Nagy, Karoly

physicist

Obtained a diploma as a secondary school teacher in 1950, specialising in mathematics and physics at the Pázmány Péter University, and since then has worked at the Eötvös Loránd University in the department of Theoretical Physics of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. In 1954, he obtained the scientific degree of Ph.D. in physical sciences, and in 1960, that of an Academic Doctor in physical sciences. Since 1961 he has been a university professor, from 1965, a Corresponding Member, and from 1982, a Regular Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Between 1961 and 1966 he was the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of ELTE, from 1966-72, he was the President, and between 1972-75, the Vice President of the University. Between 1968 and 1993 he chaired the Department of Theoretical Physics. Having studied the behaviour of light quanta in isotropic insulators, in the early 1980s he extended his investigations in quantum electrodynamics for anisotropic media. According to phenomenological quantum electrodynamics, developed by himself, photons do not have a clearly determined momentum in birefringent media, they should rather be considered as quasi-particles. An important research area for him was the weak interaction of matter, the physics of the neutrinos, and he also studied with interest the basic issues of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. In the autumn of 2005 he started his 56^th school year at the Eötvös Loránd University, as a Professor Emeritus. Parallel to his scientific research and academic work, he is also active in scientific policy, and has participated in the work of the different HAS panels since 1962.

The impact of Einstein on physics in the twentieth century