On Wednesday 10 August, Saint Lawrence day, and the night of falling stars, our colleague and dear friend Sandro Sorella tragically left us, a real life falling star. Born in Pescara 62 years ago, Sandro studied physics in L’Aquila where he also met Luisa Urgias, partner of his life and mother of their two children Sara and Massimo, as well as a crucial person in SISSA’s computer administration until 5 May 2022. After defending in 1989 cum laude one of the best SISSA PhD theses ever, and after various periods abroad, Sandro became in 2005 a full professor in the Condensed Matter Theory Sector of SISSA.
Sandro was the world master in the science and art of Quantum Monte Carlo computer simulation of interacting fermion systems. He made many groundbreaking contributions to many-body physics in several fields, both for the development of numerical methods for quantum systems and in using them to understand many-body physics. His simulations have led to important understanding of lattice models describing strongly correlated systems such as Mott insulators, including prophetic work on their topological description, high temperature superconductors and also realistic models of condensed matter systems such as hydrogen at high pressures and electronic correlation in molecules.
Mentor of 15 PhD students and countless postdocs, he made strong international connections, including RIKEN in Japan where he also was an adjunct professor, and the prestigious Flatiron Institute of the Simons Foundation in New York where he started an important collaboration that SISSA intends to pursue.
None of the above however suffices to really describe Sandro Sorella. A person not always easy to understand, yet totally devoid of malice, with a smile for everyone, and emanating an infinite reservoir of generosity and kindness, as well as of talent. Adored by students many of whom he imprinted for life, and by postdocs whom he treated in a most original manner, solving problems for them rather than demanding the opposite. A human figure halfway between a scientist and a poet, one colleague observed.
Farewell Sandro, your falling star will not die, and will continue shining on.
We inform those who wanted to make a donation in memory of Sandro that the family has indicated the Gervasutta hospital as a possible recipient and set up a paypal account for this purpose accessible at this link.
The funeral will be held in the chapel of the Monfalcone cemetery (via XXIV Maggio n.80) on Saturday 20/08 at 11 am. The coffin will be in the mortuary from 10 am.
