Expert on gravity to give two talks on Einstein

Eric Adelberger, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Washington, will give a public lecture, “Short-Distance Gravity: From Newton to Einstein to Strings,” on Thursday, Feb. 26. It will take place at 7 p.m. in Room P38, Gant Science Complex. A reception will follow.

He also will give a talk on “Testing Einstein’s Happiest Idea” at the Physics Colloquium, on Friday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. in the same location.

Adelberger is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Physics, and the American Physical Society.

He received the American Physical Society Bonner Prize for outstanding experimental research in nuclear physics in 1985. In 1992-93, he was a scientific associate at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva.

He has given named lectures as the Loeb Lecturer in Physics at Harvard University, Nordberg Lecturer at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Selove Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Feenberg Lecturer at Washington University, and Leigh Paige Prize Lecturer at Yale University.

His research focuses on gravity, the fundamental force whose origins remain mysterious. Adelberger founded the Eöt-Wash Group that has made many technical advances in torsion-balance technology.

These developments have led to extraordinarily precise experimental tests of Einstein’s Equivalence Principle, measurements of Newton’s constant G, searches for hidden extra dimensions by testing Newton’s Inverse-Square Law down to distances smaller than a human hair, and highly sensitive tests of the isotropy of space.

The lecture is part of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program, which brings distinguished scholars to selected campuses to contribute to the intellectual life of the institution.

It is co-sponsored by the physics department, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the local chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic honor society.