Jan van Paradijs
| Jan van Paradijs | |
|---|---|
 Jan van Paradijs in 1993 | |
| Born |
9 June 1946 Haarlem, Netherlands |
| Died |
2 November 1999 (aged 53)[1] Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | |
| Alma mater | University of Amsterdam |
| Notable awards | Bruno Rossi Prize (1998)[2] |
| Spouse | Chryssa Kouveliotou (m. 1992)[3] |
Johannes A. van Paradijs (9 June 1946 – 2 November 1999) was a Dutch high-energy astrophysicist. He is best known for discovering the first optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst, GRB 970228, in February 1997, together with two of his students,[3] and for establishing that gamma-ray bursts are extragalactic events.
Research
Van Paradijs determined the first mass of a neutron star, the X-ray pulsar Vela X-1 in 1975. In 1978 he showed that X-ray bursters are neutron stars in binary systems. Using spectroscopic mapping, he was the first to spatially resolve an accretion disk.[1]
Academic career
Van Paradijs obtained his PhD at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1975, working on cool giant stars. Afterwards he started working on X-ray binaries. In 1988 he was appointed full professor at the University of Amsterdam, and later he worked part-time at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, U.S. He published over 400 scientific papers, including many with long-time collaborator Walter Lewin of MIT.[1]
The minor planet 9259 Janvanparadijs was named after him.
References
- 1 2 3 van den Heuvel, Ed. "Jan A. van Paradijs (1946 – 1999)". American Astronomical Society. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ↑ "HEAD AAS Rossi Prize Winners". American Astronomical Society. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- 1 2 Glanz, James (November 4, 1999). "Johannes van Paradijs, 53; Helped Explain Gamma Rays". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2016.