Saul Perlmutter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saul Perlmutter
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Perlmutter in 2024
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| Born | September 22, 1959 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
| Known for | Accelerating universe / Dark energy |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Nelson (1 child) |
| Awards | Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award (2002) Shaw Prize in Astronomy (2006) Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2007) Nobel Prize in Physics (2011) Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2015) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| Thesis | An Astrometric Search for a Stellar Companion to the Sun (1986) |
| Doctoral advisor | Richard A. Muller |
Saul Perlmutter (born September 22, 1959) is a famous American astrophysicist. He is a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He also leads the International Supernova Cosmology Project at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Perlmutter is known for his amazing discovery about the universe. He shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics with Brian P. Schmidt and Adam Riess. They found evidence that the universe is not just expanding, but its expansion is actually speeding up! This discovery changed how scientists think about the universe.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Saul Perlmutter was born in 1959. He grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were both professors. His father, Daniel D. Perlmutter, taught chemical engineering. His mother, Felice D. Perlmutter, was a professor of social administration.
Saul went to school in Germantown, Philadelphia. He first attended Greene Street Friends School. Later, he went to Germantown Friends School for middle and high school.
College and University Studies
Saul Perlmutter studied physics at Harvard University. He graduated in 1981 with high honors. Then, he went to the University of California, Berkeley for his PhD in physics. He earned his PhD in 1986.
His PhD project involved building an automated telescope. He used it to search for a hypothetical star called Nemesis. While doing this, he also looked for supernovae. This work later led to his Nobel Prize-winning discovery.
Discovering the Accelerating Universe
Saul Perlmutter leads a group called the Supernova Cosmology Project. This team, along with another group called the High-z Supernova Search Team, made a huge discovery. They found evidence that the universe's expansion is speeding up.
What are Type Ia Supernovae?
They studied special star explosions called Type Ia supernovae. These explosions happen when a white dwarf star collects too much material from a nearby star. When it reaches a certain size, it explodes.
Scientists believe all Type Ia supernovae explode in a similar way. This means they all have about the same brightness. Because of this, they are like "standard candles" in space. If you know how bright a candle really is, you can tell how far away it is by how bright it looks.
Measuring the Universe's Expansion
By measuring how bright these supernovae appear from Earth, scientists can figure out how far away they are. They also measure the "redshift" of the light from these explosions. Redshift tells them how fast the supernova is moving away from us.
The Supernova Cosmology Project found that distant supernovae were moving away faster than expected. This meant that the universe's expansion must have sped up over billions of years. The other team, the High-z Team, came to the same conclusion.
Impact of the Discovery
These findings were a big deal in science. They suggested that something mysterious, called dark energy, is pushing the universe apart faster and faster. For this groundbreaking work, Saul Perlmutter, along with Adam Riess and Brian P. Schmidt, received the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Awards and Recognition
Saul Perlmutter has received many awards for his important work.
- In 2002, he won the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award.
- In 2006, he shared the Shaw Prize in Astronomy.
- In 2007, he and his team shared the Gruber Prize in Cosmology.
- In 2011, he shared the Albert Einstein Medal with Adam Riess.
- The same year, he received the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- In 2015, he and his teams shared the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
A powerful supercomputer built in 2020 was named Perlmutter in his honor.
Family Life
Saul Perlmutter has two sisters. Shira Perlmutter is a lawyer. Tova Perlmutter works as a nonprofit executive.
Saul is married to Laura Nelson, who is an anthropologist. They have one daughter named Noa.
Images for kids
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Perlmutter in 2024
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Perlmutter, Adam Riess, and Brian P. Schmidt receiving the 2006 Shaw Prize in Astronomy.
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Perlmutter giving his Nobel lecture.
See also
In Spanish: Saul Perlmutter para niños
- Dark energy
- Dark matter
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
