Chiungtze C. Tsen (1898-1940) and Tsen's theorems (Q1567144): Difference between revisions

Chiungtze Tsen is one of the many forgotten mathematicians. Clearly he was a patriot who repaid his debt to his country, accepting fellowships to go overseas and then teaching under the appalling conditions of China in 1935-1940 during the civil and world wars. Just as clearly his potential remained unfulfilled: in Göttingen of the 1930s with Emmy Noether, Friedrich Schmidt, Emil Artin, Hermann Weyl, David Hilbert and Ernst Witt, and all the rest of ``Emmy's boys'', he was at the forefront of the then modern algebra. The article gives the biographical details and a thorough discussion of Tsen's two papers (1933; Zbl 0007.29401, 1936; Zbl 0015.38803) and his thesis (Göttingen 1934; Zbl 0010.19601). Tsen focussed on the structure of central simple algebras, while Brauer and Hasse concentrated on their use. There is a detailed discussion of Germany of 1932-1935, and some selected pieces on China 1920-1940. There are nearly 100 items in the bibliography.