Laudatio in Physikalische Blätter  42(1986) Nr. 3

The DPG (German Physical Society) awards the Max-Planck-Medal this year to Dr. Franz Joachim Wegner, professor of theoretical physics at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg for his seminal work on lattice gauge models and his outstanding contributions to the theory of phase transitions and to the localisation of electrons in disordered solids. This is the highest award the German Physical Society is giving out.

This annually awarded price constists of a medal in gold and a deed written on pergament by hand. It was donated 1929 and awarded the first time to Max Planck und Albert Einstein the same year.

With his considerations about phase transitions and critical phenomena Wegner has decisively contributed to the development of the renormalization group method. Earlier while working on duality he introduced the concept of gauge invariant Ising models and developed notions which are now much used in gauge theories for elementary particles.

With his important contributions to solid state physics Franz Wegner gave an example of how new methods and concepts can become fruitful for other aereas of theoretical physics as well.

Franz Wegner studied and got his PhD at the Technische Universität München and after staying for some time at KFA Jülich and the Brown University Providence, USA, he accepted the offer to come to Heidelberg university. For his contributions to critical and tri-critical phenomena he received the Walter-Schottky price in 1976.

(translated to english from the german original)