Andrea Gaz is the eighth UCLA faculty member to be declared a Nobel laureate. Credit: Elena Zukova / University of California
Andrea Gaz, Lauren B. of UCLA. Lechtman and Arthur E. Levin, Professor of Astrophysics, was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics today.
Geez shares half of the EC with Reinhard Ganzel of Berkeley and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. The Nobel Committee praised him for “discovering a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy.” The other half of the prize went to Roger Penrose Oxford University “For the search that Black hole Formation is a strong prediction of the general principle of relativity. “
In July 2019, a study was published by Science Journal by Gaz and his research group, the most comprehensive examination of Albert Einstein’s iconic general theory near the monster black hole in the center of our galaxy. Although she concludes that “Einstein has a right, at least for now,” the research group continues to test Einstein’s theory, which says that it cannot fully explain the gravity inside a black hole.
Geez studies more than 20,000,000 stars orbiting supermassive black holes. Black holes have such a high density that nothing can escape their gravitational pull, not even light. Supermassive black holes appear in the center of most galaxies, he said.
“I am thrilled and honored to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics,” said Eva Gaze, director of the UCLA Galactic Center Group. “The research that the Nobel Committee is honoring today is the result of a wonderful collaboration between scientists at the UCLA Galactic Center Orbits Initiative and the University of California at WM Cake Observatory.
“We have state-of-the-art equipment and a world-class research team, and that combination makes the discovery a lot of fun. Our understanding of how the universe works is still so incomplete. The Nobel Prize is fabulous, but we still have a lot to learn. ”
UCLA Chancellor Jean Block praised Ghez for his achievements.
“The UCLA community is very proud of Professor Geez’s accomplishments, including this extraordinary honor.” “We are inspired by his research into the mysteries of our universe and its potential to help him better understand the universe.”
David Haviland, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said: “The findings of this year’s winners have broken new ground in the study of compact and supermassive objects. But these bizarre still budgets still raise many questions that beg for answers and encourage future research. There are questions not only about their internal structure, but also about how to test our theory of gravity in extreme conditions in the vicinity of the black hole. “
Questionable on Einstein
Gage and her team have taken direct action on how gravity works near supermassive black holes – research describes it as “extreme astrophysics.”
Einstein’s general theory of relativity is the best description of how gravity works. “Nevertheless, his theory certainly shows weakness,” Ghez said in 2019.[A]At some point we will need to move beyond Einstein’s theory to a more comprehensive theory of gravity that explains what a black hole is. “
Less than two months after its publication in science, she and her research team surprisingly discovered in the Astrophysical Journal Letters that a supermassive black hole is consuming an unusually large meal of interstellar gas and dust – and they still do not understand why.
At the time he said, “We’ve never seen this happen in the 24 years we’ve studied supermassive black holes.” “It’s usually a very quiet, vampire black hole on the diet. We don’t know what drives this big festival. “
In January 2020, his team reported the discovery of a new class of strange objects – objects that look like gas and behave like stars – not far from the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Geez and his team did research at the WM Cake Observatory in Hawaii. They are able to see the effect of how space and time communicate near a supermassive black hole about 26,000 light-years away.
Richard Green, director of the astronomy department of the National Science Foundation, said in 2019, “It is necessary to observe patients over the years to make such a fundamental measurement, which is enabled by advanced technology.”
“Andrea is one of our most passionate and tough cake users,” said Hilton Lewis, director of Cake Observatory. His latest groundbreaking research marks the culmination of an unwavering commitment over the past two decades to unlock the mysteries of supermassive black holes. In our center Milk Ganga Galaxy
Gaz research has been funded by the National Science Foundation for the past 25 years. More recently, his research has been funded by the WM Cake Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Heidel-Simmons Foundation, Lynn Leachman and Arthur Levine, and Howard and Astrid Preston.
In 1998, Gage answered the most important questions in astronomy, helping to show that a supermassive black hole resides in the center of the galaxy. This question has been the subject of much debate among astronomers for more than a quarter of a century.
A technology that changed the field
Geez helped pioneer a powerful technology called adaptive optics, which corrects the distorted effects of the Earth’s atmosphere in real time and has opened the center of our galaxy as a laboratory for the exploration of black holes and their original role in the evolution of the universe. With adaptive optics at the Cake Observatory, she and her colleagues revealed many surprises about the atmosphere around a supermassive black hole, for example, young stars where no one expected and old stars lack where many expected.
In 2000, Gage and his research team reported that for the first time, astronomers had observed stars moving around a supermassive black hole. In 2003, she and her team reported that the case for galactic black holes had been significantly strengthened and all proposed options could be excluded.
In 2005, Ghez and his colleagues took the first clear picture of the center of the galaxy, including the area around the black hole at the Cake Observatory.
Geez has received numerous honors for his research, including the election of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was the first woman to receive the Royal Swedish Academy Sciences Sciences Crawford Prize and was named a Master Fellow in 2008. In 2019, he was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University.
Gise had a bachelor’s degree in physics MIT A doctorate from Caltech in 1987 and 1992, and has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 1994. When she was younger, she wanted to be the first woman to walk on the moon.
Lessons from stellar careers
In a UCLA news conference hours after the Nobel Prize was announced, Geez discussed his research and shared lessons from his career.
Asked about the possibility of competing among astronomers for the next big discovery, she said it took her about 10 years to learn the approach to continuing her service: “Focus on making science right instead of being the first.”
Among his future goals, he said, is learning and testing how gravity works near supermassive black holes.
Geez encouraged young students who love science to pursue their dreams and learn how to overcome obstacles. He said, “Follow your passion, and be persistent.” Relax with discomfort. ”
And he admitted that he is eager to be known as a role-playing Dale for young women, as he has been for decades. She published “You Can Woman Astronomy” in 1995.
Geez is the eighth UCLA faculty member to be declared a Nobel laureate, including Willard Libby (Chemistry, 1960), Julian Schweinger (Physics, 1965), Donald Krum (Chemistry, 1987), Paul L. Boyer (Chemistry, 1997). Ignacio (Physiology or Medicine, 1998), Lloyd Shady Play (Economics, 2012) and J. Fraser Stoddart (2016). Stoddart a Northwestern University He was a faculty member when he received the honor, but most of the work for which he was recognized was done at UCLA between 1997 and 2008.
In addition, seven UCLA students have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
Ghez is also the fourth woman to receive the Physics Prize, following Marie Curie in 1903, Maria Gopert Meyer in 1963, and Donna Strickland in 2018.
For more on this topic read Andrea Gage 2020 Nobel Prize Share for Discoveries in Black Hole Physics.
