George Smoot 1945–2025

Published on September 26, 2025

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings mourn the passing of Nobel Laureate George Smoot at the age of 80.
Professor Smoot was awarded the 2006 NobelPrize in Physics together with John Mather for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Professor Smoot led the blackbody form experiment, based on measurements made by NASA's COBE satellite. The discoveries of Professor Smoot and his team support the standard cosmological scenario, a Big Bang followed by a rapid inflation, as this scenario predicts the kind of cosmic microwave background radiation measured by COBE.

Professor Smoot participated in eight Lindau Meetings since receiving the Nobel Prize and was a valued member of our Foundation’s Founders' Assembly. The Council and Foundation of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings honour his legacy and extend their heartfelt condolences to his family.

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