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I can only think of major achievements in my (narrow) field of study. What do you think could have reasonably been awarded?
by cosmic_quanta 2y ago
I can only think of major achievements in my (narrow) field of study.
What do you think could have reasonably been awarded?
- DiogenesKynikos 2y agoThree off the top of my head: The measurement of the Hubble constant using delay times between multiple images of lensed supernovae. The first transit spectrum of an exoplanet atmosphere. The first directly imaged exoplanet. (They could hand out Nobel Prizes in the field of exoplanets like candy.)
- xqcgrek2 2y agoExoplanet science is not physics, it's chemistry or planetary science. By your logic prizes to teams who send probes to the outer solar system planets could also be given prizes.
- bfmalky 2y agoOk, so under what logic does ML become physics?
- YeGoblynQueenne 2y agoWhat's "exoplanet science"? The above are applications of knowledge of physics to astrophysics, as far as I understand it. Certainly they sound more relevant to physics than neural networks.
- cosmic_quanta 2y agoI would argue that the first measurements of exoplanets' existence is definitely physics. This was a leap in our understanding of the makeup of the universe.
- Workaccount2 2y agoAlfred Nobel's stated standard for a prize is: "conferred the greatest benefit to humankind" So while those things are cool and groundbreaking, I'd say they have yet to cross the threshold into "greatest benefit to humankind"
- DiogenesKynikos 2y agoIf you define "benefit to humankind" narrowly, and don't view gaining pure knowledge about the workings of the universe as beneficial to humanity, then most physics Nobel Prizes over the last few decades fail the test. Detecting gravitational radiation from the merger of two black holes was an incredible step forward for our understanding of the universe. It will not practically change your life in any way.
- nodfyr 2y agoThe computation of the cosmic microwave background fluctuations hasn't received a nobel prize yet. It's had a deep impact on how we understand the Universe. Some people still alive who made important contributions to this are Rees and Sunyaev.
- topaz0 2y agoSomething for nonequilibrium statistical mechanics