Black Holes and the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

TL;DR

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized groundbreaking theoretical and observational work on black holes, confirming their existence and properties through singularity theorems and astronomical observations of the galactic center.

Contribution

The paper summarizes the theoretical development of black holes via singularity theorems and the observational evidence of supermassive black holes at our galaxy's center, highlighting key advances recognized by the Nobel Prize.

Findings

Black holes are robust predictions of General Relativity.

Observations support the existence of a supermassive black hole in the Milky Way.

Singularity theorems confirm black holes are not just mathematical curiosities.

Abstract

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics distinguished two research projects on black holes, which are one of the most striking predictions of General Relativity. The prize was divided in two parts. The first half was awarded to Roger Penrose in recognition of his singularity theorems that guarantee that black holes, which were mathematically found since an early stage of the study of General Relativity, are not mere highly-symmetric, curious gravitational configurations, but robust predictions of the theory. The second half was awarded to Andrea Ghez and Reinhard Genzel who led two independent groups that carried out sophisticated observations of the center of our galaxy, which suggest that therein is a supermassive black hole. In this note, the main ideas of the theory of general relativity are briefly described, as well as the main features of black holes. The two works awarded in the aforementioned Nobel prize are described.