Kip Thorne
Scientists

Kip Thorne Net Worth

Kip Thorne is a renowned theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the fields of gravitational physics and astrophysics. Born in 1940, he showed great aptitude for science from a young age and went on to pursue his graduate studies from Caltech University. He then earned a doctorate from Princeton University, where his supervisor was John Wheeler. Thorne went on to become the youngest professor ever appointed at Caltech University. He has collaborated with some of the leading scientists in the field of astrophysics, and has worked on the existence of Lorentzian wormholes, red supergiant stars, and quantum foam. He is currently involved in research on the quantum foam concept.
Kip Thorne is a member of Scientists

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Physicist
Birth Day June 01, 1940
Birth Place Logan, United States
Age 83 YEARS OLD
Birth Sign Cancer
Education California Institute of Technology (BS) Princeton University (MS, PhD)
Known for Thorne-Żytkow object Roman arch Thorne-Hawking-Preskill bet
Awards Lilienfeld Prize (1996) Albert Einstein Medal (2009) Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016) Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2016) Shaw Prize (2016) Kavli Prize (2016) Harvey Prize (2016) Princess of Asturias Award (2017) Nobel Prize in Physics (2017)
Fields Astrophysics Gravitational physics
Institutions California Institute of Technology
Thesis Geometrodynamics of cylindrical systems (1965)
Doctoral advisor John Archibald Wheeler
Doctoral students William L. Burke Carlton M. Caves Lee Samuel Finn Sándor J. Kovács David L. Lee Alan Lightman Don N. Page William H. Press Richard H. Price Bernard F. Schutz Saul Teukolsky Clifford Martin Will

💰 Net worth: $12 Million (2024)

Kip Thorne, renowned physicist hailing from the United States, is widely recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to the field of astrophysics and gravitational physics. As of 2024, his remarkable achievements have been duly rewarded, and his net worth is estimated to be a noteworthy $12 million. Thorne's exceptional expertise and dedication to his research have not only earned him considerable wealth but also garnered immense respect from his peers and the scientific community at large. His significant contributions to the understanding of black holes and gravitational waves have solidified his position as a leading figure in the world of physics.

Biography/Timeline

1940

Thorne was born in Logan, Utah on June 1, 1940. His father was a Chemist, his mother Alison (née Comish) Thorne, was an Economist and the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in the discipline from Iowa State College. Raised in an academic environment, two of his four siblings also became professors. Thorne's parents were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and raised Thorne in the LDS faith, though he now describes himself as atheist. Regarding his views on science and religion, Thorne has stated: "There are large numbers of my finest colleagues who are quite devout and believe in God [...] There is no fundamental incompatibility between science and religion. I happen to not believe in God."

1960

Thorne and Linda Jean Peterson married in 1960. Their children are Kares Anne and Bret Carter, an Architect. Thorne and Peterson divorced in 1977. Thorne and his second wife, Carolee Joyce Winstein, a professor of biokinesiology and physical therapy at USC, married in 1984.

1962

Thorne rapidly excelled at academics early in life, winning recognition in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search as a senior at Logan High School and becoming one of the youngest full professors in the history of the California Institute of Technology at age 30. He received his B.S. degree from Caltech in 1962, and Ph.D. degree from Princeton University in 1965. He wrote his doctoral thesis, Geometrodynamics of Cylindrical Systems, under the supervision of relativist John Wheeler. Thorne returned to Caltech as an associate professor in 1967 and became a professor of theoretical physics in 1970, the william R. Kenan, Jr. Professor in 1981, and the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics in 1991. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Utah from 1971 to 1998 and Andrew D. White Professor at Large at Cornell University from 1986 to 1992. In June 2009 he resigned his Feynman Professorship (he is now the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus) to pursue a career of writing and movie making. His first film project was Interstellar, on which he worked with Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan.

1973

Thorne has written and edited books on topics in gravitational theory and high-energy astrophysics. In 1973, he co-authored the textbook Gravitation with Charles Misner and John Wheeler; that according to John C. Baez and Chris Hillman, is one of the great scientific books of all time and has inspired two generations of students. In 1994, he published Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy, a book for non-scientists for which he received numerous awards. This book has been published in six languages, and editions in Chinese, Italian, Czech, and Polish are in press. In 2014, Thorne published The Science of Interstellar in which he explains the science behind Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar; Nolan wrote the foreword to the book. In September, 2017, Thorne and Roger D. Blandford published Modern Classical Physics: Optics, Fluids, Plasmas, Elasticity, Relativity, and Statistical Physics, a graduate-level textbook covering the six major areas of physics listed in the title.

1998

Why is it that a cylindrical bundle of magnetic field lines will not implode, while spherical stars will implode under their own gravitational force? Thorne tried to explore the theoretical ridge between the two phenomena. He found out eventually that the gravitational force can overcome all interior pressure only when an object has been compressed in all directions. To express this realization, Thorne proposed his hoop conjecture, which describes an imploding star turning into a black hole when the critical circumference of the designed hoop can be placed around it and set into rotation. That is, any object of mass M around which a hoop of circumference can be spun must be a black hole.

1999

Thorne is known for his ability to convey the excitement and significance of discoveries in gravitation and astrophysics to both professional and lay audiences. In 1999, Thorne made some speculations on what the 21st century will find as the answers to the following questions:

2009

He was elected to hold Lorentz chair for the year 2009 Leiden University, the Netherlands.

2013

With Anna Żytkow, Thorne predicted the existence of red supergiant stars with neutron-star cores (Thorne–Żytkow objects). He laid the foundations for the theory of pulsations of relativistic stars and the gravitational radiation they emit. With James Hartle, Thorne derived from general relativity the laws of motion and precession of black holes and other relativistic bodies, including the influence of the coupling of their multipole moments to the spacetime curvature of nearby objects. Thorne has also theoretically predicted the existence of universally antigravitating "exotic matter" – the element needed to accelerate the expansion rate of the universe, keep traversable wormhole "Star Gates" open and keep timelike geodesic free float "warp drives" working. With Clifford Will and others of his students, he laid the foundations for the theoretical interpretation of experimental tests of relativistic theories of gravity – foundations on which Will and others then built. As of 2005, Thorne was interested in the origin of classical space and time from the quantum foam of quantum gravity theory.

2016

Kip Thorne was selected by Time magazine in an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the American world in 2016.

2017

In 2017, Thorne was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves".

Some Kip Thorne images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.