Some multifaceted aspects of mathematical physics, our common denominator with Elliott Lieb

TL;DR

This paper highlights Elliott Lieb's profound influence on mathematical physics, emphasizing his contributions to foundational activities, publication practices, and philosophical considerations within the field.

Contribution

It introduces the multifaceted impact of Elliott Lieb on mathematical physics, including organizational, editorial, and philosophical contributions.

Findings

Elliott Lieb significantly shaped the foundation of IAMP and LMP.

He influenced publication practices by advocating for 'consent to publish'.

The paper underscores Lieb's broad scientific and philosophical impact.

Abstract

Mathematical physics has many facets, of which we shall briefly give a (very partial) description, centered around those of main interest for Elliott and us (Moshe Flato and I). In our case these aspects had as a corollary a variety of "parascientific activities", in particular the foundation of IAMP (the International Association of Mathematical Physics) and of the journal LMP (Letters in Mathematical Physics), both of which were strongly impacted by Elliott, and Elliott's long insistence that publishers do not demand "copyright transfer" as a precondition for publication but are satisfied with "consent to publish", which is increasingly becoming standard. Since this article is testimony to the huge scientific impact of Elliott, the latter intertwined aspects constitute the core of the present contribution. The last part deals briefly with metaphysical and metamathematical considerations related to axioms.