Arlie Petters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arlie Petters
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| Born |
Arlie Oswald Petters
February 8, 1964 |
| Alma mater | Hunter College Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Mathematical theory of gravitational lensing |
| Awards | Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship NSF CAREER Award Blackwell-Tapia Prize Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisors | Bertram Kostant David Spergel |
Arlie Oswald Petters, who holds the MBE honor, was born on February 8, 1964. He is a famous Belizean-American scientist who studies math and physics. He is currently the Benjamin Powell Professor of Mathematics at Duke University. He also teaches physics and economics there. Since September 1, 2020, Professor Petters has been the provost at New York University Abu Dhabi.
Arlie Petters is known for creating a field called mathematical astronomy. This area uses math to understand how gravity affects light in space. He uses ideas from astrophysics (the study of stars and galaxies) and cosmology (the study of the universe). His work also involves general relativity, which is Einstein's theory of gravity.
His important book, "Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing," explains a mathematical way to understand gravitational lensing. This is when gravity from huge objects, like galaxies, bends light from objects behind them. It's like a giant magnifying glass in space. Before his current role, Professor Petters was also a dean and associate vice provost at Duke University from 2016 to 2019.
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Arlie Petters's Early Life and Education
Arlie Petters grew up in a small town called Dangriga in Belize. His grandparents raised him there. When he was 14, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, to live with his mother and stepfather.
He went to Hunter College in New York City. In 1986, he earned two degrees at once: a Bachelor's and a Master's in Mathematics and Physics. His Master's paper was about "The Mathematical Theory of General Relativity." That same year, he started his Ph.D. studies in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
After two years at MIT, he became an exchange student at Princeton University. He studied physics there while still officially enrolled at MIT. In 1991, he earned his Ph.D. in mathematics. His advisors were Bertram Kostant from MIT and David Spergel from Princeton.
His Career in Academia
After getting his Ph.D., Arlie Petters stayed at MIT for two years. He taught pure mathematics from 1991 to 1993. Then, he joined the math department at Princeton University. He was an assistant professor at Princeton for five years, from 1993 to 1998. After that, he moved to Duke University, where he has been ever since.
Many news groups have written about Arlie Petters and his amazing work. These include The New York Times and the TV show NOVA. He is also featured in The HistoryMakers, which is a collection of stories from important African-Americans.
Understanding Gravitational Lensing
Professor Petters is most famous for his work on the mathematical theory of gravitational lensing. This is a fascinating topic in space science.
What is Gravitational Lensing?
Imagine a huge object in space, like a galaxy or a black hole. Its gravity is so strong that it can bend light rays that pass near it. This bending of light is called gravitational lensing. It's similar to how a glass lens bends light to make things look bigger or different. Scientists use this effect to study distant galaxies and even look for dark matter.
From 1991 to 2001, Arlie Petters worked hard to create a mathematical theory for "weak-deflection gravitational lensing." This is when light is bent only a little bit. His Ph.D. paper in 1991 was about "Singularities in Gravitational Microlensing." He and his team solved many problems related to how light is bent. They studied how many images you might see, how bright they are, and how long it takes for light to reach us.
His work led to a book called Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing. He wrote it with Harold Levine and Joachim Wambganns. This book helped create a strong mathematical foundation for understanding gravitational lensing. It used advanced math to explain how light behaves when it's bent by gravity.
Applying the Theory to Space
After his main math work, from 2002 to 2005, Professor Petters started applying his theories to real space problems. He worked with astronomers to develop ways to find "dark substructures" in galaxies. These are hidden clumps of dark matter that can bend light.
He also helped classify how light from distant objects changes when it passes through these gravitational lenses. For example, he predicted the shape of light curves from binary lenses in our galaxy. His work helped scientists understand how to use gravitational lensing to learn more about the universe.
Exploring New Ideas in Gravity
From 2005 to 2007, Professor Petters worked with astronomers and physicists to explore new ways to use gravitational lensing. He studied how tiny changes in light bending could test different theories of gravity, including Einstein's general theory of relativity.
He also looked at how to test ideas about "hyperspace" models. These models suggest there might be extra dimensions to space that we can't see. His research helped predict how these extra dimensions might affect light from black holes. This could give scientists a way to test these wild ideas.
More recently, starting in 2008, Professor Petters began studying "random gravitational lensing." This looks at how light bending might happen in a more unpredictable way. He and his team are developing math to understand how random events in space could affect the light we see. This helps scientists check their findings about how light is magnified by lenses.
Helping the Community
Arlie Petters is also very active in helping others. He was the director of the Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship program at Duke University. He has also spent a lot of time mentoring and encouraging African-American students in science. He has received several awards for his community work.
He was the first African-American professor to get a permanent teaching position in mathematics at Duke University. He is also deeply involved in the community in Belize. In 2005, he started the Petters Research Institute. This institute helps young people in Belize learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It also encourages them to become entrepreneurs in STEM fields.
He has written five books, including three science and math problem-solving books for students in Belize. He also served the Government of Belize as the chairman of the Council of Science Advisers to the prime minister from 2010 to 2013.
Awards and Special Honors
Arlie Petters has received many awards and honors for his important work.
- In 1998, he won an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Mathematics.
- He also received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in 1998.
- In 2002, he was the very first winner of the Blackwell-Tapia Prize.
- In 2006, the National Academy of Sciences chose him to be part of a special collection. This collection features outstanding African-Americans in science, engineering, and medicine.
- In 2008, he was named one of "The Twenty-Five Greatest Scientists of African Ancestry" by Human Relations Associates.
- His old college, Hunter College, gave him an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2008.
- Also in 2008, the Queen of the United Kingdom made him a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
- In 2009, his hometown of Dangriga, Belize, honored him by naming a road Dr. Arlie Petters Street.
- In 2011, he was the first person from Belize to receive the Caribbean American Heritage Award for Excellence in Science and Technology.
- In 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He was also the first Belizean American to be the Grand Marshal of the Central American Day Parade in Los Angeles. There, he received honors from the mayor and from the Confederation Centroamericana (COFECA).
- In 2017, he was recognized by Mathematically Gifted & Black as a Black History Month honoree.
