Physicists who came up with supergravity win $3m Breakthrough Prize

Peter van Nieuwenhuizen

One of the prize winners, Peter van Nieuwenhuizen

John Griffin/Stony Brook University Communications

Supergravity is the idea that launched a thousand theories. This hypothesis suggests that the particle that causes gravity ought to have a partner, and from this idea came a possible way to solve some of the biggest mysteries in physics – from unifying gravity with quantum mechanics to explaining the effects of dark matter.

The three scientists that formulated supergravity – Sergio Ferrara, Daniel Z. Freedman and Peter van Nieuwenhuizen – have been awarded the $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in recognition of their work. This is …

source: newscientist.com