In its scientific background for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, the Nobel Committee notes the relevance of artificial intelligence in astrophysics and astronomy, including the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, research involving Assistant Professor Aviad Levis. Sagittarius A* Image credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
As the Nobel Committee for Physics awarded its 2024 prize to University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton and John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, it also cited black hole imaging research involving Assistant Professor Aviad Levis.
In its scientific background document, the committee details the pioneering methods and concepts developed by co-laureates Hinton and Hopfield, concluding their breakthroughs “stand on the foundations of physical science.”
The committee mentions the relevance of artificial intelligence in disciplines such as astronomy and astrophysics, using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) image of the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way as an example.
“This is a wonderful recognition by the Nobel committee indicating the high impact science of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration,” says Levis. “Computer scientists have received recognition in both the Physics and Chemistry this year for their remarkable work, which is consistent with one of my favorite quotes by Dutch computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra: ‘Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes, biology is about microscopes or chemistry is about beakers and test tubes.’”
The EHT image is the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, and it is the highest-resolution astronomical image to date.
“It is not a standard photograph as you would take with your phone camera, it is a computational image that is reconstructed from observations taken by radio-telescopes spread across the globe. It is only through a collaborative effort spanning different institutions and expertise that the EHT collaboration was able to achieve this remarkable feat.” says Levis.
The EHT collaboration involves researchers from multiple institutions, including Levis, who who was a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech prior to joining U of T’s Department of Computer Science as an assistant professor in July 2024, and Bart Ripperda and Ue-Li Pen of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics.
Levis describes his work as interdisciplinary in nature, lying at the intersection of artificial intelligence and physics. In our recent new faculty spotlight, Levis shared he is interested in computational imaging for natural sciences and how the combination of AI and physics can accelerate scientific discoveries.
Learn more about Aviad Levis’s research on black hole imaging →
Read our Q&A with Aviad Levis →
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