Friday, March 2, 2012
Charles Keeton, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Rutgers University and faculty director of theAresty Research Center for Undergraduates, will speak to the AAA Friday, March 2, on òÀÜA Ray of Light in a Sea of Dark (Matter).òÀÝ The free public lecture begins at 6:15 p.m. in the Kaufmann Theater of theˆàAmerican Museum of Natural History.
Explaining the subject of his talk, Dr. Keeton tells us:
òÀÜIn the 1930s, Einstein used his theory of relativity to predict that the bending of light by a staròÀÙs gravity could create multiple images of a more distant star. Today there are many observed cases where the gravity of a distant galaxy bends the light from an even more distant quasar. This gravitational lensing provides a unique opportunity to study the invisible dark matter thought to surround all galaxies, and even to detect galaxies we cannot see. The search for invisible galaxies with gravitational lensing will provide important clues about the nature of the exotic substance that pervades the universe.òÀÝ
After earning a BA from Cornell and a PhD from Harvard, Keeton did research at the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago. He then joined the Rutgers faculty in 2004. He has observed with the Hubble Space Telescope and at observatories in Arizona, Hawaii, and Chile. KeetonòÀÙs research has been featured by National Public Radio, MSNBC.com, andˆàNew Scientistˆàmagazine. In 2009, Keeton received theˆàPresidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineersˆàfrom President Barack Obama.