- Arlie Petters
Arlie Petters (born
February 8 ,1964 inDangriga ) [Arlie O. Petters, Duke University Department of Mathematics [http://www.math.duke.edu/~petters/ See page 3 of CV] ] is aBelizean American physicist and mathematics professor at Duke University.Biography
During his impoverished childhood in the Central American country of
Belize he developed a passion for learning and especially science. In 1979 he emigrated to the United States and became a Citizen in 1990. He received his B.A and M.A atHunter College in Mathematics and Physics and completed his PhD in Pure Mathematics atMIT . Petters served as an instructor in pure mathematics at MIT from 1991 to 1993 and was an assistant Professor of Mathematics atPrinceton University from 1993 to 1998. In 1998 he joinedDuke University and became the first black tenured faculty member in the Mathematics and Science department, and as of 2003 he is a full Professor. He has received an honorary PhD fromHunter College in 2008.Research
Petters is a pioneer in the research of
Gravitational Lensing and developed the mathematical theory of lensing over theten year period from 1991-2001 through the papers (1) - (13) below and the mathematical monograph (14). [Arlie O. Petters, Duke University Department of Mathematics [http://www.math.duke.edu/~petters/ See page 5-9 of CV] ] His research has been used in predicting the nature of space time nearblack holes and developing new ways to test hyperspace gravity models and Einstein’s General Relativity theory.Papers:
(1) "Singularities in Gravitational Microlensing," A. O. Petters, Ph.D. Thesis, MIT, Department of Mathematics (1991)
(2) "Morse Theory and Gravitational Microlensing," A. O. Petters, J. Math. Phys., 33, 1915 (1992).
(3) "Arnold's Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing," A. O. Petters, J. Math. Phys., 34, 3555 (1993).
(4) "Multiplane Gravitational Lensing I: Morse Theory and Image Counting," A. O. Petters, J. Math. Phys., 36, 4263 (1995).
(5) "Multiplane Gravitational Lensing II: Global Geometry of Caustics," A. O. Petters, J. Math. Phys., 36, 4276 (1995).
(6) "Multiplane Gravitational Lensing III. Upper Bound on Number of Images," A. O. Petters, J. Math. Phys., 38, 1605 (1997).
(7) "Caustics of the Double-Plane Two Point-Mass Gravitational Lens with Continuous Matter and Shear," A. O. Petters and F.J. Wicklin, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 277, 1399 (1995).
(8) "Lower Bounds on Image Magnification in Gravitational Lensing," A. O. Petters, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, 452, 1475 (1996).
(9) "Counting Formulas and Bounds on Number of Fixed Points due to Point-Mass Lenses," A. O. Petters and F.J. Wicklin, in Proceedings of the Eighth Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity, ed. R. Ruffini (World Scientific, Singapore, 1997).
(10) "Bounds on Number of Cusps due to Point Mass Gravitational Lenses with Continuous Matter and Shear," A. O. Petters and H. Witt, J. Math. Phys., 37, 2920 (1996).
(11) "Mathematical Aspects of Gravitational Lensing," A. O. Petters, in Proceedings of the Seventh Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity , vol. B, eds. R. T. Jantzen and G. M. Keiser (World Scientific, Singapore, 1996).
(12) "Fixed Points due to Gravitational Lenses," A.O. Petters and F.J. Wicklin, J. Math. Phys., 39, 1011 (1998)
(13) "Stable Lens Systems, Lensed Image Magnification, and Magnification Cross Sections," A. O. Petters, in Proceedings of the Ninth Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity, eds. V. Gurzadyan, R. T. Jantzen, and R. Ruffini (World Scientific, Singapore, 2001).
Book:
(14) "Singularity Theory of Gravitational Lensing." A. O. Petters, H. Levine, and J. Wambsganns. (Birkhauser, Boston, 2001)
Work in Belize
Dr. Petters is very involved in the Belizean community and in 2005 founded the Petters Research Institute in Belize in hopes of training Belizean children in the mathematics and science fields so that Belize can develop a technology-based economy.
Petters has authored a number of science and mathematics workbooks for Belizean students and has taught science, mathematics and computer technology to select groups of Belizeans in recent years.
References
External links
*http://www.math.duke.edu/~petters/
*http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3411/04.html
*http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/PEEPS/petters_arlie.html
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