Michel completed his studies at the
École Polytechnique in
Paris. After
World War II, he went to
Manchester,
England, where he worked on
weak interactions. Back in France, he was teaching in
Lille and
Orsay before creating the
Centre de Physique Théorique of the École Polytechnique (CPHT) in
Palaiseau. In 1962, he became a permanent professor at
Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS) in Bures-sur-Yvette, where he remained until his retirement, and as an
emeritus professor until his death. Louis Michel was President of the
Société Française de Physique between 1978 and 1980, and a member of the
French Academy of Sciences since 1979. In 1982, he was awarded the
Wigner Medal. His scientific activities in the domain of
theoretical physics encompassed many fields, from
elementary particles and high energy physics to
crystals, and provided pioneering insights in
spontaneous symmetry breaking in many contexts. Including a theory of
phase transitions as a symmetry-breaking, his geometric theory of
spontaneous symmetry breaking, and to several results in
crystallography. In 2000, in honor of his memory, the IHÉS created the
chaire Louis Michel de physique théorique, an academic chair for distinguished long-term visitors. ==References==