Israeli Professor and International Team Win Prestigious Astronomy Prize
Professor Adi Citrin of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's Physics Department, as part of the international JWST UNCOVER team, has been awarded the 2027 Lancelot M. Berkeley-New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy by the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The prize recognizes Citrin's contributions to understanding the early universe by combining observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) with gravitational lensing. This approach led to the discovery of galaxies and supermassive black holes from the universe's earliest stages.
The UNCOVER program, an extensive JWST research initiative, conducted deep observations of the Abell 2744 galaxy cluster, also known as Pandora's Cluster. The immense mass of this cluster acts as a cosmic magnifying glass, bending and amplifying the light from more distant galaxies behind it. This gravitational lensing effect, coupled with JWST's capabilities, allowed researchers to detect galaxies and light sources previously undetectable.
Key scientific goals of UNCOVER include understanding the physical properties of the first galaxies, investigating how and when they reionized the universe, identifying dust-obscured galaxies, and studying star formation in the young universe. Professor Citrin was responsible for developing the gravitational lens model for the UNCOVER program and used it with JWST data to identify and study early universe objects.
One significant finding, led by Citrin's group, was the identification of an ancient, unusual supermassive black hole. Observed through three "little red dots" created by gravitational lensing, the light from this black hole originated when the universe was only about 700 million years old. Citrin and his colleagues noted its unique light distribution and a higher ratio of black hole mass to stars than observed in later cosmic eras, suggesting it was an early prototype of "little red dots" and likely a massive black hole.
According to the AAS, the UNCOVER team received the award for synergizing the power of telescopes with gravitational lensing to reveal the distant universe. Their spectroscopic research uncovered galaxies from the "cosmic dawn" era, including large populations of bright galaxies and supermassive black holes. Professor Citrin expressed surprise and delight at the award, highlighting UNCOVER's success in demonstrating the power of combining JWST's capabilities with gravitational lensing, leading to discoveries of early galaxies and unexpected objects like ancient black holes. The award ceremony and lecture are scheduled for January 2027 at the AAS's 249th meeting in Salt Lake City.