This year, the Swedish academy has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics to three researchers who have made very important contributions to the new understanding we have of our universe. On the one hand, the theoretical framework that deals with its structure and history; and, on the other, the first discovery of a planet orbiting a solar-type star outside our solar system, which opened the way to the discovery of more exoplanets. These discoveries undoubtedly deserve the most prestigious accolade, since they have forever changed our conception of the cosmos, and marked the direction of future research in the field of physics.
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics is divided into two, recognizing two important contributions: half, for James Peebles “for his theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology” and the other half, for Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for the discovery of an exoplanet that orbits a solar-type star. “
James Peebles described the history and structure of the universe
First, researcher James Peebles developed a theoretical framework over two decades that became the basis for our modern understanding of the history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the present day.
The Big Bang model describes the universe from its earliest moments, nearly fourteen billion years ago, when it was extremely hot and dense. Since then, the universe has expanded, getting bigger and colder. Just 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe began emitting cosmic rays. Even today, this ancient radiation is everywhere. Using his theoretical tools and calculations, James Peebles was able to interpret these traces from the infancy of the universe and discover new physical processes.
The results showed us a universe in which only five percent of its content is known: the matter that makes up stars, planets, trees … even ourselves. The rest, ninety-five percent, is dark matter and dark energy. This is still a mystery and a challenge for modern physics.
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz: pioneers in the discovery of exoplanets
For their part, researchers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz have explored our home galaxy, the Milky Way, in search of unknown worlds. In 1995, they made the first discovery of a planet outside our solar system, an exoplanet, orbiting a solar-type star, 51 Pegasi.
This milestone started a revolution in the field of astronomy, and since then more than 4,000 exoplanets have been found in the Milky Way. In fact, every year strange new worlds, with an incredible wealth of sizes, shapes and orbits.
With their findings, James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz have challenged our preconceptions about the cosmos, its origin, the matter that makes up the universe, and about planetary systems and are forcing scientists to revise their theories about processes. physicists that shape the cosmos. With these exciting fields of research open, and combined (dark matter and dark energy, expansion of the universe, discovery of potentially habitable exoplanets …) perhaps very soon we will be able to find an answer to the eternal question of whether there is life out there, and more. still, maybe get a little closer to understanding the structure and shape of our universe.
