Jim Peebles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Peebles
|
|
|---|---|
Peebles in 2010
|
|
| Born |
Phillip James Edwin Peebles
April 25, 1935 |
| Nationality | Canadian, American |
| Education | University of Manitoba (BS) Princeton University (MS, PhD) |
| Known for | Cosmic microwave background radiation Cosmic infrared background Cold dark matter Lyman-alpha emitter Primordial isocurvature baryon model Quintessence Recombination Ostriker–Peebles criterion |
| Spouse(s) |
Alison Peebles
(m. 1958) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Eddington Medal (1981) Heineman Prize (1982) Bruce Medal (1995) Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1998) Gruber Prize (2000) Harvey Prize (2001) Shaw Prize (2004) Crafoord Prize (2005) Dirac Medal (2013) Order of Manitoba (2017) Nobel Prize in Physics (2019) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics Physical cosmology |
| Institutions | Princeton University Institute for Advanced Study |
| Thesis | Observational tests and theoretical problems relating to the conjecture that the strength of the electromagnetic interaction may be variable (1962) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Dicke |
| Doctoral students |
|
Phillip James Edwin Peebles (born April 25, 1935) is a famous Canadian-American scientist. He is an astrophysicist and cosmologist. This means he studies the universe and how it began. He was a professor at Princeton University. Many people think he is one of the best cosmologists since 1970. He has made big discoveries about the universe.
In 2019, Peebles won half of the Nobel Prize in Physics. He won it for his ideas about how the universe works. He shared the prize with two other scientists. They found a planet orbiting a star like our Sun. Peebles' work helps us understand the universe's early moments. However, he is careful about claiming to know the very beginning. He says we don't have a good theory for that. Peebles has said he is an agnostic. This means he is not sure if God exists.
Early Life and Education
Jim Peebles was born on April 25, 1935. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His mother, Ada Marion Green, was a homemaker. His father, Andrew Charles Peebles, worked at the Winnipeg Grain Exchange.
He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science, at the University of Manitoba. After that, he went to Princeton University. There, he earned his PhD in physics in 1962. His main teacher was Robert Dicke. Peebles stayed at Princeton for his entire career. He also visited the Institute for Advanced Study several times.
Discoveries About the Universe
Most of Peebles' work since 1964 has been about physical cosmology. This field tries to figure out how the universe started. In 1964, not many scientists were interested in this area. Some even thought it was a "dead end." But Peebles kept studying it.
Peebles has made many important discoveries about the Big Bang model. This model explains how the universe began. With his teacher Dicke and others, Peebles predicted the cosmic microwave background radiation. This is a faint glow of heat left over from the Big Bang. It was a huge discovery!
He also helped us understand dark matter and dark energy. These are mysterious parts of the universe. Dark matter helps galaxies hold together. Dark energy makes the universe expand faster. Peebles was also a leader in studying how structures formed in the universe. This includes how galaxies and galaxy clusters came to be.
For a long time, studying the universe's origins was just guesswork. Peebles helped make it a serious science. He said that many small observations helped cosmology grow. The discovery of the cosmic microwave background was very important. It made many scientists interested in the field. His work changed cosmology from guesswork to a precise science.
Peebles often came up with new ideas that other scientists later studied. For example, in 1987, he suggested a model for the early universe. He also helped define the "dark matter problem" in the 1970s. This problem is about why galaxies spin faster than they should. He also helped create the Ostriker–Peebles criterion. This idea helps explain how galaxies form and stay stable.
His amazing work led to him winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019. He shared half the prize. The other half went to scientists who found a planet outside our solar system.
Awards and Honors
Peebles has received many important awards for his work. He was recognized by many scientific groups.
- Awards
- Fellow of the American Physical Society (1964)
- Eddington Medal (1981)
- Heineman Prize (1982)
- Fellow of the Royal Society (1982)
- Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1993)
- Bruce Medal (1995)
- Oskar Klein Medal (1997)
- Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1998)
- Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2000)
- Harvey Prize (2001)
- Shaw Prize (2004)
- Member of the American Philosophical Society (2004)
- Crafoord Prize (2005)
- Hitchcock Professorship (2006)
- Dirac Medal (2013)
- Member of the Order of Manitoba (2017)
- Nobel Prize in Physics (2019)
- Elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (2020)
- Named a Great Immigrants Award honoree (2021)
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (2024)
- Named after him
- Asteroid 18242 Peebles
See also
In Spanish: James Peebles para niños
