Michael Stone

Michael Stone is Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a joint appointment in the Department of Physics, College of Engineering. He has been on the faculty since 1981, following a PhD from the University of Cambridge (1976) and a period as Deputy Director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB (1992–1994). He serves on the editorial boards of International Journal of Modern Physics B, Modern Physics Letters B, and Physical Review Letters, where he was divisional associate editor (1997–1999).

Education

• Ph.D., Particle Physics (Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics), University of Cambridge, 1976

Research Interests

Professor Stone’s work lies at the intersection of quantum field theory and condensed-matter physics. His current focus is the dynamics of vortices in superfluids and superconductors, including the long-standing puzzle of dissipation mediated by Abrikosov vortices under Magnus force. He has illuminated how topological constraints induce anomalous behaviors—linking these to Berry phases—and has extended bosonization techniques to broader model classes. Additional areas include quantum Hall edge states, chiral kinetic theory, Majorana fermions, and the role of geometric phases in strongly coupled systems.

Scientific Awards & Honors

• Fellow, Institute of Physics (UK) – 2011
• Fellow, American Physical Society – 2009

Teaching & Pedagogical Contributions

Professor Stone regularly teaches core graduate courses and has authored extensive online lecture notes. Recent offerings include:

• PHYS 211 – University Physics: Mechanics
• PHYS 508 – Mathematical Physics I
• PHYS 509 – Mathematical Physics II

He has also co-authored the graduate textbook Mathematics for Physics with Paul Goldbart and maintains a popular webpage of short pedagogical essays and research notes.