Professor George Smoot

works in experimental astrophysics and observational cosmology. Smoot has been at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (formerly Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) since 1970 and is most famous for his research on the cosmic background radiation. This radiation is thought to be the relic of the intense heat of the early Big Bang.

In April 1992, George Smoot made the announcement that the long sought variations in the early Universe had been observed by the COBE DMR team he led. NASA's COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite mapped the intensity of the radiation from the early Big Bang and found variations so small they had be the seeds on which gravity worked to grow the galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and clusters of clusters that are observed in the Universe today.

Professor Smoot has also written a popular book about cosmology, some of his experiments and experiences, and the COBE discovery named "Wrinkles in Time" avaialbe at your book store or Amazon Books

Professor Smoot is associated with several different institutions:

LBL (Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory)
Physics Department of the University of California, Berkeley
CfPA (Center for Particle Astrophysics, an NSF Center for Science & Technology)
INPA (Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics at LBL)
SSL (Space Sciences Laboratory of the University of California)

Dr. Smoot's publications can be found at:

Astrophysical Data System (ADS) Abstract listing eventually lists most publications, usually runs some months behind,
preprint server listing for recently posted papers, and
full length resume contains a listing of approximately 200 articles and other relevant information.

A copy of Dr. Smoot's biography which is published in CURRENT BIOGRAPHY (Vol 55, No. 4 April 1994) provides a brief summary.

1994 OMNI Magazine Interview

Many have interpreted my research work as having something to say about religion , proof of God , and creation 1 . 2. 3.

Some information and material from Professor Smoot's classes are found in the Smoot's Courses' Home Page

More color photos and More black and white photos available. Fun Photographs and Caricatures

The smoot as a unit of length and the Haravard Bridge

Return to the Smoot Group page for a complete description of Dr. Smoot's group's research activities.

You may reach Prof. George Smoot's group by the following routes:
telephone: 510-486-5237
fax: 510-486-7149
e-mail: SMOOT@cosmos.lbl.gov
mail: Astrophysics Group, MS 50-205, LBNL, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley CA 94720