Ye Qisun

Ye Qisun 叶企孙
Born	16 July 1898 Shanghai, Qing dynasty China
Died	3 January 1977 (aged 78) Beijing, People's Republic of China
Fields	Physics
Alma mater	Tsinghua University University of Chicago Harvard University
Doctoral advisor	William Duane
Notable students	Tsung-Dao Lee
Known for	Ye Qisun Prize

Ye Qisun (simplified Chinese: 叶企孙; traditional Chinese: 葉企蓀; July 16, 1898 - January 3, 1977), also named Ye Hongjuan (叶鸿眷), was a renowned Chinese physicist and one of the founders of modern physics in China.

Education

Ye's family has very strong educational background. His great-grandfather is a government office in Qing Dynasty and attended the edition of Shanghai History (local official record); his grandfather Ye Jiazhen (叶佳镇) worked in The Imperial College; his father Ye Jingyun (叶景澐) is a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level, and delegated as a headmaster at Jingye School (敬业学堂), Chinese professor at Tsinghua School and the chairman of Shanghai Education Association.

In 1907, Ye came to his father's school, Jingye School. In 1911, He got admission of Tsinghua School and began the first group students in that university. Ye graduated from Tsinghua University in June 1918. He later studied physics at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. In 1923, he obtained his doctorate in physics at Harvard, under the supervision of William Duane. Mr. Duane, Ye and H. Palmer successfully posted the academic article A re-measurement of the Radiation constant, h, by means of X-Rays at National Academy of Sciences.

After traveling to Europe, he became an associate professor of physics at the National Southeastern University in Nanjing (later Nanjing University) in April 1924.^[1]

Teaching

Before Sino-Japanese War

In 1924, he was recruited to National Southeast University as an assistant professor, and joined into Chinese Science Association. Then, he was recruited to Tsinghua University in 1925, and became a full professor in 1926; also, he brought his students Chung-Yao Chao and Ruwei Shi to Tsinghua. In 1926, He founded the department of physics at Tsinghua and became its first chair, In 1929, Tsinghua founded the school of science, and Ye became the dean as well as one of seven core senior executive administrators in Tshinghua. From 1926 to 1937, He hired Xiong Qinglai, Wu Youxun, Sa Bendong, Zhang Zigao, Huang Ziqing, Zhou Peiyuan, Chung-Yao Chao and Ren Zhigong as professors in Tsinghua.^[1] For example, He even paid salary Wu Youxun more than himself. Moreover, he supported Xiong Qinglai's approval of introducing Hua Luogeng to teach at Tsinghua, who only had a middle school diploma; then Ye recommended Hua to University of Cambridge.^[2]

During WWII and Chinese Civil War

During the Sino-Japanese War, Ye and his student Xiong Dazhen transferred assets from Tsinghua University to National Southwestern Associated University. Ye supposed to send Xiong to graduate schools in German, but Xiong insisted to join into military against Japanese invading army. After his promising, Xiong came to Jizhong Communist Anti-Japanese Areas, led by General Lü Zhengcao. Xiong taught the bomb technology and bought wireless utilities by Ye's network, these significantly resolved the shortage of weapons in Eighth Route Army. Xiong died in Civil War.

Ye came to National Southwestern Associated University to continue teaching physics as the chair of department of physics. In 1946, he recommended Tsung-Dao Lee to study abroad in the United States, even though Lee was not graduated at that moment. Lee won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.^[3]

After the founding of P.R.China

In 1949, he came back to Peking after Civil War. Three year later, he moved to teach at Peking University. Ye was elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955, also a founder of the Chinese Physical Society.

He asked the government to re-clarifying the death of Xiong Dazhen, which buried a hint foreshadowing in Cultural Revolution. During Cultural Revolution, Lü Zhengcao was persecuted that Ye was implicated in Xiong's case, and was persecuted, too. Ye suffered from the continued abuses and had mental problems. In 1969, he was released back to Peking University, but still have to be isolated as "a suspect of Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics agent".^[4] One day, his student Qian Sanqiang met him and wanted to say hello, whereas Ye asked his student to leave him so as to not impact Qian.^[4]

Besides, Zhao Yuanren, Ren Zhigong, Lin Jiaqiao, Dai Zhenduo, Chen Ning Yang requested to visit him, but received the refuse from government. In 1975, his isolation was canceled, and then his students Chen Daisun, Wu Youxun, Wang Zhuxi and Qian Weichang finally got the opportunities to visit him. Ye died in January 13, 1977.^[4]

Awards

In 2000, the Chinese Physical Society established five prizes in recognition of five pioneers of modern physics in China. The Ye Qisun Prize is awarded to physicists involved in Condensed matter physics.

Contribution

Ye Qisun was a renowned Chinese physicist and one of the founders of modern physics in China.

Many famous scientists, such as Zhao Yuanren, Ren Zhigong, Lin Jiaqiao, Dai Zhenduo, Chen Ning Yang, Chen Daisui, Wu Youxun, Wang Zhuxi, Tsung-Dao Lee, Qian Sanqiang, Chien Wei-zang were his students. In 1999, Chinese government awarded 23 founding fathers of Chinese space program as "Fathers of Two Bombs (atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb) and One Star (artificial satellite)". Over half of them were used to be his students; therefore, Ye was generally hailed as "the master of masters".

References

1. 中国科技的基石——叶企孙和科学大师们 虞昊、黄延复著，复旦大学出版社，2000年10月
2. 最后的大师叶企孙:力排众议提携初中学历华罗庚
3. 最后的大师：叶企孙和他的时代 邢军纪著，北京十月文艺出版社，2010年7月
4. 叶企孙：中国高教史上的不朽传说