2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for the Accelerating Expansion of the Universe

College Park, Md., October 4, 2011 — The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics will be awarded to Saul Perlmutter of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley; Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University; and Adam Riess of Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute, both in Baltimore, Md., “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae,” a discovery that reshaped our understanding of the cosmos and the ultimate fate of the universe.

Announced in 1998 by two research teams — one headed by Saul Perlmutter, which began its work in 1988, and the other by Brian Schmidt, which began its work in 1994 and was later joined by Adam Riess — the idea that the expansion of the universe was accelerating surprised the scientific community, but is now a well-established cornerstone of modern cosmology. The discovery:

Constrains the ultimate fate of the universe, pointing toward a “big rip,” the idea that the universe will continue its expansion forever. Addresses Einstein’s cosmological constant, an element of his theory of general relativity. Provides the framework for the concept of dark energy, which makes up approximately 75 percent of the matter and energy in the universe. Last year’s prize was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of the University of Manchester, U.K., for their pioneering work with graphene, a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon.

Statement:

“It’s really a fitting prize. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes a startling new revelation in our understanding of the cosmos. Based on measurements from the last 15 years, we now know that the expansion of our universe is not slowing, as was believed since the Big Bang theory first emerged, but that its expansion is actually accelerating. This acceleration has been the dominant force in the cosmos since our universe was about half its current age. This discovery also provides additional insights into Einstein’s theory of general relativity, a cornerstone of physics and our understanding of the universe. So this discovery not only helps us understand the evolution of the universe, but it also gives us new insights into how it may end.

It shows science at its best, where a startling discovery was made and confirmed by two independent teams.”

— Dr. H. Frederick Dylla, executive director and CEO, American Institute of Physics

Physics Today Article by Saul Perlmutter:

Supernovae, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Universe
Saul Perlmutter
Physics Today 56, April, 53 (2003)

Pictures and Graphics:

https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/56200main_dark_expansion-lg.jpg
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/galex/pia14095.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110330.html
https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/Phys-Feltrinelli-prize.html

NSF Videos on Dark Energy:
https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/astronomy/video06.jsp

Experts in the General Subject Area

Michael S. Turner, University of Chicago
http://kicp.uchicago.edu/people/profile/michael_turner.html

Garth Illingworth, Lick Observatory
http://www.ucolick.org/~gdi/index.html

Rachel Bean, Cornell University
http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~rbean/

Anthony Tyson, UC Davis
http://tyson.ucdavis.edu/about/

Kevin Marvel, Executive Director, American Astronomical Society
https://aas.org/governance/current-board

Websites

Nobel Prize site:
https://www.nobelprize.org/

Recipients’ sites:
http://supernova.lbl.gov/saul.html
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/supernova/home.html
http://www.stsci.edu/~ariess/
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/supernova/home.html

NSF resource pages:
https://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/astronomy/astro_q02.jsp
https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_videos.jsp?cntn_id=119246&media_id=69389&org=NSF
https://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/aaac/dark_energy_task_force/report/detf_final_report.pdf

APS News relevant article:
http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200901/physicshistory.cfm
https://physics.aps.org/story/v5/st8

Relevant items in Physics Today:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1580050
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1461339

Free AIP Journal Articles Published by the Nobel Laureates

The Nearby Supernova Factory dataset-improving SNe Ia as dark energy probes
R. Pereira, G. Aldering, P. Antilogus, C. Aragon, S. Bailey, C. Baltay, S. Bongard, C. Buton, M. Childress, N. Chotard, Y. Copin, E. Gangler, S. Loken, P. Nugent, R. Pain, E. Pecontal, S. Perlmutter, D. Rabinowitz, G. Rigaudier, K. Runge, R. Scalzo, G. Smadja, H. K. Fakhouri, C. Tao, R. C. Thomas, and C. Wu AIP Conf. Proc. 1241, 259 (2010)

Seeing Dark Energy
A. G. Riess
AIP Conf. Proc. 1241, 13 (2010)

Cepheid Variables in the Antennae
Joy M. Chavez, Lucas M. Macri, Adam G. Riess, and Anne Pellerin
AIP Conf. Proc. 1170, 29 (2009)

The SH0ES Project: Observations of Cepheids in NGC 4258 and Type Ia SN Hosts
Lucas M. Macri and Adam G. Riess (SH0ES team)
AIP Conf. Proc. 1170, 23 (2009)

Seeing Dark Energy 10 Years Later
Adam G. Riess (High-z Teams Higher-z Teams)
AIP Conf. Proc. 1166, 73 (2009)

The Supernova Type Ia Rate Evolution with SNLS
James D. Neill, M. Sullivan, D. Balam, C. J. Pritchet, D. A. Howell, K. Perrett, P. Astier, E. Aubourg, S. Basa, R. G. Carlberg, A. Conley, S. Fabbro, D. Fouchez, J. Guy, I. Hook, R. Pain, N. Palanque-Delabrouille, N. Regnault, J. Rich, R. Taillet, G. Aldering, P. Antilogus, V. Arsenijevic, C. Balland, S. Baumont, J. Bronder, R. S. Ellis, M. Filiol, A. C. Gonçalves, D. Hardin, M. Kowalski, C. Lidman, V. Lusset, M. Mouchet, A. Mourao, S. Perlmutter, P. Ripoche, D. Schlegel, and C. Tao
AIP Conf. Proc. 924, 421 (2007)

The Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 2005hk
V. Stanishev, S. Taubenberger, G. Blanc, G. C. Anupama, S. Benetti, E. Cappellaro, N. Elias-Rosa, C. Féron, A. Goobar, K. Krisciunas, A. Pastorello, D. K. Sahu, M. E. Salvo, B. P. Schmidt, J. Sollerman, C. C. Thöne, M. Turatto, and W. Hillebrandt
AIP Conf. Proc. 924, 336 (2007)

Type Ia supernova diversity: Standardizing the candles
Tamara M. Davis, J. Berian James, Brian P. Schmidt, and Alex G. Kim
AIP Conf. Proc. 924, 330 (2007)

Kinematics and Dark Energy from Supernovae at z > 1
Adam G. Riess
AIP Conf. Proc. 743, 3 (2004)

Towards Measuring the Cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst Rate
Paul A. Price and Brian P. Schmidt
AIP Conf. Proc. 727, 503 (2004)

Rapid Identification of Optical Afterglows: Bright Prospects
Paul A. Price, Brian P. Schmidt, and Tim S. Axelrod
AIP Conf. Proc. 662, 541 (2003)

Supernovae, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Universe
Saul Perlmutter
Phys. Today 56, April, 53 (2003)

Supernovae, dark energy, and the accelerating universe: What next?
Saul Perlmutter
AIP Conf. Proc. 596, 253 (2001)

Evidence from Type Ia supernovae for an accelerating universe
Alexei V. Filippenko and Adam G. Riess
AIP Conf. Proc. 540, 227 (2000)

A high peculiarity rate for Type Ia SNe
W. D. Li, A. V. Filippenko, A. G. Riess, R. R. Treffers, J. Y. Hu, and Y. L. Qiu
AIP Conf. Proc. 522, 91 (2000)

Cosmological parameters from supernovae: Two groups’ results agree
Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess
AIP Conf. Proc. 478, 129 (1999)

A one-meter aperture wide-field camera for the Japanese exposure module on space station
Carl Pennypacker et al.
AIP Conf. Proc. 458, 176 (1999)

A search for gamma-ray burst optical emission with the automated patrol telescope
Bruce Grossan, Saul Perlmutter, and Michael Ashley
AIP Conf. Proc. 428, 909 (1998)

Automated search for supernova explosions
Jordin T. Kare, M. Shane Burns, Frank S. Crawford, Peter G. Friedman, Richard A. Muller, Carlton R. Pennypacker, Saul Perlmutter, Richard Treffers, and Roger Williams
Rev. Sci. Instrum. 59, 1021 (1988)

Additional Pictures

Saul Perlmutter:
http://www-supernova.lbl.gov/public/sauldir/saulphotosmall.jpeg

Journalists are welcome to use AIP’s W.F. Meggers Gallery of Nobel Laureates, which contains a collection of all the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics up to 2010, as well as physicists who have received a Nobel Prize in other areas (e.g. Chemistry or Peace).

Gallery:
https://photos.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/photos/nobel-gallery

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https://photos.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/photos/use-policy

Pictures of Nobel Laureates available from Wikimedia Commons:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shaw2006astro_lightened.jpg