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, MBE (born February 8, 1964) is a famous Belizean-American mathematical physicist. He is a professor of mathematics, physics, and economics at Duke University. Petters also became the provost at New York University Abu Dhabi in 2020.
He is known for creating a field called mathematical astronomy. This field looks at how gravity and light interact in space. He uses ideas from astrophysics, cosmology, and general relativity to study this. His book, "Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing," explains his ideas about gravitational lensing.
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About Arlie Petters
Arlie Petters grew up in a small town called Dangriga in Belize. His grandparents raised him. When he was 14, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, to live with his mother.
Education and Early Career
Petters studied Mathematics and Physics at Hunter College in New York. He earned two degrees at once in 1986. After that, he started his Ph.D. (a very high-level degree) in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also spent time studying at Princeton University. In 1991, he earned his Ph.D. from MIT.
After finishing his studies, he taught at MIT for two years. Then, he became a professor at Princeton University. In 1998, he moved to Duke University, where he still teaches today.
Many news groups have written about Arlie Petters. These include The New York Times and NOVA. His story is also part of The HistoryMakers, an archive of African-American oral histories.
His Research on Gravitational Lensing
Arlie Petters is best known for his work on gravitational lensing. This is a way that gravity bends light, much like a magnifying glass.
Understanding Light and Gravity
From 1991 to 2001, Petters worked on a mathematical theory for how gravity bends light. He studied how light from distant objects is affected by gravity. His research helped explain how many images of a distant object we might see. It also looked at how bright these images would be.
His work led to a book called Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing. This book helped create a strong mathematical base for understanding gravitational lensing. It even touched on the big question: "What is the universe made of?"
Applying His Discoveries
After 2001, Petters started working with astronomers. He used his mathematical ideas to help them study galaxies. For example, he helped create a test to find hidden dark matter in galaxies. He also studied how light from stars changes when it passes by other objects.
From 2005 to 2007, Petters explored new ways to use gravitational lensing. He worked with astronomers and physicists. They used tiny changes in how gravity bends light to test different theories about gravity. This included Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. They even looked at how black holes and binary pulsars might bend light. He also studied ideas about extra dimensions in space.
Studying Random Lensing
Starting in 2008, Petters began to study "random" gravitational lensing. This looks at how light is bent in unpredictable ways. He developed mathematical ways to understand these random effects. This research helps scientists check their ideas about how light is magnified by random lenses in space.
Helping Others
Arlie Petters cares a lot about helping young people. He has worked to support students at Duke University. He is also very active in the African-American community. He mentors students and gives talks. He was the first African-American professor to get a permanent teaching position in mathematics at Duke University.
He is also very involved in his home country, Belize. In 2005, he started the Petters Research Institute. This institute helps young Belizeans learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). He has written five books, including problem-solving books for students in Belize.
Awards and Special Recognition
Arlie Petters has received many awards and honors for his work.
- In 1998, he won the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.
- He also received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in 1998.
- In 2002, he was the first person to win the Blackwell-Tapia Prize.
- The National Academy of Sciences chose him in 2006 for a special collection of outstanding African-Americans in science.
- In 2008, he was named one of "The Twenty-Five Greatest Scientists of African Ancestry."
- He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from his old college, Hunter College, in 2008.
- The Queen of the United Kingdom made him a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2008.
- In 2009, his hometown of Dangriga, Belize, named a road "Dr. Arlie Petters Street" in his honor.
- He was the first Belizean to win the Caribbean American Heritage Award for Excellence in Science and Technology in 2011.
- In 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He was also the first Belizean American to lead the Central American Day Parade in Los Angeles.
- In 2017, he was honored by Mathematically Gifted & Black for Black History Month.
