Thorne, Kip (1940-…), is an American theoretical physicist. He is known for his contributions to astrophysics and gravitational physics. He shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics with fellow American physicists Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish. The three were awarded the prize for their contributions to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) that led to the observation of gravitational waves.
Over his career, Thorne has made important contributions to the study of space, time, gravitation, and the nature of black holes. A black hole is an object in space with a gravitational force so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape it. In late 1974, Thorne famously made a bet with British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who wagered that black holes did not exist. Hawking was forced to concede the bet in the 1990’s when scientific evidence for black holes was well established.
In 1984, Thorne helped establish the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Gravitational waves were predicted by the German-born physicist Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity. However, gravity is a weak force, and gravitational waves can only be detected when massive objects interact, such as when two black holes collide with each other. In 2016, researchers at LIGO announced that they had detected gravitational waves coming from two colliding black holes.
Thorne is also known for his ideas about wormholes in space. Ideas about wormholes are also based on Einstein’s theory of general relativity. However, the known laws of physics do not indicate that wormholes exist, and astronomers have seen no evidence of them. Thorne developed a theory to explain how wormholes could form in space and could potentially be used to travel great distances in space and even for time travel.
Kip Stephen Thorne was born on June 1, 1940, in Logan, Utah. He studied physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he graduated in 1962. He earned a master’s degree at Princeton University one year later and a Ph.D. in 1965. He was professor of theoretical physics at Caltech from 1967 to 2009, when he became an emeritus professor.
Thorne served as a technical adviser for the 2014 science-fiction motion picture Interstellar. In this film, a group of astronauts travel through a wormhole in space. In addition to scientific papers, books, and textbooks, Thorne has written several books for general readers. They include Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy (1994); The Science of “Interstellar” (2014); and The Warped Side of Our Universe (2023, illustrated by Lia Halloran).
