The Seeds of Structure in the Universe

According to reigning scientific theory, our universe was born suddenly and dramatically in a massive explosion known as the "Big Bang." UC Berkeley Physics Professor George Smoot, recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, led the team that obtained the first images of the newly formed universe, findings that confirmed the predictions of the Big Bang theory.

Illuminating Black Holes

In a universe filled with improbable objects, supermassive black holes are among of the oddest of the odd. They lurk at the centers of galaxies like giant spiders, gobbling up much of the matter and energy within their gravitational reach. As a theoretical physicist and professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley, Eliot Quataert observes the objects that surround black holes, and the radiation produced by gas in their vicinity, in an effort to deduce how black holes and other astronomical objects work.

When Galaxies Collide

Crash testing might seem more suited to a Detroit carmaker than a UC Berkeley academic. However, that hasn't stopped astronomy professor Chung-Pei Ma, who stages some of the most spectacular crashes imaginable. But cars and crash-test dummies aren't her area of expertise. Instead, this astrophysical theorist arranges collisions between entire galaxies.

For his work discovering the origins of structure in the universe, UC Berkeley Physics Professor George Smoot was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics. Image credit: Nobel Foundation