Two Astrophysicists Chosen to Share Award As 2003 California Scientist of the Year
The California Science Center has
announced the selection of Andrew Lange, Ph.D. and Saul Perlmutter, Ph.D. as
co-winners of the 2003 California Scientist of the Year. Dr. Lange is Marvin
L. Goldberger Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena and Dr. Perlmutter is Senior Scientist and Group Leader at the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. Using two very different
techniques, Lange and Perlmutter’s experimental efforts have confirmed a
remarkable theory of how the universe expanded and evolved after “the big
bang.” The two astrophysicists will be recognized during the annual
presentation of the California Scientist of the Year and Amgen Award for
Science Teaching Excellence, a special event to honor excellence in scientific
achievement and education on May 8, 2003 at the California Science Center in
Exposition Park, Los Angeles.
The California Science Center established the California Scientist of the
Year Award in recognition of the prominent role California plays in the areas
of scientific and technological development. A blue-ribbon panel selects a
nominee whose work is current and advances the boundaries of any field of
science. Of those selected, eleven have earned the California Scientist of
the Year honors before becoming Nobel Laureates. The panel concluded that
Lange and Perlmutter’s discoveries complement each other so well in revealing
the nature of the universe that both scientists should be recognized this
year.
According to the most widely held theory of cosmic evolution, the universe
went though an inflationary phase where its size rapidly increased and where
the universe’s geometrical structure took on a very specific form: parallel
lines never meet, the sum of the angles inside an astronomically sized
triangle add to 180 degrees. Scientists refer to this particular form of
geometry as being mathematically “flat.” According to General Relativity, a
mathematically flat universe places constraints on the amount of mass and
energy in the universe. Unfortunately, astronomers could not account for the
requisite mass and energy. Therefore, either the standard cosmological or
“big bang” theory was incorrect and the universe’s geometrical structure was
not that of Euclid, or the astronomers were missing something important.
Dr. Lange studies fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
radiation, a relic of the primeval “fireball” that filled the early universe.
These signals, which are visible today at microwave frequencies, provide a
clear “snapshot” of the embryonic universe, at an epoch long before the first
stars or galaxies had formed. In general, this radiation reaches the earth
uniformly from all directions in the sky. However, at the level of 0.003%
there is an intricate pattern of fluctuations in the CMB. Using novel
detectors developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and flown on a balloon-
borne telescope high above Antarctica, Dr. Lange’s group was able to make the
first resolved images of these very faint patterns. The images demonstrate
that the radiation fluctuates on an angular scale of one degree, which is
exactly what scientists expected from a mathematically flat universe.
Since the 1930s, scientists have known that galaxies are all moving away
from one another, and there has been a concerted effort to study the rate of
this expansion. Prior to Perlmutter’s efforts, almost all astronomers
expected that the expansion of the universe was slowing, due to the
gravitational attraction of galaxies and other matter. However, Perlmutter’s
group found that the universe is actually expanding at an accelerating rate,
as if a “negative pressure” was pushing everything apart. This negative
pressure may be what scientists call the cosmological constant, first
hypothesized by Albert Einstein in an attempt to prescribe a stable universe
but later rejected by him. Perlmutter’s estimates of the cosmological
constant’s magnitude are consistent with Lange’s observations of a flat
universe.
Lange’s work demonstrates that the universe is mathematically flat, and
that the standard cosmological theory is correct, while Perlmutter’s work
indicates that the source of astronomical energy giving rise to a flat
universe comes from a type of negative gravitational pressure or dark energy
permeating the universe. The nature of this dark energy remains a mystery.
The California Science Center is located at 700 State Drive, in historic
Exposition Park, Los Angeles. Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, except for
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission to the Science Center
exhibits is free. Exception: Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit, on display now
through Sept. 1, 2003. Ticket prices range from $4.50 to $9.50 and can be
purchased in advance through Ticketmaster. IMAX Theater tickets vary in price
from $4.50 to $7.50. Phone (213) 744-2019 for advance ticket purchase or
group discounts. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair
accessible. Parking is $6 per car — enter the visitor lot at 39th and
Figueroa Street. For general information, including directions,
phone (323) SCI-ENCE or visit our web site at www.casciencectr.org .
