Matthew Johnson
Matthew Johnson, professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy in the Faculty of Science, has been awarded third place for the 2014 Buchalter Cosmology Prize for the paper he wrote titled “Simulating the Universe(s): from Cosmic Bubble Collisions to Cosmological Observables with Numerical Relativity.” The annual prize rewards new ideas and discoveries that are capable of creating a breakthrough in our comprehension of the evolution and structure of the universe.
Johnson’s paper discusses the prediction that universe is a bubble and one of many bubble universes forming around and growing inside an expanding false vacuum. The collision of our bubble with another bubble could provide important insight. The importance of Johnson's work shows that the multiverse can be testable. What does this mean? If we are living in a bubble universe, there is potential that we may be able to tell.
Johnson's research strives to understand the fundamental laws of nature through their influence of cosmology. Additionally, he theorizes around string theory, and other areas including field theory and gravitation.