I am a historian of the history of the universe. I study changes in how the universe has been studied and known during the 20th century. At the heart of my work is the desire to engage with open problems and controversies in cosmology by tracing the history of its theories, ideas, and practices.
I am a historian of the history of the universe
On February 4th of 2022, I successfully defended my PhD thesis titled How Dark Matter Came to Matter. My dissertation revolved around the historical development of the dark matter problem — the idea that 85% of the universe consists of something never seen before. It is one of the major enigmas in current-day physics and astronomy and I try to unravel how this fascinating problem struck root.
My work and I have been featured in de Volkskrant, New Scientist, Parool, Algemeen Dagblad, Universiteit van Nederland, and on NPO Radio 1 and Klokhuis.
Publications
de Swart, J. (2024). Five decades of missing matter. Physics Today, 77 (8): 34–43.
de Swart, J., Thresher, A.C. & Argüelles, C.A. (2024) The humanities can help make physics greener. Nature Review Physics 6, 404–405
de Swart, J. (2020). Closing in on the Cosmos: Cosmology’s Rebirth and the Rise of the Dark Matter Problem. In A. Blum, R. Lalli, & J. Renn (Eds.), The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context. Einstein Studies, vol 16 (pp. 257–284). Birkhäuser, Cham.
de Swart, J. (2019). Deciphering dark matter: the remarkable life of Fritz Zwicky, Nature 573, 32-33
de Swart, J. G., Bertone, G., & van Dongen, J. (2017). How dark matter came to matter. Nature Astronomy, 1(3), 0059
