Steven R. White is a physics professor at the University of California, Irvine. He is a scientist who studies materials and specializes in using computers to simulate systems made of tiny particles. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego, and later received his Ph.D. from Cornell University. At Cornell, he studied alongside Kenneth Wilson and John Wilkins.
Most of his work focuses on condensed matter theory, where he develops methods to study systems where particles strongly interact. These systems include materials that conduct electricity without resistance at high temperatures and materials called quantum spin liquids. He is best known for creating the Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG) in 1992. This method allows scientists to calculate the behavior of quantum systems with high accuracy. He has written over 170 papers on this topic and related subjects, which have been widely used and referenced. His most cited paper has been referenced more than 7,000 times.
Awards
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowship, 1982–1985
- Andrew D. White Supplementary Fellowship, 1982–1985
- IBM Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1988–1989
- American Physical Society, Fellow, 1998
- American Physical Society, Division Councilor for Computational Physics, 1999
- American Physical Society Aneesur Rahman Prize, 2003
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2008)
- Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2016)
- Physical Review Letters Milestone Paper of 1992 (Honored 2008)
- Perimeter Distinguished Visiting Research Chair (2012–present)
- Member, National Academy of Sciences (2018)
Most cited publications
- White, Steven R. (1992-11-09). "Density matrix formulation for quantum renormalization groups." Physical Review Letters. 69 (19): 2863–2866. Bibcode: 1992PhRvL..69.2863W. doi: 10.1103/physrevlett.69.2863. ISSN 0031-9007. PMID 10046608. Cited 2,416 times, as reported by Web of Science in October 2014; over 7,000 citations, as reported by Google Scholar in February 2023.
- White, Steven R. (1993-10-01). "Density-matrix algorithms for quantum renormalization groups." Physical Review B. 48 (14): 10345–10356. Bibcode: 1993PhRvB..4810345W. doi: 10.1103/physrevb.48.10345. ISSN 0163-1829. PMID 10007313. Cited 1,598 times.
- Bickers, N. E.; Scalapino, D. J.; White, S. R. (1989-02-20). "Conserving Approximations for Strongly Correlated Electron Systems: Bethe-Salpeter Equation and Dynamics for the Two-Dimensional Hubbard Model." Physical Review Letters. 62 (8): 961–964. Bibcode: 1989PhRvL..62..961B. doi: 10.1103/physrevlett.62.961. ISSN 0031-9007. PMID 10040382. Cited 657 times.