Peebles, Phillip James Edwin 1935-
Canadian cosmologist

Born in Winnipeg and educated at the University of Manitoba, he went on to Princeton University, where he has been Professor of Physics since 1965 and Einstein Professor of Science since 1985. In collaboration with Robert Dicke he attempted to detect a cosmic background radiation left over from the early 'primeval fireball' phase of the universe. Observations of such radiation (1966) followed shortly after its original discovery by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson. Peebles was the first to study the physics of, and the abundances of helium and deuterium in, the early universe (1968). This topic includes the analysis of galactic clusters and the study of the mechanisms of galaxy formation. His recent studies (1988) consider the implications of observed large-scale velocities of galaxies over and above the general expansion of the universe. One of the leading cosmologists of his generation, his books Physical Cosmology (1971) and The Large Scale Structure of the Universe (1979) are classics in the field. Other works include Quantum Mechanics (1992) and Principles of Physical Cosmology (1993). He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1982.