William
George Unruh is a top Canadian scientist who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
where he earned his bachelors of Science degree in physics at the University of
Manitoba in 1966 before earning his PhD in 1971 from Princeton University.
Unruh is currently a professor at the University of British Columbia where he
studies topics such as quantum physics, gravitational theory and cosmology.
His concerns
about relationships between matter and particles, and gravity have led to
further research in areas such as black hole physics and phenomena. What
interests me about Dr. Unruh are the topics he researches, he researches theories
about black holes and wants to go beyond current scientific knowledge. I like
his attitude towards this topic, because even though it is a topic that is
relatively hard to research as black holes aren’t that close to earth, he still
does it. Unruh wants to find an explanation for the formation of the
eternity-expanding universe and which forces were present at the time of
formation. He has been trying to find a quantum theory of gravity which means
interactions between particles and matter, and gravity. Much of his work is
done on theoretical physics which makes him a true scientist in my opinion,
always trying to contribute to the scientific community. Apart from studying
the formation of the universe, his main studies are based on sonic black holes
which Unruh calls "dumb holes" where fluid has the ability to flow
faster than the speed of sound. He says that hot sound waves are produced in
these holes, however the evidence is not there to prove his theory.
Unruh may be
best known for his discovery in 1976 called the Unruh effect. He, along with
Stephen Hawkings discovered that the number of particles found in a region
depends on the acceleration of the measuring device used. He discovered that a
vacuum which does not contain particles would be detected as having particles
by a measuring device. In simple terms, the theory says a thermometer waved
around in empty space such as a vacuum will result in a non-zero temperature
due to acceleration. However, the Unruh effect is still under dispute as it is
not evident that what he claimed to observe is actually true. In my opinion, the
Unruh effect sounds believable, I believe that devices used to measure aspects
such as temperature were designed to be used in normal circumstances where
particles exist, that is one of the reasons I believe a non-zero temperature is
detected within a vacuum.
His research
has triggered many other researchers to research further on topics he discovered
such as the Unruh Effect, for example, they are currently coming very close to
proving that his theory is correct as in 2011 researchers claimed that in their
experiment, the Sokolov-Ternov Effect, the Unruh effect may have also been
proven. Unruh’s research means a lot to society because disputable topics about
how the universe was formed for example is currently being researched by him
along with other interesting topics. Through his research of quantum physics,
we might actually understand entirely how black holes operate. He researches
some of the biggest mysteries of the universe and if his research hasn’t
already answered some of the questions he originally had, eventually it will
through others’ research adding to his. The topics he researches might not
interest some people but if they were to understand it more possibly through
his research, it would make topics such as black holes a lot more interesting.
His discoveries and theories have contributed to him being named one of
the top Canadian scientists of all time.
Sources
W.G.
Unruh
Canadian
Institute for Advance Research- William G. Unruh
Science.ca-William
G. Unruh
Unruh Effect
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