Nobel prize winner to explain the accelerating universe

The 2011 Nobel Laureate for Physics Professor Brian Schmidt will discuss the accelerating universe at the University of Southampton next month.

Professor Schmidt, who is also a Diamond Jubilee Fellow within Physics and Astronomy, will be giving the annual lecture for the University’s Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre on Wednesday 4 November at 2.30pm.

In 1998, two teams of scientists traced back the expansion of the Universe over billions of years and discovered that it was accelerating; a startling discovery that suggests that more than 70 per cent of the universe is contained in a previously unknown form of matter, called dark energy.

Professor Schmidt, leader of one of those teams, will describe this discovery and explain how astronomers have used these observations to trace our universe's history back more than 13 billion years, leading them to ponder the ultimate fate of the cosmos.

Professor Mark Sullivan of Physics and Astronomy, Deputy Director of the STAG Research Centre and host to Professor Schmidt during his Diamond Jubilee Fellowship, says: “The discovery of the accelerating universe was one of the landmark breakthroughs of 20th century physics. The nature of the dark energy that propels this acceleration remains a mystery, preoccupying physicists ever since; it's the motivation for many ongoing, and future, ground and space-based astrophysical experiments. We're very excited to welcome Brian to Southampton to hear the story behind the discovery, and learn the latest in the field.”

Professor Kostas Skenderis, Director of STAG, added: “It is a tremendous privilege to have Professor Schmidt delivering our keynote address. Fundamental questions about our Universe have been asked for thousands of years and I look forward to hearing his insights.”

The STAG Research Centre brings together world-leading academics from three research groups – Theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and General Relativity – to improve our understanding of the Universe and the fundamental laws of nature.

Researchers are exploring issues of fundamental physics and astronomy such as the ultimate building blocks of matter; extreme environments generated by black holes and neutron stars, which power some of the most spectacular phenomena in the Universe; and the identity of dark matter and dark energy, which make up 95 per cent of the Universe.

To watch a live stream of the talk, which is taking place at Turner Sims on the University’s Highfield campus, please go to https://livestream.com/accounts/5200181/events/4462802

To find out more about the STAG Research Centre, please visit www.southampton.ac.uk/stag