To Put It Bluntly
After spending more than half a year writing a physics paper, Shen Qi still had to publish it. After all, it was a hard-won achievement and a positive signal: I, Shen Qi, have officially entered the Physics Community.
Having no other choice, Shen Qi had to submit this highly theoretical physics paper to the <Physical-Review-Letters>.
PRL is the top international professional physics journal sponsored by the American Physical Society. It is a weekly publication with a current impact Physical Review Letters of 7.872.
Witten offered some valuable suggestions regarding the paper, "Research on Defect Topology Based on Spherically Stable Homotopy Group".
Shen Qi revised the paper according to Witten's suggestions. After consulting Witten, he added Witten's name after his own. The authors of this paper are Shen Qi and Edward Witten.
Shen Qi would occasionally stroll to the Institute for Advanced Study to chat with Witten about physics, life, and the vast universe.
Being a physics PhD student at Witten was relatively easy. Witten didn't set any hard targets for Shen Qi; he was free to do as he pleased, and Shen Qi could submit the required research results whenever he wanted to graduate.
Witten can do for Shen Qi is to provide theoretical guidance and other necessary resources.
PRL is published weekly, featuring the latest and coolest physics research findings and related reports.
The weekly journal's peer review process is faster than that of annual, quarterly, and monthly journals. The PRL is backed by the American Physical Society, which has a sound and efficient peer review system.
Shen Qi's paper, "Research on Defect Topology Based on Stable Homotopy Group of Spherical Surfaces," quickly reached the hands of Ben Eggers, a University Physics, a member of the American Physical Society, and a recipient of the American Physical Society Barkley Prize.
Professor Eggers was initially drawn to the title of the paper, but then he was utterly astonished by the names of the two authors.
"Shen Qi and Edward Witten, what's wrong with them?" Eggers was under a lot of pressure. He was about to review a paper whose authors were two Fields Medal winners.
The Barkley Prize is a prestigious award in the Physics Community. Eggers had to withstand the pressure, no matter how much it was for him. He had to have confidence, after all, he was a professional physicist who had won the Barkley Prize.
After reviewing Shen Qi and Witten's paper, Eggers frowned in thought, remaining silent for a long time.
After reviewing it again, Eggers' expression became extremely solemn; he had finally understood the paper on Condensed Matter Physics.
"Shen Qi and Witten calculated the permanent cycle in the Adams Spectral Sequence based on Homotopy Group. Good heavens, should I approve it or not?"
Professor Eggers was caught in a dilemma; he was a student of PW Anderson and a staunch supporter of PW Anderson's physics system.
In PW Anderson's classic textbook, Advanced Condensed Matter Physics, traditional physical methods are used to define defects such as singularities or singular lines in crystals.
Eggers taught this classical physical method when he taught his students Condensed Matter Physics.
Now, Shen Qi and Witten have devised a new method based on Homotopy Group. Their intention is to upgrade and update the traditional physical methods in Condensed Matter Physics.
"Is there something wrong with the PRL editor's brain? How could they let me review such a sensitive paper by such a special author?" Eggers felt he had been framed. He didn't want to offend Witten and Shen Qi, nor did he want to betray his teacher, PW Anderson.
Even after Stephen Hawking's passing, there are still four universally recognized top physicists in the Physics Community today.
Sort by age:
Yang Zhenning is over ninety years old, almost a hundred.
PW Anderson, he is one year younger than Mr. Yang.
Stephen Weinberg, the Harvard University Professor Higgins, is ten years younger than PW Anderson and is also in his eighties.
Edward Witten, he's not even seventy years old, he's still young.
What these four physics giants have in common is that they are all Theoretical Physics.
Edward Witten's unique highlight is that he is the only one of the four to have won the Fields Medal.
The other three are Nobel Prize in Physics.
PW Anderson's students are all over the world; even the editors of PRL probably can't remember who his students are.
In short, Professor Eggers was in a very difficult position, as his mentor, PW Anderson, was elderly, frail, and in poor health.
Witten, on the other hand, is still very active and can remain active in the Physics Community for at least another decade.
Shen Qi?
This guy is only in his early twenties...
I can't afford to mess with them.
Regarding the paper "Research on Defect Topology Based on Stable Homotopy Group of Spherical Surfaces" alone, Eggers does not deny the research results of Shen Qi and Witten academically, which is precisely his dilemma.
Shen Qi's office in the Princeton Mathematics Building.
Shen Qi flew into a rage at Yu Lei: "Yu Lei, what the hell are you doing! You've only been in Canada for a few days and you've already slept with that virgin!"
"Little Brother Qi, you've wronged me! I didn't sleep with her, I didn't sleep with her!" Yu Lei cried out, his body trembling violently with excitement.
Shen Qi was furious. "Professor Little Guy's complaint call came directly to me. He described you as a man who 'thinks with his lower body'! As your mentor, I, Shen Qi, can't bear this humiliation; the international impact is too terrible!"
"I drank too much that day and lost my morals. I was the one who was forced into it, Little Brother Qi!"
"Yu Lei, you mean she slept with you? I admit you're handsome, but does that mean you can do whatever you want?"
"Sigh, it's a long story, it's all the fault of alcohol."
"Yu Lei, whether it's a genuine relationship or a one-night stand, I have no right to interfere in your private life. I've said before that I hope you can have beautiful girls by your side, balancing academics and social life. But you must remember this: don't sleep with the girls in your team. That's a fundamental principle." Shen Qi tapped the table, calming down slightly.
Yu Lei declared confidently, "I've remembered it, I've remembered it, I'll keep it firmly in my heart! Little Brother Qi, please don't kick me out of the sect!"
"Alright, who hasn't been impulsive or made mistakes when they were young? Let's put this behind us. I'll explain to Professor Little Guy." Shen Qi wasn't afraid of students making mistakes; he was afraid of students being dishonest and deceiving him while pretending to comply.
"Thank you, Little Brother Qi." Yu Lei's nose tingled with emotion. Little Brother Qi is so good to me; he's so protective of his own... Wait, but the basic principles Little Brother Qi mentioned seem to have exceptions. Sister Xiao Ou is his classmate and a member of his team...
"Tell me about your research project, Yu Lei. How far has it progressed?" Shen Qi got down to business.
Yu Lei handed a pile of documents to Shen Qi, looking tired but also proud.
This international and inter-university joint project is titled "Research on Multivariable Holomorphic Functions." Shen Qi carefully reviewed the section that Yu Lei was responsible for, and his anger completely subsided. Regardless of the circumstances, Yu Lei was very dedicated to his academic work, which made Shen Qi feel gratified.