Stephen Hawking: A Tribute

by Katie O'Flaherty

Aged 22, he was given just a few years to live by doctors after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease. 54 years later he is one of the most renowned scientists of this century, who has loved and married twice, and is a father to three children. The knowledge and discoveries he has passed on to the rest of the world is second to none, with his discoveries in the fields of general relativity and quantum mechanics, alongside his infamous theoretical prediction of Hawking Radiation: that black holes emit radiation, thus leading to potential black hole evaporation, yet this prediction from the 1970s was so advanced for its time that it is yet to be conclusively proven. All this from a wheelchair, Stephen Hawking was a man not defined by his disability, but rather by his exceptional intellect and forward-thinking.

Many of his discoveries have been groundbreaking in their fields, with his first major breakthrough being in 1970, when he and Roger Penrose showed that a singularity (a location in spacetime in which the gravitational field of a celestial body (e.g. a planet) becomes infinite) lay in the universe’s distant past, using black holes. This heavily implies, if not arguably proves, the Big Bang Theory, a major contender in the theories of the beginning of the universe. His work has triggered many passionate debates in the science world, with his proposal that black holes radiate heat stirring up one of the most heated debates in modern cosmology, for the fact that is contradicted one of the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics, him arguing the information stored in a black hole will be lost upon its evaporation. Later, Hawking came to support a more commonly accepted view on information being stored in a black hole’s event horizon (the boundary around a black hole beyond which no light or other radiation can escape), and is encoded back into the radiation that the black hole radiates. Yet this serves to further prove his ability to listen, and see from the perspective of others, as well as his unique way of seeing and understanding the world which led to so many of his extraordinary predictions and discoveries. It also is an example of many times he proved his humanity, in his lifetime frequently courting controversy, with a seeming lack of fear to speak his mind, and question anything he didn't agree with.

He has written several exceptionally popular science books, most notably ‘A Brief History of a Time’, in which he writes in non-technical terms about everything from the origin and development of the universe as we know it, to predictions of the eventual fate of the universe, which became a bestseller, selling more than 10 million copies in 20 years, and is often regarded as the book that ‘rocketed Hawking to stardom’. His immense knowledge of cosmology, general relativity, and quantum mechanics led to an ability that many can only dream of to link and explain ideas, leading to him paving a new path in explaining cosmology using a combination of the general theory of relativity, first proposed by Einstein, and quantum mechanics, both exceptionally nuanced and complex fields in their own rights.

Not to be outshone, however, are his ventures into the showbiz realm. His appearance on the Big Bang Theory, meeting Sheldon Cooper, whose fangirling over meeting the phenomenal physicist quickly turns to intense shame at giving Hawking a paper with a basic mathematical error, to appearing in the Simpsons’ episode ‘They Saved Lisa’s Brain’, a family-favourite show on which he made three further appearances in later years. He has had a brief appearance as a star in the music world, with his words being sampled in Pink Floyd’s ‘Keep Talking’, and most recently has shown his love for Douglas Adam’s ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by starring in the BBC Radio 4 40th anniversary new radio series ‘Hexagonal Phase’ which aired earlier this month. These are to name but a few of his popular appearances, not least mentioning his life having already inspired multiple films and dramas, including ‘Hawking’ (2004), a drama in which he is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and the multiple-award winning film ‘The Theory of Everything’ (2014), in which he is played by Eddie Redmayne.

Hawking once said “It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love”. By the end of his life, he was not only admired and adored by millions, but was also loved deeply by those closest to him, his family. He has left a lasting and immense impact on the world of Physics, a household name who introduced many to the infinite wonders of the universe, and his passing will be mourned greatly by many. His exceptional and full life will not be forgotten, but celebrated.