Theoretical Physicist Chen-Ning Yang, Whose Gauge Theory Remains a Pillar of Modern Physics, Passes Away at 103
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Professor Chen-Ning Yang, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and a towering figure in modern science, passed away in Beijing on October 18, 2025. He was 103. Profe...
Professor Chen-Ning Yang, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and a towering figure in modern science, passed away in Beijing on October 18, 2025. He was 103. Professor Yang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Tsinghua University, was best known for his groundbreaking work that reshaped 20th-century physics.
His most celebrated contribution, the theory of non-Abelian gauge fields—developed with Robert Mills in 1954—laid the foundation for the Standard Model of particle physics. In a monumental achievement, he and Tsung-Dao Lee proposed in 1956 that parity conservation could be violated in weak interactions, a theory confirmed experimentally soon after. This discovery earned them the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, making them the first Chinese Nobel laureates.
Beyond his research, Professor Yang dedicated his later years to fostering scientific progress in China. After returning to teach at Tsinghua University in 1999, he played a pivotal role in advancing fundamental research and nurturing the next generation of scientists in his homeland.
Professor Yang's legacy endures not only through his profound scientific theories but also through his enduring impact on science education and international collaboration.
