Michael Turner (cosmologist)
Encyclopedia
Michael S. Turner is a theoretical cosmologist
, who coined the term dark energy
.
He is the Bruce V. & Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago
, and was formerly the Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences for the US National Science Foundation
from 2003-2006. His book The Early Universe, co-written with fellow Chicago cosmologist Rocky Kolb
, is a standard text on the subject.
Turner received a B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1971, and earned a PhD in Physics from Stanford University
in 1978.
Turner helped establish the interdisciplinary field that combines together cosmology and elementary particle physics to understand the origin and evolution of the Universe. His research focuses on the earliest moments of creation, and he has made contributions to inflationary cosmology, particle dark matter and structure formation, the theory of big bang nucleosynthesis, and the nature of dark energy.
The National Academy study, Connecting quarks with the cosmos: eleven science questions for the new century, which he chaired, identified opportunities at the intersection of Astronomy and Physics and has help shape science investment in the US in this area.
Physical cosmology
Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution. For most of human history, it was a branch of metaphysics and religion...
, who coined the term dark energy
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
.
He is the Bruce V. & Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and was formerly the Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences for the US National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
from 2003-2006. His book The Early Universe, co-written with fellow Chicago cosmologist Rocky Kolb
Edward Kolb
Edward W. Kolb, usually known as Rocky Kolb, is a cosmologist and a professor at the University of Chicago. He has worked on many aspects of the big bang cosmology, including baryogenesis, nucleosynthesis and dark matter. He is author, with Michael Turner, of the popular textbook The Early Universe...
, is a standard text on the subject.
Turner received a B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1971, and earned a PhD in Physics from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1978.
Turner helped establish the interdisciplinary field that combines together cosmology and elementary particle physics to understand the origin and evolution of the Universe. His research focuses on the earliest moments of creation, and he has made contributions to inflationary cosmology, particle dark matter and structure formation, the theory of big bang nucleosynthesis, and the nature of dark energy.
The National Academy study, Connecting quarks with the cosmos: eleven science questions for the new century, which he chaired, identified opportunities at the intersection of Astronomy and Physics and has help shape science investment in the US in this area.
Awards
- Helen B. Warner PrizeHelen B. Warner Prize for AstronomyThe Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society to a young astronomer for a significant contribution to observational or theoretical astronomy....
of the American Astronomical SocietyAmerican Astronomical SocietyThe American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
(1984) - Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
(1997) - Dannie Heineman Prize for AstrophysicsDannie Heineman Prize for AstrophysicsThe Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics is jointly awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society and American Institute of Physics for outstanding work in astrophysics. It is funded by the Heineman Foundation in honour of Dannie Heineman....
of the American Astronomical SocietyAmerican Astronomical SocietyThe American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
and the American Institute of PhysicsAmerican Institute of PhysicsThe American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
(2010)