Richard H. Price
Encyclopedia
Richard H. Price is an American
physicist
specializing in general relativity
.
Price graduated from Stuyvesant High School
in 1960, and went on to earn a dual degree in physics and engineering from Cornell University
in 1965. He earned his Ph.D. in 1971 from Caltech under the supervision of Kip Thorne
. He has spent most of his career at the University of Utah
, but in 2004 joined Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Texas at Brownsville.
Price is probably best known for a 1972 result now known as Price's theorem
. This is usually informally stated as follows: any inhomogeneities in the spacetime geometry outside a black hole will be radiated away. (Any such inhomogeneities can be quantified as nonzero higher multipole moments.) Price's theorem explains how the no hair theorem
is enforced.
Price also made pioneering numerical simulations which established (nonrigorously) a precise scenario for the emission of gravitational radiation during the merger of two compact objects (such as two black hole
s). Subsequent work has largely confirmed the scenario which was first developed in his work. These simulations have provided a major impetus for the development of gravitational wave
detectors such as LIGO
.
He has done much in development of pedagogical techniques in physics at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc levels; a significant portion at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. He creates beautiful atlases of relativity. He continues to teach and do research into his E Meritus career at the University of Texas Brownsville.
Price is the coauthor of three well known books in general relativity
^[ref below].
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
specializing in general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
.
Price graduated from Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
in 1960, and went on to earn a dual degree in physics and engineering from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1965. He earned his Ph.D. in 1971 from Caltech under the supervision of Kip Thorne
Kip Thorne
Kip Stephen Thorne is an American theoretical physicist, known for his prolific contributions in gravitation physics and astrophysics and for having trained a generation of scientists...
. He has spent most of his career at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, but in 2004 joined Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Texas at Brownsville.
Price is probably best known for a 1972 result now known as Price's theorem
Price's theorem
In theoretical physics, particularly general relativity, Price's theorem can be informally stated as the principle that any inhomogeneities in the spacetime geometry outside a black hole will be radiated away as gravitational radiation. The theorem was formulated in 1972 by the American physicist...
. This is usually informally stated as follows: any inhomogeneities in the spacetime geometry outside a black hole will be radiated away. (Any such inhomogeneities can be quantified as nonzero higher multipole moments.) Price's theorem explains how the no hair theorem
No hair theorem
The no-hair theorem postulates that all black hole solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations of gravitation and electromagnetism in general relativity can be completely characterized by only three externally observable classical parameters: mass, electric charge, and angular momentum...
is enforced.
Price also made pioneering numerical simulations which established (nonrigorously) a precise scenario for the emission of gravitational radiation during the merger of two compact objects (such as two black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
s). Subsequent work has largely confirmed the scenario which was first developed in his work. These simulations have provided a major impetus for the development of gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
detectors such as LIGO
LIGO
LIGO, which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a large-scale physics experiment aiming to directly detect gravitational waves. Cofounded in 1992 by Kip Thorne and Ronald Drever of Caltech and Rainer Weiss of MIT, LIGO is a joint project between scientists at MIT,...
.
He has done much in development of pedagogical techniques in physics at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc levels; a significant portion at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. He creates beautiful atlases of relativity. He continues to teach and do research into his E Meritus career at the University of Texas Brownsville.
Price is the coauthor of three well known books in general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
^[ref below].
External links
- Price's home page at the University of Texas
- Price's theorem from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics
- Price's theorem at University of Illinois, Chicago Circle