The 2011 Nobel Laureate for Physics, Professor Brian Schmidt, will discuss the accelerating universe at Turner Sims on Wednesday 4 November at 14:30.
Professor Schmidt, who is also a Diamond Jubilee Fellow, will be giving the annual lecture for the Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre.
In 1998, two teams of scientists traced back the expansion of the Universe over billions of years and discovered that it was accelerating; a startling discovery that suggests that more than 70 per cent of the Universe is contained in a previously unknown form of matter, called dark energy.
Professor Schmidt, leader of one of those teams, will describe this discovery and explain how astronomers have used these observations to trace our universe’s history back more than 13 billion years, leading them to ponder the ultimate fate of the cosmos.
Professor Kostas Skenderis, Director of the STAG Research Centre, says:
“It is a tremendous privilege to have Professor Schmidt delivering our keynote address. Fundamental questions about our Universe have been asked for thousands of years and I look forward to hearing his insights.”
The STAG Research Centre brings together world-leading academics from three research groups – Theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and General Relativity – to improve our understanding of the Universe and the fundamental laws of nature.
You can watch a live stream of the talk here.
You can find out more about the STAG Research Centre here.