Rejected
Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.
Edward Witten and Shen Qi discussed the paper "Research on Defect Topology Based on Stable Homotopy Group of Spherical Surfaces".
"Crystals that exist in the real world are observed to have perfect internal structures using microscopes, but to us physicists, defects always exist, from the microscopic to the macroscopic, from the cell to the universe." Witten's opening remarks were as insightful as ever, viewing the Earth from the perspective of the universe.
"Yes, the matter that physicists see is different from the matter that ordinary people see." Shen Qi quickly switched to physics mode. Perhaps only Witten on Earth was capable of taking him as a disciple.
"It's strange, we all know that a real crystal can be regarded as a real space, which contains defects such as singularities or singular lines. At this stage, we cannot completely eliminate defects. All we can do is define and label defects. But the problem is that the traditional physical methods for defining continuous media and defects in crystals rely too much on physical intuition."
Witten idly flipped through a thick book, then handed it to Shen Qi: "Qi, look, this is Condensed Matter Physics textbook from the Princeton Physics Department. It says that if γ is continuously distorted in real space and does not pass through those singular lines or points, then these closed loops have a common characteristic: they surround the same defects... What uncreative dogmatism."
Shen Qi took the book; he had already finished studying it.
The book is titled * Advanced Condensed Matter Physics *, and the author is Philip Warren Anderson.
PW Anderson is Nobel Prize in Physics and a leading figure in the field of contemporary Condensed Matter Physics.
American Theoretical Physics PW Anderson has an incredibly rich background. He graduated from Harvard, worked at the United States Naval Research Laboratory, Bell Labs, and was a professor at Cambridge University. He is currently the Joseph-Henry Professor of Physics at Princeton.
The Joseph Henry Professorship of Physics at Princeton is an honorary title, similar to the Professor Lucas at Cambridge University, and is awarded to only one person at a time.
"Professor P. W. Anderson's textbook is a classic, but it's a bit bland in some parts, such as the section on defects in continuous media and crystals." Shen Qi casually placed Professor P. W. Anderson's Condensed Matter Physics textbook on the table and said, "Edward, that's exactly what I'm researching about defect topology based on the stable Homotopy Group of spheres. I believe that through rigorous mathematical methods, we can improve this bland part and make it more exciting and attractive."
Witten had printed out the electronic version of the paper Shen Qi sent him. He flipped through it, praising it highly. "Extremely beautiful mathematical processing methods, and the conception is extremely ingenious! You improved upon Adams Spectral Sequence, and in the process of solving for the Homotopy Group, you calculated an amazing result: h0b1^4∈E2^9, 4p^2q+q is a permanent cycle in Adams Spectral Sequence. Qi, you know my math isn't bad; I can understand your logic, and I agree with your approach."
"So my physics paper has passed your review?" Shen Qi asked.
"A few minor revisions to the physics descriptions are needed, but your progress in physics is astonishing. You couldn't write such a Condensed Matter Physics paper with just a deep mathematical background." Witten marked the parts of Shen Qi's paper with circles and crosses, indicating the areas that needed to be changed.
Shen Qi understood Witten's meaning and quickly completed the revision of the paper in two days.
"Your thesis has been approved. The Physics Department of the Institute for Advanced Study welcomes you." Witten had the authority to accept Shen Qi as a doctoral student in the Physics Department of the Institute for Advanced Study. He was the Charles Simony Professor of Mathematical Physics at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, and was of the same type as PW Anderson—a pope-level bigwig whose word was law.
"That's wonderful, Edward. It's an honor to be your student and study physics under your guidance."
Newly minted Fields Medal Medalist Shen Qi has become a student of Fields Medal veteran Witten, and the two Fields Medal luminaries are now researching physics.
"Now that the paper is finished, submit it to a journal. It's necessary for the Physics Community to know about your research results," Witten said.
"OK."
After leaving the Institute for Advanced Study, Shen Qi submitted his paper, "Research on Defect Topology Based on Spherical Stable Homotopy Group," to the journal Science.
Science is an academic journal sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, covering all disciplines. It is published weekly and currently has an impact factor (IF) of 32.182, which is more than 20 times that of most mathematics journals.
A scholar can be proud of publishing a paper in Science or Nature for several years.
Shen Qi has published a total of five papers in the Top Four Journals. He has already dominated the mathematics journals. Continuing to publish in them would just be a simple accumulation of numbers. He no longer needs to rely on papers in the Top Four Journals to consolidate his position in the Mathematics Community.
People always need to change their mood and experience the diverse and colorful aspects of life.
However, just one week later, Shen Qi was given a cold shower by Science magazine.
Shen Qi's Condensed Matter Physics paper was rejected by Science.
The editorial department of Science explained:
"Professor Shen, thank you very much for your submission."
"Your outstanding achievements in the field of mathematics are evident to all, and all the staff of our journal are your fans."
"It's a wonderful discovery that you've entered the field of physics research. We believe you will once again amaze the world."
"Unfortunately, your physics paper, 'Research on Defect Topology Based on Stable Homotopy Group of Spherical Surfaces,' is too theoretical."
"We fully acknowledge the academic significance of this physics paper, but as we've said before, overly theoretical and esoteric academic discussions are not suitable for most readers of <Science>."
"It's unfair to paying readers if they pay to subscribe to an article they can't understand 99% of."
"So I hope you can understand, and I look forward to your next submission."
Shen Qi was speechless and questioned the heavens. He knew that Science magazine was aimed at a general audience, and many of its readers were not professional researchers but science enthusiasts.
Shen Qi's Condensed Matter Physics paper submitted to Science was carefully crafted. He omitted a large amount of complex and profound theoretical discussion and used the simplest and clearest language possible to explain the research results of defect topology based on Homotopy Group.
Even so, Science rejected Shen Qi's manuscript.
"It seems I'm destined to be forever separated from science and nature."
Shen Qi sometimes pondered a question: the deeper one goes in theoretical research, the less likely there might be anyone in the world who can understand what he has written.