Lars Hernquist (December 14, 1954) is a theoretical astrophysicist and Mallinckrodt Professor of

Astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. He is best known for his research on dynamical processes in

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

and galaxy formation/galaxy evolution.

Career and research

Hernquist's research involves the dynamics of galaxies and the effect of a merger driven model for galaxy evolution. He is a world expert in simulating mergers of galaxies to demonstrate the expected appearance and morphology of the resulting body. He defined the "Hernquist Profile", which is an analytic expression for the distribution of

dark matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

in galaxies. Hernquist's research is largely computational with one of the world's largest supercomputers accessible for his research.

Awards

Hernquist was awarded the 2020

Gruber Prize in Cosmology The Gruber Prize in Cosmology, established in 2000, is one of three prestigious international awards worth US$500,000 awarded by the Gruber Foundation, a non-profit organization based at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Since 2001, t ...

jointly with Volker Springel, who together have made computer simulations "an indispensable tool for cosmologists, allowing them to test theories and locate fertile areas for further research."

References

External links

''Stellar scattering and the formation of exponential discs in self-gravitating systems'' Wu et al.
Formula (1) is the Hernquist profile (for dark matter halo) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American astronomers Harvard University faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Lawrenceville School alumni {{US-astronomer-stub