Chapter 148: Delignes learning talent that shocked him
After taking just two steps, Xu Chuan suddenly remembered another question.
He stopped and looked at Pasia Miris, who was standing still, and asked curiously: "I remember you just said that you studied under Professor Mariam Mirzakhani?"
Paxia Miris thought there was room for change, her eyes lit up, and she walked over quickly.
"Yes, my mentor is Mirzakhani."
"You said you were a doctoral student at Princeton? But if I remember correctly, Professor Mariam Mirzakhani seems to be working at Stanford University, right?"
Xu Chuan asked a little strangely, why did Professor Mariam Mirzakhani’s students come to Princeton?
Exchange student?
It shouldn't be. For most people, if they can study with Fields Medal winners, this is almost the best choice. There is no need to switch to Princeton to study.
Hearing this, Paxia Miris shook his head and said with some disappointment: "Professor Mirzakhani was my supervisor when I was a graduate student. I came to Princeton in 12 years."
Xu Chuan suddenly understood that the girl in front of him was really unlucky.
She followed Professor Mariam Mirzakhani during her graduate school years, and went to Princeton for further study in 12 years. However, in just two years, Professor Mirzakhani won the Fields Medal.
Although going to Princeton for further study is a very good choice and you can learn a lot, on the other hand, by following a Fields Medal mentor, you can gain more resources, status and other things.
Not everyone can compare with himself and be able to study under two Fields Medal winners after entering Princeton.
Come to think of it, the girl named Paxia in front of me just missed this opportunity.
.........
After returning to the dormitory, Xu Chuan cleaned the dormitory and packed the luggage he had brought.
Princeton University's resources are quite sufficient, such as accommodation rooms and so on. There are five residential colleges in the accommodation alone.
Each residential college includes a series of dormitories, a dining hall, and other facilities including study rooms, libraries, stages, darkrooms, etc.
But there are quite a few single rooms like his, but not everyone can apply for one.
Even for doctoral students at Princeton, if they apply for accommodation without the help of their supervisor, they will most likely only be able to apply for a double or triple room.
Xu Chuan doesn't have high requirements for accommodation. He can accept double rooms or multi-person rooms, but single rooms are obviously better.
After all, sometimes he would stay up late or even stay up all night when delving into problems or studying. If he lived with others, it would definitely have an impact on others.
There is no such trouble in a single dormitory, and he can do whatever he wants.
After briefly cleaning the room and packing the luggage he had brought, Xu Chuan got up and went downstairs to have dinner at an off-campus eating club, and then went to sleep to adjust to the jet lag.
Princeton University is the only school among the eight Ivy League schools located in a village famous for its food. This school is famous for its unique celebrity chef visiting activities. Every week you can taste the special delicacies cooked by famous chefs in person at the school.
But unfortunately, these well-known chefs are basically chefs of various Western foods and do not know Chinese food.
If you want to eat Chinese food in Princeton, you have to go to some special "restaurants" or special "eating clubs" near the campus. These places only provide Chinese food.
He has stayed here for more than ten years, so he knows exactly which food tastes best for him.
However, Xu Chuan underestimated his influence. When he appeared at the Daqian Food Forest Restaurant outside Princeton and was recognized, the whole restaurant immediately became agitated.
Xu Chuan far underestimated the allure of an eighteen-year-old popular candidate for the Philippine Prize to a Princeton University mathematics professor.
Especially when these professors basically knew that he would come to study at Princeton, they had already told their assistants or students that if they met him, they must recruit him.
So while eating, Xu Chuan encountered people constantly coming up to chat with him, handing him business cards, and recommending tutors.
After one meal, he received more than ten business cards.
There was also one handed to him by the owner of Daqian Food Forest Restaurant.
The boss is a Chinese, tall and thick, but his cooking skills are very good. He is very good at cooking fish, whether it is fresh water fish or sea fish.
Especially the boiled fish fillet, it can be said to be an authentic hometown taste.
But unfortunately, the vast majority of Princeton students rarely eat boiled fish made from fresh water fish such as grass carp, silver carp, and black fish.
In the eyes of most foreigners, Chinese food is either too spicy, too salty, or too bland, and is not suitable for the stomach at all.
In this regard, Xu Chuan could only say that you really only deserve to eat a hamburger sandwich and French fries.
.......
After politely declining all the students and assistants who came to recommend tutors, and publicly stating that he already had a tutor, the following period became quieter, and there was no longer a steady stream of people coming to chat with him.
After adjusting to the pace of life and the time difference for a day or two, Xu Chuan almost completely adapted to the lifestyle here at Princeton, and incidentally received invitations from various clubs at Princeton University.
It is worth mentioning that at Princeton, the various clubs established around the entire campus are a quite beautiful cultural scene.
In Princeton, a "pocket" university, there are only a few thousand freshmen each year, but there are more than 300 student organizations, 38 sports clubs, and more than a dozen pastors and campus centers that facilitate student prayer.
These student organizations and clubs constitute much of Princeton’s campus culture, and they are clearly stratified. Many of them are highly exclusive, or in other words, chains of contempt.
Just like an eating club.
There are 11 eating clubs in Princeton, 5 of which are free to join, and 6 of which require screening.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Compared with fraternities and sororities, or other social organizations, the eating club has a unique selection process called the "bicker" process, and the students here use academic "arguments"
" way to get to know each other with the members of the eating club.
Obviously, the students in eating clubs that require heavy screening to enter, such as the Ivy League Eating Club, are all top students.
But don’t simply think that this is a structure similar to domestic student unions.
Here, the top clubs can provide student members with various help and free guidance on study abroad applications, career planning, academic exchanges, etc. They also hold regular study abroad lectures and salons, inviting students from Harvard, Yale and other prestigious schools and the workplace.
Elites share their valuable experience in studying abroad applications and job hunting for members.
This is a platform for high-end social networking and DIY resource sharing, so it will also screen talents step by step.
Of course, these heavy screenings are completely non-existent rules for truly top talents.
Just like the Ivy League Club, the top club in Princeton University, Xu Chuan took the initiative to send the invitation letter to him before he even applied.
In comparison, the situation in my previous life where I went through application, traditional and ancient debates and other steps to join the membership is simply incomparable. There is a huge difference between the two.
It can only be said that talented or capable people are welcome everywhere.
.........
After dealing with invitations to clubs, student organizations, etc., Xu Chuan retreated to his dormitory and prepared to concentrate on completing the data calculations for the 'Proton Radius Mystery' problem.
But at this moment, he received a call from his mentor Deligne.
Putting down the manuscript paper in his hand, Xu Chuan came to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
Most of the time, his two mentors, Deligne and Witten, basically do research at the institute. As for classes at Princeton University, if they are in a good mood or there is a big class, they will go there, and spend the rest of the time there.
Basically leave it to your assistant or student.
This is a normal operation for a boss of their level.
After knocking on the office door, Xu Chuan walked in. In the office, an old man wearing long sleeves was sitting at the table.
"tutor."
Xu Chuan said hello, and Deligne looked up and put down the ballpoint pen in his hand.
"How have you been adapting to the past two days? Have you adjusted to the jet lag and all that?"
Xu Chuan: "Thank you teacher for your concern. I have almost adjusted."
Deligne: "That's good. Adapt to the life here as soon as possible and enter the state of study and research as soon as possible. Witten is still waiting for you."
Xu Chuan nodded: "I will do my best to speed up and perfect it."
Hearing this, Deligne smiled and said: "Don't be so anxious. Study and research must be integrated with daily life. Princeton still has many interesting clubs and student organizations, such as rugby, soccer, and skating. You can do these."
You can have some contact, after all, your body is the most important thing."
Deligne advised with a smile. He was not worried that the student in front of him would not work hard in study and research.
Whether it was him, Witten, or other professors at Princeton, they all brought students from China.
Not to mention anything else, in terms of diligence and hard work, no students from any other country in Princeton can compare with students from China.
Sometimes they have almost no other recreational activities except eating, sleeping and studying.
Such students cannot be said to be bad, but they lack some spirituality and communication necessary for academic pursuits.
And sometimes, it is this spirituality and communication that can push a person further on the academic path.
It is forbidden to conduct academic research and conduct research behind closed doors. Except for the "weirdo" Perelman, there are almost no researchers who have produced significant results by working behind closed doors.
Inspiration and sparks are born in communication and collision, and one's thinking is always limited.
Therefore, Deligne hopes that Xu Chuan can go out for more activities, make some friends, and maintain his absorption of outside knowledge.
Xu Chuan was naturally aware of this and nodded in agreement.
Although his study and research methods are somewhat similar to Perelman's ascetic research methods, he never denied the importance of communicating with top colleagues.
"By the way, this is for you."
After a brief chat, Professor Deligne took out a certificate-like piece of paper from the drawer, placed it on the table, and pushed it to Xu Chuan.
Xu Chuan picked up the paper from the table with some curiosity and took a look.
"Study scholarship?"
Deligne nodded and said: "Well, when I went through the admission procedures for you, I applied for a full scholarship for you. You can take it to the Academic Affairs Office later and your tuition will be exempted.
As well as accommodation fees, a sum of 100,000 meters will be given for living expenses, which can be used as daily living allowance."
After a pause, Professor Deligne added: "Of course, with your grades, you can apply by yourself."
Holding the student aid award in his hand, Xu Chuan thanked Professor Deligne.
But neither he nor Deligne cared about this.
Although it is difficult to obtain Princeton's assistantship, which includes stipends, scholarships, and full scholarships that waive tuition and fees, competition is fierce, especially at the doctoral level.
After all, Princeton University tuition is ridiculously expensive.
Not to mention the doctoral level, the tuition fee for the undergraduate level alone exceeds 50,000 yuan per year. If converted, it is 350,000 yuan per year.
In addition to tuition fees, there are also accommodation fees, meals, other miscellaneous fees, etc.
All added up, the annual tuition fee for studying alone is at least 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, almost 500,000 y.
Ordinary families simply cannot afford such high tuition fees.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The full scholarship can reduce all tuition and fees, accommodation fees, and give you an extra living allowance, so it will naturally be competed by countless people.
However, applications for the full scholarship are also made on a per-person basis.
For Xu Chuan, he is qualified to directly serve as a full professor at Princeton, and he can write applications and letters of recommendation to other students. Now he is admitted as a doctoral student, with a full scholarship. As long as he applies, Princeton will definitely approve it.
, it doesn’t matter how strict the review system is.
For a genius boy who can prove world-class mathematical conjectures at the age of eighteen, no matter which school he goes to, scholarship, etc., he is almost destined.
Even if he doesn't want it, the school will push it into his arms.
........
After handling these trivial matters, Xu Chuan settled down at Princeton University and began to concentrate on perfecting the calculation method of the "proton radius mystery".
If you are an ordinary doctoral student, after you find a supervisor, you will definitely find jobs as a teaching assistant, scientific research experiment assistant, etc.
Xu Chuan was no exception. Professor Deligne arranged for him to be a teaching assistant, but he did not impose any restrictions on the teaching assistant's time. He was asked to give priority to completing Professor Witten's requirements before proceeding.
Deligne is not worried that this student will waste his mathematical knowledge. Although the problem of "the mystery of the proton radius" belongs to the world of physics, since the starting point of Xu Chuan's research is mathematics, it ultimately belongs to the study of mathematics.
The days passed like this, and in the blink of an eye, it was early July.
During this month, Xu Chuan, in addition to perfecting the calculation method of "The Mystery of the Proton Radius" every day, also learned other mathematical knowledge from Professor Deligne.
Xu Chuan mainly wanted to learn number theory and differential equations, and the old professor occasionally taught him some mathematics in algebraic geometry.
After all, I studied under Mr. Grothendieck, the Pope of algebraic geometry, so algebraic geometry can be said to be a required course.
After more than a month of study, Xu Chuan had a deeper understanding of his mathematics tutor.
There was nothing wrong with his choice.
Although this mentor has been known as the Pope's student all his life, which is both an honor and an inescapable tragedy. However, this old man's knowledge is really broad and boundless, giving people a sense of depth with no end in sight.
Over the past month, almost all the various problems he encountered while studying number theory were answered and inspired by this old man.
Xu Chuan was surprised by Professor Deligne's knowledge, and Professor Deligne was also surprised, even shocked by Xu Chuan's talent.
During this month, Xu Chuan mainly learned analytic number theory from him, without any cover-up in front of him.
At the beginning, this young genius still had many misunderstandings and ignorance about analytic number theory.
But in just one month, I was able to use multiplicative number theory to study the properties of product generating functions with him in analytic number theory, and to discuss the issue of prime number distribution.
Although multiplicative number theory is only a part of analytic number theory, it still shocked him greatly.
He is worthy of being a young genius who solved a world-class conjecture at the age of eighteen. His terrifying learning speed and mathematical talent can be said to be the first person he has encountered in his decades of teaching at Princeton.
Even Terence Tao, who is known as the "Mozart of Mathematics", showed a talent for mathematics when he was studying at Princeton, which was slightly inferior to this young man.