Although traditional astronomy was associated with visible light, it grew enormously in the twentieth century with the opening up of the electromagnetic and non-electromagnetic spectra. This happened in parallel with the development of quantum mechanics, which was employed by astrophysicists to explain planets, stars, galaxies and the history of the entire universe. Sometimes astrophysics provided a ready application for atomic, nuclear, particle and condensed matter physics; sometimes it provided an inspiration for fresh, basic understanding. This symbiotic relationship continues in the twenty-first century. In this talk, I will briefly recount some of this history and outline three contemporary observational challenges to quantum mechanics: neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields, cosmic rays with individual energies comparable with that of a well-hit cricket ball and the origin of life.
About the speaker:
Roger Blandford is an astrophysicist widely recognised for his contributions to the study of black holes, astrophysical particle acceleration and gravitational lensing. His many achievements include the discovery of how energy is extracted from a rotating black hole, now referred to as the Blandford–Znajek process. The first director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Professor Blandford is widely recognised for his pioneering theoretical work. He has received numerous awards and has been elected to the fellowship of most of the prestigious science academies across the world. An inspiring teacher, Professor Blandford recently co-authored (with Kip Thorne) the textbook Modern Classical Physics, which has already become a modern classic.