Prize Winning Astrophysicist Explains Black Hole Formation
Professor Steven Balbus (Shaw Prize 2013) explains his work on black hole formation. Interview with University of Oxford mathematician Dr Tom Crawford recorded at the Hong Kong Laureate Forum 2023.
Steven discusses his reaction at being awarded the prize in 2013, before a detailed explanation of his influential work on accretion disks, and how the magnetic field around a black hole can be understood by considering a spring between rotating masses. We also discuss his position at the University of Oxford as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy, and why he decided to work in astrophysics. Finally, Steven answers some quick-fire questions includng "blackboards versus whitebaords", "pi vs tau", "angles versus radians", "favourite number", "favourite star" and "favourite mathematical result".
Links to Tom's other interviews with Laureates in Maths and Computer Science.
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Produced by Dr Tom Crawford at the University of Oxford. Tom is Public Engagement Lead at the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/
For more maths content check out Tom's website tomrocksmaths.com/
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With thanks to
Steven Balbus
Hong Kong Laureate Forum
Dan Addison
ESA/Hubble
Tudor
ESO
EHT Collaboration
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman
Gary Settles
Josh Estey/AUSaid
WHOI
Simons Centre
Peter Mercator
MVLAN
Berkeley
The Wire
Rogelio Bernal Andreo
ESO/P. Kervella
Check out more interviews with prize-winning mathematicians on the designated playlist here: kzhead.info/channel/PLMCRxGutHqfmmro4zfb53mZxKuY1AwxTT.html
Love that conversation. More please
Really love his animated style of explaining the physics. Great stuff 👍
Looking great for age 70 (next week). As a 67 year old, gives me hope! :-)
Age is just a number
@@davidc4408 could you please elaborate on what you mean by that
What a delightful interview!
Great discussion
Congratulations :) 👍
Nice guy.
It seems like “Mathematicians in Physics Class be like…..” 😅😅
I loved this conversation - I tried hanging on, but, my simple economist brain timed out. My neighbour here in Oxford is a theoretical chemist and I fear he thinks I understand what he does, so I always move any chat on to inflation or Brexit!! :) I'm pointing my son towards maths at the moment - his teacher at the comp he goes to thinks he's got a flare for it, so, I'd better up my maths game!
I love the fanboy vibes ^^
my understanding is that from the perspective of an outside observer time slows dramatically for objects near the black hole to the point where you can never actually see anything falling in. So that would seem to mean we cant ever see a black hole get bigger. Am I missing something?
Yeah that what I always had a pro lem with. To the distant observer doesn't the clock on the person falling in seem to stop? So he can never actually fall in? Hopefully this will help me understand?
His face looks similar to bill ackman❤
Doesn't support Tau but Prefers measuring in Radians The absolute state of pi enjoyers