MG 8 · 1997
Francis Everitt
Francis Everitt is an experimental physicist known for Gravity Probe B and precision tests of general relativity.
Born
1934, Sevenoaks, United Kingdom
Affiliation at the Time of the Award
Stanford University, Stanford, United States
Prize Motivation
“For leading the development of extremely precise space experiments utilizing superconducting technology to test General Relativity and the Equivalence Principle.”
Meeting
MG VIII, Jerusalem
Work
Precision experiments test whether general relativity correctly predicts subtle effects near Earth.
Everitt led the long development of Gravity Probe B, using superconducting gyroscopes to measure geodetic and frame-dragging effects.
The experiment provided a landmark space-based test of Einstein gravity and advanced precision measurement technology.