BGU Professor and JWST UNCOVER Team Win Prestigious 2027 AAS Astronomy Prize
Prof. Adi Zitrin and the international JWST UNCOVER team won the 2027 AAS Lancelot M. Berkeley Prize for groundbreaking research on the early universe using the James Webb Space Telescope.
Professor Adi Zitrin from the Department of Physics at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, along with his colleagues in the international JWST UNCOVER team, has been awarded the prestigious Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy for 2027 by the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
Professor Zitrin is recognized for his contribution to understanding the early universe by combining observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) with the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. This methodology has led to the discovery of galaxies and supermassive black holes from the earliest stages of the universe's history.
The UNCOVER program—short for Ultradeep Nirspec and NirCam Observations before the Epoch of Reionization—is a major research initiative utilizing JWST to conduct extremely deep observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744, also known as Pandora's Cluster, and its surroundings. The cluster's immense mass acts as a cosmic magnifying glass, bending and magnifying the light of distant galaxies located behind it.
Gravitational Lensing and Early Galaxies
Combined with the unprecedented capabilities of JWST, this gravitational lensing effect allows researchers to observe galaxies and light sources that were previously undetectable or difficult to identify. The primary scientific goals of UNCOVER include understanding the physical properties of the first galaxies formed in the universe, investigating how and when these galaxies ionized the neutral gas in the early cosmos, and identifying dust-obscured galaxies.
Professor Zitrin was responsible for developing the gravitational lens model for the UNCOVER program and utilized it alongside JWST data to identify ancient celestial objects. Notably, his team identified an ancient, peculiar supermassive black hole through three distinct images created by the gravitational lensing of Abell 2744. The researchers determined that the light emitted from this black hole originated when the universe was only about 700 million years old.
"I was very happy, and completely surprised, to receive the news about winning the prize," Professor Zitrin said. "The UNCOVER program was one of the first initiatives carried out using the James Webb Space Telescope, before we truly knew what to expect, and it has achieved remarkable success."
Future Implications and Award Ceremony
The findings from the UNCOVER team have shed light on the population of compact red objects known as "little red dots," revealing that a significant portion of them are active supermassive black holes accumulating matter. The official award presentation and lecture will take place in January 2027 during the 249th AAS meeting in Salt Lake City.
