MG 16 · 2021
Gerard 't Hooft
Gerard 't Hooft is a Nobel laureate whose work connects quantum field theory, gauge theory, and black-hole quantum physics.
Born
1946, Den Helder, Netherlands
Affiliation at the Time of the Award
Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
Prize Motivation
“For his persistent devotion to the study of the quantum field theory boundary conditions at the black hole horizon.”
Meeting
MG XVI, online meeting
Work
Black-hole horizons expose the tension between general relativity, quantum mechanics, and the conservation of information.
't Hooft developed influential approaches to quantum fields near horizons, holography, and the microscopic description of black-hole degrees of freedom.
These ideas shaped modern attempts to reconcile gravity with quantum theory and influenced the holographic principle.