The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced 23 March that the Swedish mathematician Lennart Carleson (78) is the recipient of the Abel Prize 2006 of NOK 6 million (EUR 750.000) for his contribution to the field. The prize will be formally awarded on 23 May in Oslo.
26/03/2006 :: "Carleson receives the prize of NOK 6 million (EUR 750.000) for his in-depth and innovative contributions to harmonic analysis and the theory of smooth dynamical systems," said Erling Størmer, the chairman of the international Abel Committee.
Lennart Carleson of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden has solved many very difficult open problems. In the Committee's opinion, the most impressive of these concerns the Fourier series. His name is also associated with the solution of the famous corona problem, and he has made many essential contributions to several fields within mathematics, states the Abel Committee.
“Carleson is always far ahead of the crowd. He concentrates on only the most difficult and deep problems. Once these are solved, he lets others invade the kingdom he has discovered, and he moves on to even wilder and more remote domains of Science," states the Committee.
The Abel Prize was first awarded in 2003 in honour of the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829), who despite his short life left behind a strong legacy in the field. In 2001, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg announced that the Norwegian government would earmark NOK 200 million (EUR 25 million) to a fund in Abel's memory. The idea is to have an international award that can honour outstanding mathematiticians, and also encourage children and youth to take interest in the field.
HM King Harald will formally award the 2006 prize at the University of Oslo on 23 May.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs