Geoffrey Burbidge

Geoffrey Ronald Burbidge FRS (24 September 1925 – 26 January 2010) was an English astronomy professor and theoretical astrophysicist, most recently at the University of California, San Diego. He was married to astrophysicist Margaret Burbidge.

Early life

Burbidge was born in Chipping Norton Oxfordshire, a small market town in the Cotswolds roughly midway between Oxford and Stratford-on-Avon, where he attended grammar school. His father was Geoffrey Ronald Burbidge, a builder.[1]

Education

He first attended the University of Bristol to study history, but changed to physics, receiving his degree in 1946. In 1947, he went to London and received his Ph.D. from University College London (UCL) in 1951. While at UCL he worked with Professor H. S. W. Massey who was then head of the department of mathematics.[2]

During this period, he met Margaret Peachey and they married in 1948.[3]

Work

The Burbidges worked at Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Cambridge University, before Margaret obtained work at the California Institute of Technology, while Geoffrey worked at the Mount Wilson Observatory and Palomar Observatory.

They both obtained positions at the University of California, San Diego, in 1962.

He was the Director of Kitt Peak National Observatory from 1978 to 1984.[3]

B2FH

In collaboration with American physicist William Fowler and British astronomer Fred Hoyle, he and his wife were co-authors of Synthesis of the Elements in Stars, a fundamental paper on stellar nucleosynthesis published in 1957. It is commonly referred to as the B2FH paper after the initials of the surnames of the four authors. This paper describes the process of stars burning lighter elements into successively heavier atoms which then are expelled to form other structures in the universe, including other stars and planets.[3]

Alternative cosmology

In recent years Burbidge was known mostly for his alternative cosmology "quasi-steady state theory", which contradicts the Big Bang theory.[4]

According to Burbidge, the universe is oscillatory and as such, expands and contracts periodically over infinite time. This theory, due to its controversial nature, has brought a certain amount of fame (or even notoriety) to Burbidge.

Death

Burbidge died on 26 January 2010 in La Jolla, California.[5]

Honours

Awards

Named after him

References

  1. ↑ "Geoffrey Burbidge". The Telegraph - Obituaries. Telegraph Media Group. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  2. ↑ Geoffrey Burbidge (2007). "An Accidental Career". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. doi:10.1146/annurev.astro.45.051806.110552.
  3. 1 2 3 Dennis Overbye (2010-02-06). "Geoffrey Burbidge, Who Traced Life to Stardust, Is Dead at 84". New York Times.
  4. ↑ Richard Panek (2005-11-22). "Two Against the Big Bang". Discover magazine.
  5. ↑ Childs, Martin (2010-04-24). "Geoffrey Burbidge: Astrophysicist notorious for his rejection of the Big Bang theory". The Independent - Obituaries. independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  6. ↑ "Grants, Prizes, and Awards". American Astronomical Society.
  7. ↑ "The Bruce Medallists: Geoffrey Burbidge". Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  8. ↑ "NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "Academy honors 18 for major contributions to science". 2007-01-17.

External links

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