P. James Peebles
Princeton University
Abstract:
Our universe expanded from a hot dense state. The idea of an expanding universe grew out of observations of the motions of the galaxies of stars around us, and a series of discoveries turned the idea of expansion into a convincingly demonstrated aspect of reality. A notable piece of the evidence of this hot big bang is the fossil thermal radiation left from a time when the universe had to have been very different from now, hot and dense. Examination of the properties of this radiation, and of the galaxies and the warps of spacetime around them, shows that the expansion is well described by Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity. Many open questions remain for ongoing research, of course. A few questions will be mentioned, and Dick Bond will the broaden the enquiry into the vast sweep of ideas about the nature of our universe.
Profile:
P. James E. Peebles has made profound contributions to our knowledge of the physical processes that have shaped the structure of our universe. Over more than three decades he has, with rigor and imagination, advanced our understanding of phenomena which range from the creation of the lightest elements to the formation of galaxies and the cosmic distribution of matter and radiation. Since 1984, Prof. Peebles is the Albert Einstein Professor of Science (Emeritus) at Princeton University. He was the first recipient of the Gruber Prize in Cosmology. Among his other prizes is the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. Particularly, in this rapidly developing discipline, Peebles's books, particularly The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe and Principles of Physical Cosmology, remain the standards of reference.