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Ralph Kenna

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Irish mathematician and theoretical physicist

Professor Ralph Kenna (born 27 August 1964 – died 26 October 2023) was an Irish mathematician and theoretical physicist who was head of the statistical physics research group at Coventry University. He was a specialist in statistical physics, complex systems and Irish mythology.

Professor Ralph Kenna
BornRalph Jude Kenna
(1964-08-27)27 August 1964
Athlone, Ireland
DiedOctober 26, 2023(2023-10-26) (aged 59)
NationalityIrish
CitizenshipIreland
Alma mater
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions

Early life and education

Kenna was born in Athlone, on the border between counties Roscommon and Westmeath, Ireland, on 27 August 1964. He attended Marist College, Athlone (best leaving certificate, class of 1981) and obtained his B.A. (mod) degree in Theoretical Physics from Trinity College Dublin in 1985. He also obtained his M.Sc. (1988) from Trinity College Dublin. He completed his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) at the University of Graz under Professor Christian Lang in 1993.

Career

Kenna was an EU Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool from 1994 to 1997 and at Trinity College Dublin from 1997 to 1999. He lectured at Trinity from 1998 to 2002, when he moved to Coventry University. In 2005, he co-founded the Applied Mathematics Research Centre at Coventry and founded the Statistical Physics Group there. In 2018 these joined the Fluid and Complex Systems Research Centre, Coventry University, of which Kenna was Deputy Director.

Research

Kenna's research interests relate to field theory, statistical physics (especially phase transitions and critical phenomena) and complex systems (especially applied to Irish mythology and other epic narratives).

Statistical physics

In statistical physics, Kenna is noted for his development of scaling relations for logarithmic corrections. Already in his PhD Thesis he introduced a renormalization group basis for finite-size scaling (FSS) for logarithmic corrections at the upper critical dimension and, with Bertrand Berche, he extended this to higher dimensions in 2012. They proposed that universality lives at the pseudocritical point instead of at the critical point and a new form for hyperscaling, valid in high dimensions. This led to the introduction of the new critical exponent ϙ (koppa) and its logarithmic counterpart ϙ̂ (ϙ-hat or koppa-hat) to govern the finite-size dependence of the correlation length and a new form for FSS, called QFSS, to replace standard prescription above the upper critical dimension. Fourier analysis showed two regimes that control finite systems in high dimensions instead of Landau scaling. The Q sector is affected by dangerous irrelevant variables and the Gaussian, or G, sector (G) is not but both are physical. The pseudocritical point resides in the Q sector while the critical point itself may be either Q or G.

Formal similarities between spin systems on lattices and on scale-free networks mean an analogy between dimensionality and power-law decay of the node degree distribution there. Logarithmic corrections at critical values also obey the scaling relations developed by Kenna in 2006. Kenna's work on percolation theory in high dimensions and spin models on annealed scale-free networks has featured in the Institute of Physics News.

Complex systems

In 2010, with Bertrand Berche, Kenna quantified the notion of critical mass of academic research groups. Using data from the UK's Research Assessment Exercise 2008 and the French counterpart (AERES) they tracked how research group quality depends on the size of the group. They found quality rises linearly with group size up to a point which they later identified as akin to the Dunbar number in anthropology. Critical mass, defined as the minimum size a group needs to achieve to be sustainable, is half that size. Subsequently, with Olesya Mryglod and Yurij Holovatch, Kenna and Berche used scientometrics to predict the outcome of the UK's Research Excellence Framework 2014. They found that correlations between metrics and peer review are poor and the former cannot reliably be used to replace the latter. This went some way to halting the overuse of metrics at the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

Comparative mythology

In comparative mythology Kenna is noted for pioneering the usage of complex networks in the study of Irish and other mythologies. His first paper on the topic was downloaded over 30,000 times in 10 years, a record for Europe's flagship letters journal in physics, and resulted in considerable media coverage in international press. Other major works include investigations into the Sagas of Icelanders. Kenna's team found that whether the sagas are historically accurate or not, the properties of the social worlds they record are similar to those of real social networks. The epic poems of Ossian were the focus of the next subject of study with conclusions broadly in line with the view they were misappropriated from Irish sources. The Viking Age in Ireland as portrayed in Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh was next tackled by Kenna's team. They developed a measure to place hostility on a spectrum between civil war and international conflict. Their findings quantified and supported the traditional view of the Viking age in Ireland as one of international conflict and challenged recent revisionist claims. A study of the character Fraoch identified quantifiable differences between the two parts of his story, supporting the suggestion it was set to writing by two different scribes, one of whom embellished the tale. Kenna and co-workers also studied Ukrainian mythology. They compared the Kyiv bylyny cycle to other prominent European epics to identify universal and distinguishing properties of its social networks. Kenna's team developed mathematical and statistical methods to probe how a modern complex narrative - namely George R. R. Martin's epic novels, A Song of Ice and Fire - achieved broad acclaim without surrendering to the need for reductionist simplifications. This and other works on narratology led to sustained media interest.

Awards, grants and honours

Kenna was awarded a Council of Europe scholarship to study in Austria where his PhD was then fully funded by a grant from the Austrian Science Fund (1990-1993). He twice held EU Marie Curie Research Fellowships (1994–1997 at the University of Liverpool and in 1997 at Trinity College Dublin). He also held an Enterprise Ireland Fellowship while in Trinity (1997-1999). In 2004 Kenna became Member of the Institute of Physics and in 2011 he was elected Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. He held a number of grants throughout the years, including from the Leverhulme Trust (2010-2013) and European Science Foundation (2014), to support his work on comparative mythology. Kenna held or supported a number of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions including an FP7 International Research Staff Exchange Scheme with Christian von Ferber (2012-2016; 2014-2018) and an FP7-Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship for Dr Nikolay Izmailyan to visit him in Coventry (2013-2015). Kenna has been supported by Armenian State Committee of Science Thematic Grants to collaborate with Nerses Izmailyan (2021-2025). In 2019 Kenna was awarded Doctor honoris causa by the Academic Council of the Institute for Condensed Matter Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. His certificate of election reads:

By the decision of the Academic Council of the ICMP of the National Acad. Sci. of Ukraine of February 11, 2019 the title of Doctor honoris causa was conferred on Ralph Kenna (Coventry, England) for the studies which provided explanation of scaling and universality in complex systems of many interacting agents, pioneering interdisciplinary applications of statistical physics as well as for his personal initiative in different forms of collaboration with Ukraine and his engagement in preparation of young scientists.

In 2023 Kenna was selected as Member of the London Mathematical Society Research Policy Committee.

Personal life

Kenna was first child of Pat Kenna and Irene Kenna (nee Benson). Kenna had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in 2017. Despite being 30 minutes gone, he made a full recovery. He became fund raiser for the air ambulance who brought him back. He married Claire Dutton in 2015. Claire has an M.Sc. in medical statistics and in 2018 published two papers about out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. They had one child.

He died on 26 October 2023.

Selected publications

References

  1. Kenna, Ralph. "AMRC, Coventry University:  Single view". Complexity-coventry.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  2. Kenna, Ralph. "Physics Tree:  Single view". academictree.org. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Physics - Ralph Kenna". Physics.aps.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. "The Atlas of Irish Mathematics: Westmeath (Feb 2018)".
  5. "50th birthday of Ralph Kenna" (PDF). Icmp.lviv.ua. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  6. "Mathematics genealogy- Ralph Kenna". /www.mathgenealogy.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  7. "Deputy Director - Ralph Kenna". Fluid and Complex Systems Research Centre, Coventry University. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  8. ^ Kenna, R.; Johnston, D.; Janke, W. (2006). "Scaling Relations for Logarithmic Corrections". Physical Review Letters. 96 (11): 115701. arXiv:cond-mat/0605162. Bibcode:2006PhRvL..96k5701K. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.115701. PMID 16605842. S2CID 5844607.
  9. ^ Kenna, R.; Johnston, D.; Janke, W. (2006). "Self-Consistent Scaling Theory for Logarithmic-Correction Exponents". Physical Review Letters. 97 (15): 155702. arXiv:cond-mat/0608127. Bibcode:2006PhRvL..97o5702K. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.155702. PMID 17155337. S2CID 7648192.
  10. Kenna, R.; Lang, C.B. (1991). "Finite-Size Scaling and the Zeroes of the Partition Function in the φ 4 4 {\displaystyle \varphi _{4}^{4}} Model". Physics Letters B. 264 (3–4): 396. Bibcode:1991PhLB..264..396K. doi:10.1016/0370-2693(91)90367-Y.
  11. ^ Berche, B.; Kenna, R.; Walter, J.-C. (2012). "Hyperscaling above the upper critical dimension". Nuclear Physics B. 865 (1): 115–132. arXiv:1402.1657. Bibcode:2012NuPhB.865..115B. doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2012.07.021. S2CID 119216957.
  12. Kenna, R.; Berche, B. (2013). "A new critical exponent ϙ and its logarithmic counterpart" (PDF). Condensed Matter Physics. 16: 23601. doi:10.5488/CMP.16.23601. S2CID 118152535.
  13. Kenna, R.; Berche, B. (2013). "A new critical exponent ϙ and its logarithmic counterpart" (PDF). Condensed Matter Physics. 16: 23601. doi:10.5488/CMP.16.23601. S2CID 118152535.
  14. Flores-Sola, E.; Berche, B.; Kenna, R.; Weigl, M. (2016). "Role of Fourier modes in finite-size scaling above the upper critical dimension". Physical Review Letters. 116 (11): 115701. arXiv:1511.04321. Bibcode:2016PhRvL.116k5701F. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.115701. PMID 27035310. S2CID 206271579.
  15. Kenna, R.; Berche, B. (2015). "Scaling and Finite-Size Scaling above the Upper Critical Dimension". In Holovatch, Yurij (ed.). Order, Disorder, and Criticality: Advanced Problems of Phase Transition Theory. Vol. 4. Singapore: World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-4632-67-6.
  16. Palchykov, C.; von Ferber, C.; Folk, R.; Holovatch, Yu.; Kenna, R. (2010). "Critical phenomena on scale-free networks: logarithmic corrections and scaling functions". Physical Review E. 82 (1 Pt 1): 011145. arXiv:1004.0097. Bibcode:2010PhRvE..82a1145P. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.82.011145. PMID 20866603. S2CID 14311802.
  17. Krasnytska, M.; Berche, B.; Holovatch, Yu.; Kenna, R. (2016). "Partition function zeros for the Ising model on complete graphs and on annealed scale-free networks". J. Phys. A. 49 (13): 135001. arXiv:1510.00534. Bibcode:2016JPhA...49m5001K. doi:10.1088/1751-8113/49/13/135001. S2CID 119280739.
  18. Brown, Phil (21 July 2017). "Where physics and mathematics meet for coffee". Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  19. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (17 February 2016). "Interview with Mariana Krasnytska, Bertrand Berche, Ralph Kenna and Yurij Holovatch". Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  20. Kenna, MR; Berche, B. (2010). "The extensive nature of group quality". EPL. 90 (5): 58002. arXiv:1004.3155. Bibcode:2010EL.....9058002K. doi:10.1209/0295-5075/90/58002. S2CID 53622739.
  21. Jump, Paul (8 July 2010). "Truth in numbers: study pinpoints 'critical mass' for research success". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  22. Hendy, Shaun (20 October 2010). "Critical mass or is mass critical?". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  23. Kennna, Ralph; Berche, Bertrand. "Masse critique et Groupes de Recherche". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  24. Kenna, R.; Berche, B. (2011). "Critical mass and the dependency of research quality on group size". Scientometrics. 86 (2): 527–540. arXiv:1006.0928. doi:10.1007/s11192-010-0282-9. S2CID 37876062.
  25. Mryglod, O.; Kenna, R.; Holovatch, Y.; Berche, B. (2015). "Predicting Results of the Research Excellence Framework using departmental h-Index". Scientometrics. 102 (3): 2165–2180. arXiv:1411.1996. doi:10.1007/s11192-014-1512-3. S2CID 255006888.
  26. Mryglod, O.; Kenna, R.; Holovatch, Y.; Berche, B. (2015). "Predicting Results of the Research Excellence Framework using departmental h-Index - revisited". Scientometrics. 104 (3): 1013–1017. arXiv:1501.07857. doi:10.1007/s11192-015-1567-9. S2CID 255014082.
  27. "The predicted results for the 2014 ref aret in". www.timeshighereducation.com. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  28. "Counting what Counts Confidently (CCC)". ref.ac.uk. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021..
  29. Jump, Paul (27 November 2014). "The (predicted) results for the 2014 REF are in". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  30. Jump, Paul (5 September 2015). "Can the research excellence framework run on metrics?". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  31. Burke, Maria (15 December 2014). "Can research quality be predicted by metrics?". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  32. Kenna, R.; MacCarron, P. (2012). "Universal properties of mythological networks". EPL. 99 (2): 28002. arXiv:1205.4324. Bibcode:2012EL.....9928002M. doi:10.1209/0295-5075/99/28002. S2CID 751459.
  33. Mryglod, O.; Kenna, R.; Holovatch, Y. (2014). "Is your EPL attractive? Classification of publications through download statistics". Europhysics Letters. 108 (5): 50011. arXiv:1409.7889. Bibcode:2014EL....10850011M. doi:10.1209/0295-5075/108/50011. S2CID 17216146.
  34. "Publications - European Physical Society (EPS)".
  35. Colins, Nick (25 July 2012). "Beowulf and Iliad 'more plausible than Shakespeare'". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  36. "Gods and dragon myths 'more realistic than Harry'". 25 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  37. Carbery, Genevieve (26 July 2012). "Jul 26 2012". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  38. Czepel, Robert (27 July 2012). "Heldenreise trifft Netzwerktheorie". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  39. Langenbach, Jürgen (31 July 2012). "Ist Beowulf klarer als Shakespeare?". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  40. "Sociální Sítě v eposech naznačují: Achilles možná Existoval". 1 August 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  41. MacCarron, P.; Kenna, R. (2013). "Network analysis of the Íslendinga sögur – the Sagas of Icelanders". Eur. Phys. J. B. 86 (10): 407. arXiv:1309.6134. Bibcode:2013EPJB...86..407M. doi:10.1140/epjb/e2013-40583-3. S2CID 254116294.
  42. "Research suggests the Vikings may have been more social than savage". 1 October 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  43. Greenwood, Veronique (15 July 2014). "The Viking Facebook". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  44. Gunaratnam, Gina (9 February 2015). "Physics and society: Network analysis of the Íslendinga sögur - the Sagas of Icelanders". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  45. "Vikings may Have Been More Social than Savage". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  46. Skett, Philippa (2 June 2016). "Using network science to uncover the truth behind bloodshed, battles and conflict in the Sagas of Icelanders". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  47. Mac Carron, Pádraig; Kenna, Ralph (18 December 2013). "Viking sagas: Six degrees of Icelandic separation Social networks from the Viking era". Significance. 10 (6): 12–17. doi:10.1111/j.1740-9713.2013.00704.x. S2CID 154908957. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  48. Yose, J.; Kenna, R.; MacCarron, P.; Platini, T.; Tonra, T. (2016). "A Networks-Science Investigation into the Epic Poems of Ossian". Advances in Complex Systems. 19 (4n05): 1650008. arXiv:1610.00142. doi:10.1142/S0219525916500089. S2CID 19540179.
  49. "Ossian poems a hoax". 21 October 2016.
  50. Siggins, Lorna (22 October 2016). "Scottish bard Ossian 'fabricated' from Irish mythology". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  51. Yose, J.; Kenna, R.; MacCarron, M.; MacCarron, P. (2018). "Network Analysis of the Viking Age in Ireland as portrayed in Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (1): 171024. doi:10.1098/rsos.171024. PMC 5792891. PMID 29410814.
  52. Enright, Seamus (27 January 2018). "Breifne king's role in battle doesn't add up".
  53. "The Battle of Clontarf in 1014: an analysis by a theoretical physicist and mathematician". Politics.ie. 27 January 2018.
  54. "Battle of Clontarf: It's a mathematical question".
  55. "Who was actually fighting whom at Clontarf in 1014?". 24 January 2018.
  56. "Network science shines new light on Battle of Clontarf". 24 January 2018.
  57. O'Sullivan, Kevin (24 January 2018). "Battle of Clontarf: It's a mathematical question" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  58. Janickyj, M.; Curley, D.; Maccarron, P.; McCarthy, M.; Yose, J.; Kenna, R. (2022). "The enigmatic Fráoch and his eponymous tale — network analysis of an early irish heroic romance". Advances in Complex Systems. 25 (5n06): 2240006. doi:10.1142/S0219525922400069. S2CID 250962477.
  59. Sarkanych, P.; Fedorak, F.; Holovatch, Yu.; MacCarron, P.; Yose, J.; Kenna, R. (2023). "Network analysis of the Kyiv bylyny cycle -- east Slavic epic narratives". Advances in Complex Systems. 25 (5n06): 2240007. arXiv:2203.10399. doi:10.1142/S0219525922400070.
  60. Gessey-Jones, T.; Connaughton, C.; Dunbar, R.; Kenna, R.; MacCarron, P.; O'Conchobhair, C.; Yose, J. (2020). "Narrative structure of A Song of Ice and Fire creates a fictional world with realistic measures of social complexity". PNAS. 117 (46): 28582–28588. arXiv:2012.01783. Bibcode:2020PNAS..11728582G. doi:10.1073/pnas.2006465117. PMC 7682562. PMID 33139549.
  61. "Padraig Mac Carron and Ralph Kenna: If Achilles Used Facebook..." Historynewsnetwork.org. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  62. Maths Meets Myths: Quantitative Approaches to Ancient Narratives - Ralph Kenna. Springer.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  63. "Physicists study Homer's Iliad and other classics for hidden truths". Science Daily. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016.
  64. "The truth behind the world's greatest literary hoax". Independent.co.uk. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  65. "Grant listing". leverhulme.ac.uk. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  66. "MMM2014". complexity-coventry.org. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  67. "SPIDER". cordis.europa.eu. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  68. "Success story". ec.europa.eu. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  69. "RAVEN". cordis.europa.eu. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  70. ^ "Ralph Kenna | Institute for Condensed Matter Physics". www.icmp.lviv.ua. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  71. "Research Policy Committee | London Mathematical Society".
  72. "Patrick Kenna: Death Notice". RIP.IE. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  73. ^ "Death Notice of Ralph Kenna (Athlone, Westmeath)". rip.ie. Gradam Communications Limited. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  74. Ralph Kenna (12 August 2017). "Ralph Kenna: Ralph's story". Web homepage. Air Ambulance. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  75. Ralph Kenna (12 August 2017). "Ralph Kenna: Second chance of life". Web homepage. Air Ambulance. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  76. Ralph Kenna (12 August 2017). "Ralph Kenna: Fund raising". Web homepage. Rugby Observer. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  77. Perkins, Gavin D.; Kenna, Claire; Ji, Chen; Deakin, Charles D.; Nolan, Jerry P.; Quinn, Tom; Fothergill, Rachael; Gunson, Imogen; Pocock, Helen; Rees, Nigel; Charlton, Karl; Finn, Judith; Gates, Simon; Lall, Ranjit (2019). "The effects of adrenaline in out of hospital cardiac arrest with shockable and non-shockable rhythms: Findings from the PACA and PARAMEDIC-2 randomised controlled trials". Resuscitation. 140. Elsevier BV: 55–63. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2019.05.007. hdl:20.500.11937/79454. ISSN 0300-9572. PMID 31116964. S2CID 162181633.
  78. Cusack, Adrian (1 November 2023). "Great sadness at death of leading academic from Athlone". Westmeath Independent. Celtic Media Group. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
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