mastermind of
Supermathematics. Singapore: World Scientific. ISBN 978-981270-532-7.
Shifman, M.; Yung, A. (2009). Supersymmetric Solitons. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Shifman, M. (2012). Advanced Topics in Quantum Field Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. ISBN 978-0521190848.
M. Shifman, ed. (2015). Physics in a Mad World. Singapore: World Scientific.
doi:10.1142/9281 (https://doi.org/10.1142%2F9281). ISBN 978-981-4619-28-8.
Shifman, M. (2017). Standing together in Troubled Times. Singapore: World Scientific.
doi:10.1142/10308 (https://doi.org/10.1142%2F10308). ISBN 978-981-320-100-2.
A. Gottvald, M. Shifman (2018). George Placzek - A Nuclear Physicist's Odyssey.
Singapore: World Scientific. doi:10.1142/10900 (https://doi.org/10.1142%2F10900).
ISBN 978-981-3236-91-2.
M. Shifman (2019). Quantum Field Theory II (https://semanticscholar.org/paper/107418e669
2334025ada611b998d44521e8817af). Singapore: World Scientific. doi:10.1142/10825 (http
s://doi.org/10.1142%2F10825). ISBN 978-981-3234-18-5. S2CID 125450986 (https://api.se
manticscholar.org/CorpusID:125450986).
M. Shifman (2019). Love and Physics - the Peierlses. Singapore: World Scientific.
doi:10.1142/11266 (https://doi.org/10.1142%2F11266). ISBN 978-981-3279-90-2.
S2CID 126288758 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:126288758).
 Shifman, M. (2022). Advanced Topics in Quantum Field Theory, Secon Edition. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-84042-2.

See also
KSVZ axion (Kim–Shifman–Vainshtein–Zakharov axion model)
SVZ sum rules (Shifman–Vainshtein–Zakharov sum rules)
Penguin mechanism
QCD vacuum
NSVZ beta function
Gluon condensation
Gluino condensation
Critical (BPS saturated) domain walls in super-Yang–Mills
Non-Abelian flux tubes in super-Yang–Mills
Planar equivalence in non-Abelian orientifold theories

References
1. Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V.; Shifman, M. (1975). "A possible mechanism for the Δ T=1/2 rule
in nonleptonic decays of strange particles" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110929221749/ht
tp://www.jetpletters.ac.ru/ps/1521/article_23274.pdf) (PDF). JETP Letters. 22: 55.
Bibcode:1975JETPL..22...55V (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1975JETPL..22...55V).
Archived from the original (http://www.jetpletters.ac.ru/ps/1521/article_23274.pdf) (PDF) on
2011-09-29. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V. (1977). "Asymptotic freedom, light quarks and the
origin of the Δ T=1/2 rule in the non-leptonic decays of strange particles". Nuclear Physics
B. 120 (2): 316. Bibcode:1977NuPhB.120..316S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1977Nu
PhB.120..316S). doi:10.1016/0550-3213(77)90046-3 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0550-321
3%2877%2990046-3).
Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V. (1977). "Nonleptonic decays of K mesons and
hyperons". Soviet Physics JETP. 45: 670.
2. Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V. (1979). "QCD and resonance physics. theoretical
foundations". Nuclear Physics B. 147 (5): 385. Bibcode:1979NuPhB.147..385S (https://ui.ad
sabs.harvard.edu/abs/1979NuPhB.147..385S). doi:10.1016/0550-3213(79)90022-1 (https://
doi.org/10.1016%2F0550-3213%2879%2990022-1).
3. Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V. (1980). "Can confinement ensure natural CP
invariance of strong interactions?". Nuclear Physics B. 166 (3): 493.
Bibcode:1980NuPhB.166..493S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1980NuPhB.166..493S).
doi:10.1016/0550-3213(80)90209-6 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0550-3213%2880%299020
9-6).
 4. Novikov, V.; Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V. (1983). "Exact Gell-Mann-Low
function of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories from instanton calculus". Nuclear Physics B.
229 (2): 381. Bibcode:1983NuPhB.229..381N (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1983NuPh
B.229..381N). doi:10.1016/0550-3213(83)90338-3 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0550-3213%
2883%2990338-3).
Novikov, V.; Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A.; Zakharov, V. (1986). "The beta function in
supersymmetric gauge theories. Instantons versus traditional approach". Physics Letters B.
166 (3): 329. Bibcode:1986PhLB..166..329N (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1986PhLB..
166..329N). doi:10.1016/0370-2693(86)90810-5 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0370-2693%28
86%2990810-5).
Shifman, M.; Vainshtein, A. (1988). "On gluino condensation in supersymmetric gauge
theories with SU(N) and O(N) groups". Nuclear Physics B. 296 (2): 445.
Bibcode:1988NuPhB.296..445S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1988NuPhB.296..445S).
doi:10.1016/0550-3213(88)90680-3 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0550-3213%2888%299068
0-3).
5. Shifman, M.; Voloshin, M. (1987). Soviet Journal of Nuclear Physics. 45: 292. {{cite
journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Shifman, M.; Voloshin, M. (1988). Soviet Journal of Nuclear Physics. 47: 511. {{cite
journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Bigi, I.; Shifman, M.; Uraltsev, N.; Vainshtein, A. (1993). "QCD predictions for lepton spectra
in inclusive heavy flavor decays". Physical Review Letters. 71 (4): 496–499. arXiv:hep-
ph/9304225 (https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-ph/9304225). Bibcode:1993PhRvL..71..496B (https://
ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1993PhRvL..71..496B). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.496 (http
s://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRevLett.71.496). PMID 10055291 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.
gov/10055291). S2CID 14720093 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:14720093).
6. Dvali, G.; Shifman, M. (1997). "Full Length Article". Physics Letters B. 396: 64. arXiv:hep-
th/9612128 (https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/9612128). Bibcode:1997PhLB..396...64D (https://ui.
adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997PhLB..396...64D). doi:10.1016/S0370-2693(97)00131-7 (http
s://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0370-2693%2897%2900131-7).
7. Armoni, A.; Shifman, M.; Veneziano, G. (2003). "Exact results in non-supersymmetric large
N orientifold field theories". Nuclear Physics B. 667 (1–2): 170–182. arXiv:hep-th/0302163
(https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0302163). Bibcode:2003NuPhB.667..170A (https://ui.adsabs.ha
rvard.edu/abs/2003NuPhB.667..170A). doi:10.1016/S0550-3213(03)00538-8 (https://doi.or
g/10.1016%2FS0550-3213%2803%2900538-8). S2CID 15435517 (https://api.semanticscho
lar.org/CorpusID:15435517).
8. Shifman, M.; Yung, A. (2004). "Non-Abelian string junctions as confined monopoles".
Physical Review D. 70 (4): 045004. arXiv:hep-th/0403149 (https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0403
149). Bibcode:2004PhRvD..70d5004S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004PhRvD..70d5
004S). doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.70.045004 (https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRevD.70.04500
4). S2CID 118956344 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:118956344).
9. UMN BIO Physics Shifman (http://www.physics.umn.edu/people/shifman.html) Retrieved
April 28, 2019.
10. "UMN CSE Endowed Chairs and Professorship" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160328092
404/https://cse.umn.edu/r/honorary-professorships/#Endowed). Archived from the original (h
ttps://cse.umn.edu/r/honorary-professorships/#Endowed) on 2016-03-28. Retrieved
2016-03-23.
11. "2006 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize Recipient" (https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/
prizerecipient.cfm?first_nm=Mikhail&last_nm=Shifman&year=2006). American Physical
Society. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20190622155135/https://www.aps.org/progra
ms/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Shifman&first_nm=Mikhail&year=2006) from
the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
12. "Shifman named Blaise Pascal Chair" (https://www.physics.umn.edu/about/news/news/242/
Shifman_named_Blaise_Pascal_Chair.html). University of Minnesota. Retrieved April 28,
2019.
13. Gaal, Rachel (August 16, 2016). "APS Fellows Receive 2016 Dirac Medal and Prize" (http
s://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/updates/dirac-medal.cfm). Archived (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20200804003847/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/updates/dirac-med
al.cfm) from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
14. "CSE professor Mikhail Shifman elected to the National Academy of Sciences" (https://cse.u
mn.edu/college/news/cse-professor-mikhail-shifman-elected-national-academy-sciences).
University of Minnesota. May 3, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
15. "Открытое письмо российских учёных и научных журналистов против войны с
Украиной" (https://t-invariant.org/2022/02/we-are-against-war/) [An open letter from Russian
scientists and scientific journalist against the war in Ukraine] (in Russian). 24 February
2022. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220425063900/https://t-invariant.org/2022/0
2/we-are-against-war/) from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
16. "An open letter to the Physics Community from physicists of Russian descent" (https://cse.u
mn.edu/ftpi?fbclid=IwAR3tUGb6J_4wdyvQQpUPM_c0rnXn7B1H12UxIxuUK3GSl18-6Yed7
ROLe7g). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20240408103833/https://cse.umn.edu/ftpi?f
bclid=IwAR3tUGb6J_4wdyvQQpUPM_c0rnXn7B1H12UxIxuUK3GSl18-6Yed7ROLe7g) from
the original on 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2022-04-05.

External links
1999 Sakurai Prize citation (http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?l
ast_nm=Shifman&first_nm=Mikhail&year=1999)
2006 Lilienfeld Prize citation (http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?
last_nm=Shifman&first_nm=Mikhail&year=2006)
2007 Chaires Blaise Pascal (http://www.chaires-blaise-pascal.ens.fr/laureats-2014/laureats-
2007?lang=fr) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160915162506/http://www.chaires-bl
aise-pascal.ens.fr/laureats-2014/laureats-2007?lang=fr) 2016-09-15 at the Wayback
Machine
Shifman homepage at the University of Minnesota (http://www.ftpi.umn.edu/shifman/)
BIO at the University of Minnesota (http://www.physics.umn.edu/people/shifman.html)
FTPI homepage at the University of Minnesota (http://www.ftpi.umn.edu/)
2016 Dirac Medal citation (http://www.ictp.it/about-ictp/prizes-awards/the-dirac-medal/the-m
edallists/dirac-medallists-2016.aspx)
Interview of Mikhail Shifman by David Zierler on July 7, 2021, Niels Bohr Library & Archives,
American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA, www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-
bohr-library/oral-histories/47523 (http://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-
histories/47523)

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