Out of this World Experience: Hoʻomaikaʻi to Dr. Andrea Ghez, 2020 Physics Nobel Laureate!
For 25 years, UCLA astrophysicist Dr. Andrea Ghez relentlessly focused her astronomical observations in the direction of the constellation Pīmoe (Sagittarius) near the ‘bulge’ of the Milky Way, intent on proving that a black hole does indeed exist in the center of our galaxy. Her long quest would not have been met with success without her own remarkable creativity and determination coupled with the world-class astronomy tools of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea. Now all of Hawaiʻi congratulates Dr. Ghez on her 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, which she shares with two other researchers.
Credit W. M. Keck Observatory
In the early 90s, when Dr. Ghez was a junior faculty member at UCLA, the equipment needed to conduct her research still needed refinement, and her ideas about black holes were so “out-of-this-world” that nearly everyone denied her request for observatory time to test her theory. Eventually, Dr. Ghez secured access to the W. M. Keck Observatory’s first commissioned instrument, the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRC), and was able to collect ultrafast image readouts. By “restacking” the captured images, Dr. Ghez was able to remove the effects of the atmosphere’s turbulence and find the very first evidence of stars orbiting around a supermassive black hole within the center of the Milky Way!
Credit UCLA / W. M. Keck Observatory
Over the years, the new technology of adaptive optics (AO), which Dr. Ghez helped to pioneer at Keck Observatory, provided the opportunity to efficiently remove the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere for astronomical observation, allowing observations at ground-based observatories to actively compete with and even surpass those conducted through space telescopes. “Andrea has been using the Keck Observatory telescopes and adaptive optics systems to study the galactic center for over two decades now,” said Peter Wizinowich, chief of technical development at Keck Observatory who has worked with Dr. Ghez since AO was first envisioned at the observatory. “She has been very inclusive of the people who build the astronomical systems she uses and has been very collaborative in pushing us and these systems to excel.” With so many scientific achievements during her quarter century professional career, it is only fitting that Dr. Andrea Ghez is being recognized this fall with the Nobel Prize, which she and Professor Reinhard Genzel share with Roger Penrose.
Provided by Dr. Andrea Ghez
In addition to her revolutionary research, Dr. Ghez’s work is distinguished by a great deal of time and obvious relationships fostered with communities here on Hawaiʻi Island - both in and outside her field of study. “One of the things I love about Hawaiʻi is the incredible sense of family and community,” says Dr. Ghez. “Over the 25 years, there has been a group of people that has sustained a collaboration for so long, bringing different strengths that make for a really remarkable team. My experience with Keck Observatory has always been one of open arms from the observatory and the local community.” Through her relationships with individuals at work, Dr. Ghez was also introduced to and formed friendships with members of a local paddling group. “I would really like to give a shout out to the Kawaihae Canoe Club for being so open to people like me, who kind of drop in and go away; to let us take part in the community,” says Dr. Ghez. “It’s through relationships like these that I have been able to meet people in the broader community, not just people who worked at Keck Observatory, but people who have a much broader diversity of opinions about what is going on on top of Maunakea. I really appreciate those opportunities to make new friends and get a better understanding of perspectives.” As an enthusiastic swimmer, Dr. Ghez now uses every opportunity to paddle with the Kawaihae Canoe Club. Her community involvement doesn’t end at the beach either!
Provided by Dr. Andrea Ghez
“Andrea works tirelessly to expand our horizons and drive technological innovations within our field, while being just as passionate about sharing science with the public,” says Hilton Lewis, Director of W. M. Keck Observatory. “She has given many public lectures right here in Hawaiʻi and is recognized as a compelling speaker. Her teaching and research serves as an inspiration to aspiring scientists everywhere. She is a role model for our youth in what a commitment to an idea coupled with ability and tenacity can achieve.” In many traditional stories of Hawaiʻi, ingenuity and unwavering dedication are key elements that enable voyages of discovery and “pulling islands” from the deep sea--or, in Dr. Ghez’s scenario, black holes from deep space. There is no doubt that Dr. Ghez has embodied these traits of exploration and inspired a whole generation of scientists like Hilo’s own, Dr. Devin Chu, a recent graduate student from UCLA who studied from Dr. Ghez and joined her team of researchers who helped with her Nobel winning discovery. “I will always appreciate and remember Andrea’s principles of doing good science,” says Dr. Chu. “A lot of us were really focused on this scientific goal and being able to make this detection, and she reminded us that it’s not about getting carried away about a really cool result, but rather doing something correctly first and being good scientists. It might take more time, but we have to make sure that the results are significant for something that could have a lot of implications.”
Credit W. M. Keck Observatory
At the current point of this epic voyage, we only had one immediate question for Dr. Ghez - what’s next?? “We’re still going strong, there is so much to do,” is her response. “Technology at Keck Observatory has just opened the doors to more questions than answers at the center of the galaxy. We’re still taking the next steps to understanding how gravity works near the supermassive black hole; and in particular, looking for signs of new physics and dark matter. So it’s exciting to realize that we are now just at the precipice. We’ve done the first test and there are many other things opening up because of our very long investment - and that they just get better and better with time.”
Thanks to Dr. Ghez it is confirmed that a supermassive black hole exists in the center of the Milky Way. This black hole may likely be the next black hole to be imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope which imaged Pōwehi in 2019; Pōwehi was named through ‘Imiloa’s A Hua He Inoa program.
Hoʻomaikaʻi iā ʻoe, e Kauka Andrea Ghez! Ua kupanaha maoli nō kāu hana a he leo mahalo no kou lawelawe a aʻoaʻo pū ʻana aku i nā haumāna o ke ao nei! Congratulations Dr. Andrea Ghez! Your work is indeed extraordinary and we thank you for your guidance and inspiration for everyone around the world.