GLOBAL INITIATIVE OF ACADEMIC NETWORK, MHRD
SEEING THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE
Subir Sarkar
Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology
Head, Particle Theory Group, University of Oxford, UK, and
Niels Bohr Professor, Copenhagen University, Denmark
19 DEC 2017, 04:00 PM, Convention Centre
Humankind has always wondered how far the universe extends – whether it is finite or infinite? This remains one of the central questions of modern cosmology but now we can try to answer it through observations rather than just philosophise about it. I will trace the evolution of our ideas about this issue through recorded history, dealing en route with the celebrated Olbers’ “dark sky" paradox for an infinite universe (and its correct resolution), and ending with contemporary studies of the cosmic microwave background – the relic thermal radiation from the Big Bang – which marks the ‘edge of the universe’ we see today.
The Speaker : Subir was educated in India, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and obtained his PhD (1982) at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, where he was a staff member 1979-84. Subsequently, he has held visiting positions at CERN Geneva, Oxford Astrophysics, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and also worked in science education and outreach at Eklavya, Bhopal. Since 1990 he has been at Oxford - first as Glasstone Research Fellow, then PPARC Advanced Fellow, appointed University Lecturer (1998) and Professor (2006). He is an Associate of the Discovery Centre and Professor at the Niels Bohr International Academy, both at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen where he is building up an Astroparticle Physics Group. He is one of the pioneering theoreticians who also works on experiments that drive research in astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics. Among other recognitions, he has been awarded the Niels Bohr Professorship (2013) and IUPAP-TIFR Homi Bhabha award (2017).
