Sohu founder and CEO Zhang Chaoyang, holding a doctorate in physics, will engage in two groundbreaking dialogues with eminent physicists Anthony Zee and David Tong on July 16 and 17 at 14:00. These sessions will explore the profound connections between subatomic particles and cosmic structures while unraveling mysteries surrounding the universe's inception.
Professor Anthony Zee, recipient of Germany's Humboldt Research Award and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, witnessed particle physics' golden age before pioneering topological order research in condensed matter physics. His influential textbooks have been adopted by Harvard and Stanford universities.
Professor David Tong from the University of Cambridge and Fellow of the Royal Society specializes in quantum field theory, supersymmetry, and cosmology. His revolutionary studies on non-Gaussian evolution in the early universe, soliton structures in gauge field theory, and duality concepts have significantly advanced our understanding of cosmic inflation and non-perturbative quantum phenomena. His freely accessible lecture materials have garnered millions of views worldwide.
Through his popular physics lectures on Sohu Video, Zhang has become a prominent science communicator in Chinese cyberspace. For nearly four years, his program "Zhang Chaoyang's Physics Class" has demystified fundamental physics principles underlying everyday phenomena and cutting-edge technologies ranging from automotive engineering to aerospace systems. By interviewing leading scientists, he bridges the gap between advanced research and public scientific literacy.
This event marks the second anniversary of Sohu Video's acclaimed scientist dialogue series. Following Zhang's recent discussion with Nobel laureate David Gross on emergent spacetime and asymptotic freedom, these new sessions will continue examining pivotal developments in theoretical physics. Last July, Zhang conversed with Zee and string theorist Cumrun Vafa about higher-dimensional spacetime and the significance of scientific intuition.
The dialogues will address fundamental questions that have challenged physicists since Dirac's unification of quantum mechanics and relativity nearly a century ago. Despite quantum field theory's unprecedented experimental validation—accurate to nine decimal places—critical cosmic mysteries remain unsolved. How do infinitesimal particles connect to the universe's structure at 380,000 years after the Big Bang? What methods allow humanity to "excavate" the universe's primordial secrets? Join these visionary scientists as they navigate today's most thrilling frontiers in physics and demonstrate the transformative power of fundamental research.