Charles W. Misner
- July 24, 2023
- 91 years
About Charles W. Misner
Charles W. Misner, 91, American physicist (Gravitation).
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Full Biography
|Charles William Misner (/ˈmɪznər/; June 13, 1932 – July 24, 2023) was an American physicist and one of the authors of Gravitation. His specialties included general relativity and cosmology. His work has also provided early foundations for studies of quantum gravity and numerical relativity.
Biography
Academic training and university positions
Misner received his B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1952. He then moved to Princeton University, where he earned an M.A. in 1954 and completed his Ph.D. in 1957. His dissertation, Outline of Feynman Quantization of General Relativity; Derivation of Field Equations; Vanishing of the Hamiltonian, was completed under John Wheeler.
Prior to completing his Ph.D., Misner joined the faculty of the Princeton Physics Department with the rank of Instructor (1956–1959), and was subsequently promoted to assistant professor (1959–1963). In 1963 he moved to the University of Maryland, College Park as an associate professor and achieved full professor status there in 1966. Since 2000, Misner has been Professor Emeritus of Physics, and he continued to be a member of the Gravitation Theory Group in the Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics. During his career, Misner advised 22 Ph.D. students primarily at Princeton and at the University of Maryland.
Misner held visiting positions at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (also known as the Albert Einstein Institute); the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara; the Pontifical Academy of Cracow (Poland); the Institute for Physical Problems in Moscow (during the time of the Soviet Union); the California Institute of Technology, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge.
Research
Most of Misner's research fell into the area of general relativity, which describes the gravitational interactions of very massive bodies. He contributed to the early understanding of cosmology - he was one of the first to point out the horizon problem, the role of topology in general relativity, quantum gravity, and numerical relativity. In the areas of cosmology and topology he first studied the mixmaster universe, which he devised in an attempt to better understand the dynamics of the early universe, and developed a solution to the Einstein field equation that is now known as Misner space. Together with Richard Arnowitt and Stanley Deser he published a Hamiltonian formulation of the Einstein equation that split Einstein's unified spacetime back into separated space and time. This set of equations, known as the ADM formalism, plays a role in some attempts to unify quantum mechanics with general relativity. It is also the mathematical starting-point for most techniques for numerically solving Einstein's equations.
In 2015, the Albert Einstein Society presented the Albert Einstein Medal to Deser and Misner for their work; Arnowitt had died the previous year.
Death
Charles W. Misner died on July 24, 2023, at the age of 91.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_W._Misner
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Charles W. Misner's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what year was the American physicist Charles W. Misner born?
- A.1932correct
- B.1930
- C.1936
- D.1934
Charles W. Misner was born on June 13, 1932.
Source: biography header
2.Where did Charles W. Misner receive his B.S. degree in 1952?
- A.California Institute of Technology
- B.University of Notre Damecorrect
- C.Princeton University
- D.University of Maryland
Charles W. Misner received his B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1952.
Source: Academic training section
3.Who was the advisor for the Ph.D. dissertation of Charles W. Misner?
- A.John Wheelercorrect
- B.Stanley Deser
- C.Richard Arnowitt
- D.Kip S. Thorne
Charles W. Misner completed his Ph.D. dissertation under the supervision of John Wheeler.
Source: Academic training section
4.In what year did Charles W. Misner begin his role as an associate professor at the University of Maryland?
- A.1968
- B.1963correct
- C.1966
- D.2000
Charles W. Misner moved to the University of Maryland in 1963 as an associate professor.
Source: Academic training section
5.How many Ph.D. students did Charles W. Misner advise throughout his career?
- A.26
- B.12
- C.22correct
- D.18
Charles W. Misner advised a total of 22 Ph.D. students during his time primarily at Princeton and the University of Maryland.
Source: Academic training section
6.Which of these concepts was Charles W. Misner one of the first to point out in the field of cosmology?
- A.The expansion rate of the universe
- B.The cosmic microwave background
- C.The horizon problemcorrect
- D.The black hole entropy
Charles W. Misner was one of the first physicists to point out the horizon problem in the early understanding of cosmology.
Source: Research section
7.What is the name of the cosmological model Charles W. Misner devised to understand the dynamics of the early universe?
- A.Mixmaster universecorrect
- B.Quantum space
- C.Topology universe
- D.Einstein-Misner model
Charles W. Misner studied the mixmaster universe in an attempt to better understand the dynamics of the early universe.
Source: Research section
8.What is the common name for the set of equations developed by Misner, Arnowitt, and Deser?
- A.MAD formalism
- B.ADM formalismcorrect
- C.DAM formalism
- D.AMD formalism
The Hamiltonian formulation of the Einstein equation published by Misner, Arnowitt, and Deser is known as the ADM formalism.
Source: Research section
9.Which award did Charles W. Misner receive in 2015 from the Albert Einstein Society?
- A.Theoretical Physics Prize
- B.Albert Einstein Medalcorrect
- C.Relativity Research Award
- D.Gravity Advancement Medal
The Albert Einstein Society presented the Albert Einstein Medal to Stanley Deser and Charles W. Misner in 2015.
Source: Research section
10.At what age did Charles W. Misner pass away?
- A.92
- B.89
- C.90
- D.91correct
Charles W. Misner died on July 24, 2023, at the age of 91.
Source: Death section
11.Who co-authored the book 'Gravitation' with Charles W. Misner?
- A.Kip S. Thorne and John Archibald Wheelercorrect
- B.Richard Arnowitt and Stanley Deser
- C.Patrick A. Cooney and Peter Putnam
- D.John Wheeler and Albert Einstein
The book Gravitation was authored by Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne, and John Archibald Wheeler.
Source: Bibliography section
12.What title has Charles W. Misner held since the year 2000?
- A.Professor Emeritus of Physicscorrect
- B.Director of Gravitation Research
- C.Department Chair of Physics
- D.Senior Fellow of Cosmology
Since 2000, Charles W. Misner has been Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Maryland.
Source: Academic training section
13.In which city is the Institute for Physical Problems where Charles W. Misner held a visiting position?
- A.Warsaw
- B.Berlin
- C.London
- D.Moscowcorrect
Charles W. Misner held a visiting position at the Institute for Physical Problems located in Moscow.
Source: Academic training section
14.What is the title of the book Charles W. Misner co-authored with Patrick A. Cooney in 1991?
- A.Cosmology Basics
- B.General Relativity Guide
- C.Spreadsheet Physicscorrect
- D.Numerical Relativity
Charles W. Misner and Patrick A. Cooney published Spreadsheet Physics in 1991.
Source: Bibliography section
15.Which university rank did Charles W. Misner reach in 1966 at the University of Maryland?
- A.Associate Professor
- B.Instructor
- C.Full Professorcorrect
- D.Assistant Professor
Charles W. Misner achieved full professor status at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1966.
Source: Academic training section
16.What was the specific title of the dissertation written by Charles W. Misner for his Ph.D.?
- A.General Relativity Foundations
- B.The Mixmaster Universe and Field Equations
- C.Outline of Feynman Quantization of General Relativity; Derivation of Field Equations; Vanishing of the Hamiltoniancorrect
- D.Studies in Numerical Relativity and Cosmology
The title of his dissertation was Outline of Feynman Quantization of General Relativity; Derivation of Field Equations; Vanishing of the Hamiltonian.
Source: Academic training section
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