Abel Prize-2025

Why in News?

• Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara was awarded this year's Abel Prize.

Contribution of Masaki Kashiwara:

• Kashiwara was honored for his fundamental contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory, especially the development of the theory of D-modules and the discovery of crystal bases.
  • Discovery of crystal bases - This helped mathematicians to transform complex calculations into simple graphs, leading to revolutionary improvements in the understanding and computation of mathematical theories.

Abel Prize:

• The Abel Prize recognizes leading scientific achievements in mathematics.
• It is awarded and administered by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on behalf of the Government of Norway.
• It is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829).
• The award was established by the Parliament of Norway in 2002 on the 200th anniversary of Abel.
• The award was first given in 2003 and is considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize.
• The award consists of a sum of 7.5 million kroner (about $720,000) and a glass plaque designed by Norwegian artist Henrik Haugen.