William David Arnett (born 1940) is a Regents Professor of Astrophysics at Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, known for his research on

supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...

explosions, the formation of neutron stars or

black holes A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can def ...

by gravitational collapse, and the synthesis of elements in stars; he is author of the monograph ''Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis'' which deals with these topics. Arnett pioneered the application of supercomputers to astrophysical problems, including neutrino radiation hydrodynamics, nuclear reaction networks, instabilities and explosions, supernova light curves, and turbulent convective flow in two and three dimensions.

Academic career

Arnett received his BS degree from the University of Kentucky in 1961 and his MS and PhD degrees in physics from Yale University in 1963 and 1965, advised by A. G. W. Cameron. After postdoctoral work with W. A. Fowler at the California Institute of Technology and Fred Hoyle at the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (now Institute of Astronomy) of Cambridge University, he served briefly on the faculties of Rice University (working with

Donald Clayton Donald Delbert Clayton (born March 18, 1935) is an American astrophysicist whose most visible achievement was the prediction from nucleosynthesis theory that supernovae are intensely radioactive. That earned Clayton the NASA Exceptional Scientifi ...

), University of Texas and University of Illinois before becoming the B. and E. Sunny Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and then Regents Professor at the University of Arizona.

Honors and awards

Henry Norris Russell Lectureship The Henry Norris Russell Lectureship is awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in astronomical research. The idea for the lectureship came from then society President Harlow Shapley in 1945, ...

of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

, 2012. * Marcel Grossmann Award, International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics (ICRA), 2012 * Hans Bethe Prize of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

, 2009 * S. Chandrasekhar Lecturer,

S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) is an autonomous research institute dedicated to basic research in mathematics sciences under the Department of Science and Technology of Government of India. It is located in West Beng ...

, Kolkata, India, 2007 *

Fellow of the American Physical Society The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics. The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation. * List of American Physic ...

, 1987 * Member,

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, 1985 * Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1985 * Alexander von Humboldt Prize (senior scientist), 1981 * Yale University Distinguished Graduate Award in Physical Sciences and Engineering (with J. W. Truran), 1980 * University of Kentucky Honorary Doctorate of Sciences, 2016 * Fellow of the

, 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnett, W. David 1940 births Living people American astrophysicists University of Kentucky alumni Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Rice University faculty University of Texas faculty University of Illinois faculty University of Chicago faculty University of Arizona faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Astronomical Society