Roy Patrick Kerr (1934- ) is a New Zealand born mathematician who is best known for discovering the famous Kerr vacuum, an exact solution to the Einstein field equation of general relativity, which models the gravitational field outside an uncharged rotating massive object, or even a rotating black hole. (The generalization to rotating charged objects was later found by Ted Newman.) A mathematician is a person whose area of study and research is mathematics. ... In general relativity, the Kerr metric describes the geometry of spacetime around a rotating massive body, such as a rotating black hole. ... For other topics related to Einstein see Einstein (disambig) In physics, the Einstein field equation or the Einstein equation is a tensor equation in the theory of gravitation. ... Two-dimensional visualization of space-time distortion. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Kerr metric. ... Ezra T. Newman is an American physicist well known for his many contributions to general relativity. ...

Kerr's extraordinary mathematical talent was recognized while he was still a high school student at St. Andrew's College in Christchurch, where he earned his M.Sc. in 1953 at the Canterbury University College of the University of New Zealand, the precursor to the University of Canterbury. Kerr then moved to the University of Cambridge, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1960. His dissertation concerned the difficult problem of the equations of motion in general relativity. After a stint as a postdoctoral student at the Syracuse University in Syracuse, he spent some time working for the U. S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Base on the infamous anti-gravity project. In 1962, he moved to the University of Texas in Austin, where in 1963, he discovered his famous solution. By his own admission, Kerr himself did not realize for some time the importance of this discovery (as the title of his paper suggests). In 1965, with Alfred Schild, he introduced the Kerr-Schild spacetimes. During his time in Texas, Kerr supervised four Ph.D. students of his own, despite being (as he puts it), a "party animal". St. ... Christchurch is a city on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The University of Canterbury is a university located in the suburbs of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... Syracuse University Syracuse University (SU) is a prestigious private American research university. ... Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse Syracuse is a city located in Onondaga County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 147,306, and its metropolitan area had a population of 732,117. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties, adjacent to Fairborn and Dayton, Ohio. ... A kinemassic field generator from U.S. Patent 3,626,605: Method and apparatus for generating a secondary gravitational force field Anti-gravity is a hypothetical means of countering or otherwise modifying the effects of gravity, typically in the context of spacecraft propulsion. ... The University of Texas System comprises fifteen educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are general academic universities, and six are health institutions. ... Austin is a word that may refer to various things. ... Alfred Schild (1921-May 24, 1977) was a leading American physicist, well-known for his contributions to the Golden Age of general relativity (1960-1975). ...

In 1971, Kerr returned to the University of Canterbury, where he remained until his retirement in 1993. Kerr retired from his position as Professor of Mathematics at the University of Canterbury in 1993 after having been there for twenty-two years, including ten years during as the head of the Mathematics department. The University of Canterbury is a university located in the suburbs of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. ... The University of Canterbury is a university located in the suburbs of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. ...

External links

• Professor Roy Kerr
• University of Canterbury: Roy Kerr
• Man of Mystery
• Roy Kerr
• St Andrew's College

References

• "Roy Kerr." Mathematics Geneology Project. University of North Dakota. Accessed on August 7, 2005.

• Burinskii, A,; & Kerr, R. P.. Nonstationary Kerr Congruences. arXiv eprint server. Accessed on August 7, 2005.

• Kerr, R. P.; & Schild, A. (1965). Some algebraically degenerate solutions of Einstein's gravitational field equations. Proc. Symp. Appl. Math. 17: 119.

• Kerr, R. P. (1963). Gravitational field of a spinning mass as an example of algebraically special metrics. Phys. Rev. Lett. 11: 237.