Carl H.
Brans, an American mathematical physicist best known for his work on gravitation and the Brans–Dicke theory, died on February 26, 2026, at the age of 90. Born in Dallas, Texas, on December 13, 1935, he graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 1957 and earned his Ph.D.
from Princeton University in 1961. Brans returned to Loyola in 1960 and later served as the J.C. Carter Distinguished Professor of Theoretical Physics. He was widely known for the Brans–Dicke theory of gravitation, developed with Robert H. Dicke, in which the gravitational constant varies with time.
Carl Henry Brans (/brænz/; December 13, 1935 – February 26, 2026) was an American mathematical physicist best known for his research into the theoretical underpinnings of gravitation elucidated in his most widely publicized work, the Brans–Dicke theory.