On a visit to Mumbai, Nobel laureate in physics David Gross says this century is key to understanding the origins of the universe.
David Gross has a way of doing things — to get rid of his smoking habit, he began puffing cigars. And he has a way of saying things — “Cigars are healthier; we don’t inhale, do we?”
When Gross says something, the world of physics listens. After all, he won the 2004 Nobel Prize for what is considered one of the most important discoveries in science - the nature of interaction between Quarks, the as-yet smallest building blocks of matter. The 63-year-old Gross is in Mumbai to deliver a lecture on the future of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research next Monday.
The discovery in 1973 surprised the scientist himself. In an elegant explanation, Gross not only solved the equivalent of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, but also took us closer to realising the ultimate dream of finding the theory of everything — often called the Grand Unified Theory or GUT.
The discovery was important enough, but it took the Nobel committee 32 years to recognise his contribution. Says Gross, “The problem with theoretical physics is that it takes a lot of time to substantiate the theory.” He knew his discovery was worthy of a Nobel Prize, “which incidentally I had been waiting since 1994,” he says with a mischievous smile.
Gross’ inspirations were legendary physicists George Gamow (who wrote the popular science bestseller - ‘One, Two, Three… Infinity’) and Arthur Eddington, rated as one of the greatest scientists of all time.
That was in the past, but the future of physics is exciting, says Gross. String theory will be the biggest news of this century, he feels. It will be what Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity were to the previous century. “String Theory will be weirder than the previous two.”
Why does he rate String Theory so high? “Because it has the potential to answer the most fundamental question of all; the origin of Big Bang singularity — the state where normal laws of physics collapse. Where did the universe come from if there was nothing in the beginning?”
It would mean that both space and time may have emerged from something even more fundamental. “The science revolution is yet to occur,” he adds.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}