Malcolm Perry (physicist)
Encyclopedia
Malcolm John Perry, is a theoretical physicist
. Perry is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge
. His research mainly concerns general relativity
, supergravity
and string theory
.
Perry was a graduate student at King's College, Cambridge
, under the supervision of Stephen Hawking
. He obtained his doctorate in 1978 with a thesis on the quantum mechanics of black holes. In these early years, he worked on several very influential papers on Euclidean quantum gravity
and black hole radiation with Gary Gibbons
and Stephen Hawking
.
After his graduate studies, he worked in Princeton, New Jersey
from 1978 to 1986. With his student Rob Myers, he found the Myers-Perry metric
, which describes the higher dimensional generalization of the Kerr metric
. He also started working on supergravity
, string theory
and Kaluza-Klein theory.
In 1986, he returned to Cambridge
, being elected a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php?pageid=10&conid=75, where he has worked ever since.
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
. Perry is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. His research mainly concerns general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
, supergravity
Supergravity
In theoretical physics, supergravity is a field theory that combines the principles of supersymmetry and general relativity. Together, these imply that, in supergravity, the supersymmetry is a local symmetry...
and string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
.
Perry was a graduate student at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, under the supervision of Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
. He obtained his doctorate in 1978 with a thesis on the quantum mechanics of black holes. In these early years, he worked on several very influential papers on Euclidean quantum gravity
Euclidean quantum gravity
Euclidean quantum gravity refers to a Wick rotated version of quantum gravity, formulated as a quantum field theory. The manifolds that are used in this formulation are 4 dimensional Riemannian manifolds instead of pseudo Riemannian manifolds. It is also assumed that the manifolds are compact,...
and black hole radiation with Gary Gibbons
Gary Gibbons
Gary William Gibbons , FRS, is a British theoretical physicist. Gibbons studied in Cambridge,where in 1969 he became a research student under the supervision of Dennis Sciama. When Sciama moved to Oxford, he became a student of Stephen Hawking, obtaining his PhD from Cambridge in 1973...
and Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
.
After his graduate studies, he worked in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
from 1978 to 1986. With his student Rob Myers, he found the Myers-Perry metric
Higher-dimensional Einstein gravity
Higher-dimensional Einstein gravity is any of various physical theories that attempt to generalise to higher dimensions various results of the well established theory of standard Einstein gravity, that is, general relativity...
, which describes the higher dimensional generalization of the Kerr metric
Kerr metric
The Kerr metric describes the geometry of empty spacetime around an uncharged axially-symmetric black-hole with an event horizon which is topologically a sphere. The Kerr metric is an exact solution of the Einstein field equations of general relativity; these equations are highly non-linear, which...
. He also started working on supergravity
Supergravity
In theoretical physics, supergravity is a field theory that combines the principles of supersymmetry and general relativity. Together, these imply that, in supergravity, the supersymmetry is a local symmetry...
, string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
and Kaluza-Klein theory.
In 1986, he returned to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, being elected a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php?pageid=10&conid=75, where he has worked ever since.