Bekenstein receives Wolf Prize in Physics
Jacob Bekenstein has been announced as the recipient of the 2012 Wolf Prize in Physics, in honour of his work in formulating the thermodynamics of black holes.
Bekenstein will be presented with the award – which consists of a certificate and prize money to the sum of 100,000 USD – by Israel President Shimon Peres, at a special ceremony at the Knesset on 13 May.
Bekenstein, who hails from Mexico City, received his PhD at Princeton University in 1972. Since then, he has worked at the Center for Relativity in Austin, Texas and the Ben Gurion University, in Israel.
At present he is the Polak Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition, Bekenstein is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the International Astronomical Union, and a past recipient of the Rothschild and Israel National prizes.
“It is a great honour for me to be receiving the Wolf Prize,” said Bekenstein. “In the field of gravitation theory, of which black hole physics has long been a crucial part, much mystery remains, and the many gifted researchers active in the field will help to dispel it.”
The Wolf Foundation has been awarding the Wolf Prizes since 1978. Up to six prizes are awarded each year, in the fields of the arts, agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and physics.
