Nobel Laureate in Physics Captivates Campus Audience
December 13, 2010
An overflowing auditorium greeted Nobel Laureate and NASA physicist John C. Mather when he arrived to discuss the history of the universe and the possibility of intelligent life within it.
Mather, a Senior Astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics with George F. Smoot of the University of California for their collaborative work studying infrared radiation produced in the first moments following the Big Bang. Their study demonstrated that the spectrum of radiation mapped by NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite agrees with the predictions of the Big Bang theory, proving that a massive explosion led to the formation of the universe.
In his talk, Mather illustrated the enormity of his Nobel discovery by placing it in historical context. In 1927, George Lemaitre proposed what is now known as the Big Bang theory, and astronomer Edwin Hubble provided the first observational evidence that the universe was expanding in 1929. Debated by astronomers for nearly 80 years—including a skeptical Albert Einstein, who refused to believe the expanding-universe model—Mather’s data demonstrates not only that the radiation patterns measured by the COBE satellite fit the Big Bang schema, but also that the effects of the explosion were complete in the first few instants following the event.
While even brilliant scientists like Einstein can make errors, Mather regards his discovery as just one more step towards a clearer picture of the universe. “I like to think that science is a self-correcting process,” he explained, “that we’ll eventually correct the errors of the past.”
Mather, who described winning the prize as “a life-changing event,” went on to explain that questions about the universe and its origins still abound. “What is dark matter? What is dark energy? How did we get here? Are we alone?” he asked. Since the atomic material sustaining intelligent life on Earth arose from catastrophic universal events, the question of life on other planets remains relevant to astronomers and to humankind. Mather argued, “From a philosophical point of view, it matters a lot. If you think you are the only example of intelligent life in the universe, maybe you should protect it better.”
To explore the origins of the universe further, Mather also serves as a Senior Project Scientist overseeing the development of the James Webb Space Telescope, which will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014. The new telescope will allow astronomers to track the formation of stars, the evolution of galaxies, and the possibility of life-sustaining systems using advanced infrared technology.
Co-Sponsored by the Office of the College Dean and the Department of Physics, the event drew crowds of interested students, faculty, and space enthusiasts. Physics major Reynolds Lowry (C’12) attended the talk because “[Mather] is an expert in the field we’re studying, and even though he gave a presentation that everyone can understand, we have a background in these ideas and physicists.”
Lowry found his ideas about “where the universe is going” most compelling, since “those are the things professors never tell us. We learn about what’s happened in the past and what is happening now, but not what’s going to happen to the universe.”
Professor of Physics Mak Paranjape, who coordinated the event, explained that a speaker like Mather is a positive draw for science programs on the Hilltop. “A lot of science goes on at Georgetown, but not everyone knows about it outside of the Georgetown walls,” he remarked. It was actually Dr. Mather who reached out to the university about this speaking engagement; Mather supervised Georgetown alumnus Henry Fingerhut (C'10) in his NASA lab, and was inspired to visit campus to see the science programs for himself. The astrophysicist explained that studying science at Georgetown “is a great opportunity.” He cited the work of Hoya science departments in connecting experimental research with social consequences as particularly meaningful, and contended, “There are lots of exciting things that people are learning about here.”
--Jessica Beckman
Photos from top: Dr. John C. Mather, courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center; the birth of stars in the Carina Nebula photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope; Dr. Mather presenting at Georgetown, photographed by Yovcho Yovchev. Video by Kuna Malik Hamad.
