Guth , Alan Harvey

Guth , Alan Harvey
(1947–) American physicist and cosmologist
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Guth was educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he obtained his PhD in 1969. After holding postdoctoral appointments at Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, and Stanford, Guth returned to MIT in 1980, becoming professor of physics in 1986.
Initially Guth worked as a theorist in elementary-particle physics, but, stimulated by the work of Steven Weinberg, he began to consider some of the outstanding problems of cosmology. These included a number of difficulties raised against the standard interpretation of the big-bang account of the origin of the universe. Many had found the apparent isotropy of the universe puzzling while James Peebles and Charles Misner had discovered the flatness and horizon problems. The big-bang was clearly in need of revision.
Consequently Guth in 1980 first proposed the inflationary universe model. Guth's theory agrees with the standard model after the first 10–30 second. Within the initial brief period, he proposed that the universe had undergone an extraordinarily rapid inflation. During this period the diameter of the universe would have increased by a factor of about 1050. An increase of this size would expand a centimeter to 1032 light-years.
Thus as the region from which the present universe emerged was so small, thermal equilibrium could have been achieved before the inflation. An observer today would, therefore, detect an isotropic cosmic-background radiation. He would also detect a flat universe – an observer on a globe that had increased 1050times in diameter would have seen his universe flattened.
Guth has conceded that even if the inflationary model is correct “it will be difficult for anyone to ever discover observable consequences of the conditions existing before the inflationary phase transition.” He has also pointed out that the grand unified theories of physics allow that the observed universe could have evolved from nothing. The inflationary model comes close to this by providing a mechanism by which the observable universe could have evolved from an infinitesimal region: “They say that there is no such thing as a free lunch – but the universe is the ultimate free lunch!”

Scientists. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alan Harvey Guth — Alan Guth Alan Guth. Alan Guth est un cosmologiste d origine américaine actuellement en poste au Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Il est considéré comme l inventeur du modèle cosmologique de l inflation cosmique Récompenses …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Guth — Alan Harvey …   Scientists

  • Alan Guth — Alan Guth. Alan Harvey Guth (New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1947) físico y cosmólogo estadounidense. Investigador del MIT, elaboró la primera formulación de la teoría del universo inflacionario en los años setenta. Sus intereses de investigación… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alan Guth — Infobox Scientist name = Alan Harvey Guth caption = Alan Guth at Harvard University birth date = Birth date and age|1947|2|27|df=y birth place = New Brunswick, New Jersey death date = death place = residence = United States nationality = American …   Wikipedia

  • A. Harvey Guth — Alan Guth Alan Guth. Alan Guth est un cosmologiste d origine américaine actuellement en poste au Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Il est considéré comme l inventeur du modèle cosmologique de l inflation cosmique Récompenses …   Wikipédia en Français

  • List of astronomers — Famous astronomers and astrophysicists include: NOTOC A*Marc Aaronson (USA, 1950 ndash; 1987) *George Ogden Abell (USA, 1927 ndash; 1983) *Antonio Abetti (Italy, 1846 ndash; 1928) *Giorgio Abetti (Italy, 1882 ndash; 1982) *Charles Greeley Abbot… …   Wikipedia

  • Solvay-Konferenz — Walther Nernst, Initiator der Solvay Konferenz Solvay Konferenzen ist der Name von internationalen Fachkonferenzen auf dem Gebiet der Physik. Die 24. Solvay Konferenz fand vom 11. bis 13. Oktober 2008 in Brüssel zum Thema Quantentheorie der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Гут, Алан Харви — Алан Харви Гут Алан Харви Гут (Гус) (англ. Alan Harvey Guth; род. 27 февраля 1947 …   Википедия

  • Highland Park, New Jersey — Infobox Settlement official name = Highland Park, New Jersey settlement type = Borough nickname = motto = imagesize = image caption = image imagesize = image caption = image mapsize = 250x200px map caption = Highland Park highlighted in Middlesex …   Wikipedia

  • Primary Sources — ♦ Bruce, John, ed. Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV in England and the Final Recouerye of His Kingdomes from Henry VI. In Three Chronicles of the Reign of Edward IV. Introduction by Keith Dockray. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Alan Sutton… …   Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”