Peter Goldreich

Peter Goldreich (born July 14, 1939) is an American astrophysicist whose research focuses on planetary rings, helioseismology and neutron stars.[1] He is currently the Lee DuBridge Professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Physics at California Institute of Technology. Since 2005 he has also been a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.[2][3] Asteroid 3805 Goldreich is named after him.[4]

Career

Goldreich received a bachelor of science in engineering physics from Cornell in 1960, and obtained a Ph.D. from Cornell university in 1963 under the supervision of Thomas Gold.[5][6][7][8] In 1963 and 1964 Goldreich was a postdoctoral fellow at Cambridge University.[9] Goldreich joined the faculty at Caltech in 1966 as an associate professor.[10][6] He later became a full professor in 1969 while remaining at Caltech, and in 1981 he became the Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Astrophysics & Planetary Physics also at Caltech.[6]

Scientific Accomplishments

Goldreich and Alar Toomre first described the process of polar wander in a 1969 paper, although evidence of paleomagnetism was not discovered until later.[11] Goldreich collaborated with George Abell to conclude that planetary nebulae evolved from red giant stars, a view that is now widely accepted.[12][13] In 1979 Goldreich, along with Scott Tremaine predicted that Saturn's F ring was maintained by shepherd moons, a prediction that would be confirmed by observations in 1980.[14][15][16][17] They also predicted that Uranus' rings were held in place by similar shepherd moons, a prediction that was confirmed in 1986.[18] Goldreich, along with Tremaine predicted planetary migration in 1980, which would later be invoked to explain hot jupiters.[19][20][21]

Awards and Honors

* Woodrow Wilson Honorary Fellowship, 1960-1961[3]

* Andrew Dixon White Fellowship, 1960-1961[3]

* National Foundation Fellowship, 1961-1963[3]

* National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1963-1964[3]

* Sloan Foundation Fellowship, 1968-1970[3]

* Elected to National Academy of Sciences, 1972[22][3]

* Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1973[3]

* Henry Norris Russell Lectureship of the American Astronomical Society, 1979[22][3]

* California Scientist of the Year, 1981[3][23]

* Chapman Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1985[3]

* Brouwer Award of the Division on Dynamical Astronomy of the American Astronomical Society, 1986[3]

* Amos de Shalit Lecturer at the Weizmann Institute, 1986[3]

* Thomas Gold Lecturer at Cornell University, 1987[3]

* Regents Fellow, Smithsonian Institution, 1988-1990[3]

* Miller Professorship, University of California, Berkeley, 1990[3]

* Gerard P. Kuiper Prize of the Division for Planetary Science, American Astronomical Society, 1992[3][24]

* Morris Loeb Lecturer, Harvard University, 1992[3]

* Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1993[22][3][25]

In 1995, Goldreich received the National Medal of Science for "his profound and lasting contributions to planetary sciences and astrophysics, providing fundamental theoretical insights for understanding the rotation of planets, the dynamics of planetary rings, pulsars, astrophysical masers, the spiral arms of galaxies, and the oscillations of the Sun".[22][3][26][27]

Goldreich was awarded the Grande Médaille of the French Academy of Science in 2006 for his numerous contributions in the field of Astrophysics.[28][8][10][29][30]

Goldreich received the 2007 Shaw Prize in Astronomy "in recognition of his lifetime achievements in theoretical astrophysics and planetary sciences".[31]

The Evolution of Bodies Bound by Gravity - Peter Goldreich

Prof. Peter Goldreich at Technion - Physics in Every Day Life

References