Yuri Milner visits CTC
CTC was pleased to welcome Yuri Milner as a visitor to the centre on 24 April 2014. Mr Milner is a Russian entrepreneur responsible for establishing the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2012. The aim of the prize is to recognise individuals who have made important contributions to human knowledge and it is open to all physicists working on the deep mysteries of the universe. One of the first winners of the award was Stephen Hawking in 2013; he was cited for his discovery of Hawking radiation from black holes and for his contributions to quantum gravity and quantum aspects of the early universe. Theoretical physics in DAMTP has two winners, with Michael Green sharing the 2014 award for his contributions to string theory.
Mr Milner has maintained a keen interest in theoretical physics ever since studying the subject at Moscow State University. During his visit he met with Stephen Hawking and Michael Green, and was shown around COSMOS, the UK’s national cosmology supercomputer which is housed and operated by CTC.
As well as the Fundamental Physics Prize, Yuri Milner has provided funding for prizes in life sciences and mathematics. The latter is due to be awarded for the first time in 2014. Mr Milner’s visit included a brief introduction to mathematics in Cambridge and a description of current projects and innovations in the field.
