Ezra T. Newman
| Ezra T. Newman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 17, 1929 Bronx, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | General Relativity |
| Institutions | University of Pittsburgh |
| Alma mater |
The Bronx H.S. of Science, 1947 New York University, B.A. 1951 Syracuse University, Ph.D. 1956 |
| Doctoral advisor | Peter Bergmann |
| Known for |
Newman-Penrose formalism Contributors to general relativity |
For outstanding contributions to theoretical relativity, including the Newman-Penrose formalism, Kerr-Newman solution, Heaven, and null foliation theory. For his intellectual passion, generosity and honesty, which have inspired and represented a model for generations of relativists.
Early History
Newman was born in the Bronx, New York City. He showed an early interest in science, pondering magnets, match flames, and science books.[1] He was admitted to the Bronx High School of Science, where he excelled at physics. Ted's father hoped that he would follow him into dentistry, but instead Ted enrolled at NYU to further his study of physics.
Career in physics
Newman was a prominent contributor to the golden age of general relativity (roughly 1960-1975). In 1962, together with Roger Penrose, he introduced the powerful Newman-Penrose formalism for working with spinorial quantities in general relativity. In 1963, Newman and two coworkers discovered the NUT vacuum, an exact vacuum solution to the Einstein field equation which has become a famous "counterexample to everything". In 1965, he discovered the Kerr-Newman electrovacuum, one of the best known of all exact solutions. Some of his most interesting recent work has involved the problem of reconstructing the gravitational field within some region from observations of how optical images are lensed as light rays pass through the region. An email he forwarded to John C. Baez help to touch off the Bogdanov Affair.
Family
His son, David E. Newman, is currently a Professor of Physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and his daughter, Dara Newman, is currently Parent Education Director at Families First Missoula following a career in quantitative genetics and conservation biology.
References
- ↑ Paul Basken. , Chronicle of Higher Education, February 13, 2011.
- Frittelli, Simonetta; Kling, Thomas P.; & Newman, Ezra T. (2000). "Image distortion from optical scalars in non perturbative gravitational lensing". Physical Review D 63 (2). arXiv:gr-qc/0011108. Bibcode:2001PhRvD..63b3007F. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.63.023007.
- Newman, E. T.; Couch, E.; Chinnapared, K.; Exton, A.; Prakash, A.; & Torrence, R. J. (1965). "Metric of a rotating charged mass". J. Math. Phys. 6 (6): 918. Bibcode:1965JMP.....6..918N. doi:10.1063/1.1704351.
- Newman, E. T.; & Tamburino, L. A.; & Unti, T. (1963). "Empty-space generalization of the Schwarzschild metric". J. Math. Phys. 4 (7): 915. Bibcode:1963JMP.....4..915N. doi:10.1063/1.1704018.
- Newman, E. T.; & Penrose, R. (1962). "An approach to gravitational radiation by a method of spin coefficients". J. Math. Phys. 3 (3): 566. Bibcode:1962JMP.....3..566N. doi:10.1063/1.1724257.
External links
- "E. T. Newman's home page". Retrieved February 25, 2011.
- "2011 Einstein Prize Recipient". Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- "Pitt Physicist Receives 2011 Einstein Prize for Lifetime Contributions To Understanding, Reshaping Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity". Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- Paul Basken; Chronicle of Higher Education; February 13, 2011. "A Humble Heavyweight in Physics Finally Gets His Due". Retrieved February 25, 2011.