Eric Poisson
Encyclopedia
Eric Poisson is a Canadian physicist
specializing in the theory of black holes. Poisson is currently a professor
at the University of Guelph
. Poisson was awarded the 2005 Herzberg Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Canadian Association of Physicists
.
, Quebec
and grew up in Rimouski and Quebec City
. He obtained his BSc from Laval University in Quebec City, and his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta
, in Edmonton
. He received his doctorate in 1991 under the supervision of Werner Israel
.
s into other universe
s would be found inside some black holes. Mass inflation closes off these wormholes in realistic black holes.
After completing his doctorate, Poisson spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow in Kip Thorne's
research group at the California Institute of Technology
, in Pasadena
. During this period, he became interested in the gravitational wave
signatures that black hole systems might produce. Such signatures are crucial for the operation of gravitational wave detectors which are being developed such as LIGO
. This work continued for a subsequent year spent a year with Clifford Will at Washington University in St. Louis.
His research now focuses on gravitational self-force, which is the force on a body moving through a gravitational field arising from the mass and energy of the body itself. This self-force is expected to play a crucial role in understanding the motion of a stellar mass black hole orbiting and eventually spiraling into a supermassive black hole
such as those that reside at the centers of galaxies. These astronomical systems will be of special interest to space-based gravitational wave detectors such as LISA
when they are built, because they will allow precision measurements of the gravitational field of a black hole for the first time.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
specializing in the theory of black holes. Poisson is currently a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
. Poisson was awarded the 2005 Herzberg Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Canadian Association of Physicists
Canadian Association of Physicists
The Canadian Association of Physicists , or in French Association canadienne des physiciens et physiciennes is a Canadian professional society that focuses on creating awareness amongst Canadians and Canadian legislators of physics issues, sponsoring physics related events, and publishes Physics...
.
Education
He was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and grew up in Rimouski and Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. He obtained his BSc from Laval University in Quebec City, and his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. He received his doctorate in 1991 under the supervision of Werner Israel
Werner Israel
Werner Israel, OC, FRSC, FRS is a Canadian physicist.Born in Berlin, Germany and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, he received his B.Sc. in 1951 and his M.Sc. in 1954 from the University of Cape Town. He received his Ph.D...
.
Research
His doctoral dissertation was on the concept of mass inflation (not to be confused with cosmological inflation), which he pioneered with Israel. Prior to the understanding of mass inflation, it was believed that wormholeWormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
s into other universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
s would be found inside some black holes. Mass inflation closes off these wormholes in realistic black holes.
After completing his doctorate, Poisson spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow in Kip Thorne's
Kip Thorne
Kip Stephen Thorne is an American theoretical physicist, known for his prolific contributions in gravitation physics and astrophysics and for having trained a generation of scientists...
research group at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. During this period, he became interested in the gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
signatures that black hole systems might produce. Such signatures are crucial for the operation of gravitational wave detectors which are being developed such as LIGO
LIGO
LIGO, which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a large-scale physics experiment aiming to directly detect gravitational waves. Cofounded in 1992 by Kip Thorne and Ronald Drever of Caltech and Rainer Weiss of MIT, LIGO is a joint project between scientists at MIT,...
. This work continued for a subsequent year spent a year with Clifford Will at Washington University in St. Louis.
His research now focuses on gravitational self-force, which is the force on a body moving through a gravitational field arising from the mass and energy of the body itself. This self-force is expected to play a crucial role in understanding the motion of a stellar mass black hole orbiting and eventually spiraling into a supermassive black hole
Supermassive black hole
A supermassive black hole is the largest type of black hole in a galaxy, in the order of hundreds of thousands to billions of solar masses. Most, and possibly all galaxies, including the Milky Way, are believed to contain supermassive black holes at their centers.Supermassive black holes have...
such as those that reside at the centers of galaxies. These astronomical systems will be of special interest to space-based gravitational wave detectors such as LISA
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna is a planned space mission to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves from astronomical sources. LISA was originally conceived as a joint effort between the United States space agency NASA and the European Space Agency...
when they are built, because they will allow precision measurements of the gravitational field of a black hole for the first time.