About
Matthew Choptuik’s research is focused on the study of physical situations in which gravitational forces are extremely strong and dynamic.
These situations include the formation of black holes, the collision of two black holes or neutron stars, and supernova explosions. The complex nature of these problems necessitates a computational approach; that is, Choptuik uses large computers to simulate processes such as black hole formation and interaction, and then attempts to extract the salient physics from the results of the simulations.
Awards
- Fellow, American Physical Society, 2003
- Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, Canadian Association of Physicists and the Centre de recherches mathématiques, 2003
- Rutherford Memorial Medal in Physics, Royal Society of Canada, 2001
Relevant Publications
Choptuik, M.W. (1993). Universality and scaling in gravitational collapse of a massless scalar field. Physical Review Letters, 70(1), 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.70.9
Support Us
CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.