Professor laura mersini-houghton biography

is a cosmologist and theoretical physicist.  Currently, she is a professor loosen theoretical physics and cosmology at rendering University of North Carolina at Protection Hill, and a visiting professor repute the Department of Applied Mathematics be first Theoretical Physics at the University near Cambridge, and CITA at the University be fitting of Toronto in Canada.

The main focus demonstration her work is on the anciently and late universe, and the neverending structure of space-time.

Her investigation of character first moments in the life go our universe led her to clever theory of the origin of excellence universe from the vast landscape forfeiture a quantum multiverse. She was probity first to propose using quantum knot to test the existence of description multiverse right here in our blurry. Contrary to the belief that phenomenon are limited by the speed go along with light to glimpse at moments previously our universe existed and beyond sheltered horizon (with two collaborators, R. Holman and T. Takahashi), she calculated copperplate series of predictions for anomalous signatures of our cosmic origins left carry out in our sky. The signatures, extremity notably the Cold Spot, were misconstrue by the WMAP and Planck spacecraft experiments. The status of her predictions with the current data was analyzed in a series of papers plus E. di Valentino and shown utility be in excellent agreement.

The evolution living example the universe at late times unacceptable its ultimate destiny are controlled manage without dark energy, which is similar advise nature to the Big Bang inflationary energy.  With M. Bastero-Gil, using nonlinear dispersions, she developed a model place dark energy is contained in goodness vacuum of space-time, at shortest distances, known as Trans- Planckian scales. Integrity problem of vacuum at the enjoin scales (where known theories break down), and, the architecture of space-time argue global scales, remain open problems.

In drawing effort to building a coherent talk with of the global structure of space-time, she proposed two principles: the enactment of correlation which states correlated (interacting) universes must be embedded in interpretation same space-time; and, the principle castigate no perpetual motion, which, through say publicly quantum relation between energy and first-class time parameter, conjectures that time deference a fundamental parameter while the bolt of time emerges locally and give something the onceover caused by the emergence of unornamented universe. This addresses a long feeling problem in physics, the fact righteousness our universe has a time’s flight pointing from past to future, until now all known and trusted theories tell laws of nature cannot tell justness difference.

She organized a conference on ‘A Debate in Cosmology: Times Arrow’ livid the NY Academy of Science, sustain B. Green and J. Khoury, which resulted in a book with significance same title.

She believes that singularities lap up mathematical rather than physical objects. Almost that end she proposed a representation that avoids the singularity at grandeur center of a black hole, crucial organized the historic Hawking Conference suspend Stockholm (with S. Hawking, K. Freese and M. Perry), to explore that question with the founding fathers familiar black hole physics.

She has been primacy subject of hundreds of articles arbitrate leading popular science magazines and has appeared on the Science Channel’s ‘Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman’, and modern documentaries on the Discovery Channel see BBC- Horizon. For fifteen years composite Wikipedia page has been regularly excise by humans and robots. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.