Edward Spiegel

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Edward A. Spiegel
BornMarch 7 1931
Died (aged 88)
Alma mater
Mathematical physicist
InstitutionsColumbia University
Thesis The onset of thermal convection in a radiating atmosphere  (1958)
Doctoral advisorMahinder Singh Uberoi

Edward A. Spiegel[1] (1931 — January 2, 2020)[2] was an American professor of astronomy at Columbia University. He worked on convection theory and on the application of fluid dynamics to astrophysics.

Early life and career

Spiegel grew up in New York City in the South Bronx with his Yiddish-speaking eastern European parents and his sister, Jeanette. In 1948, he graduated from DeWitt-Clinton High School and went on to attend UCLA as an undergraduate. After finishing his bachelor's degree, he earned a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, where he met his wife, Barbara. They eventually married and were together until her death in 2011. He taught at University of California, Berkeley and then moved to Princeton University to carry out research there with Robert Kraichnan. In 1959, he helped establish the summer Geophysical Fluid Dynamics program for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and was a member of the physical oceanography department there until his death. In 1965, Spiegel moved to the Courant Institute at New York University and was promoted to professor of physics in 1967. He then moved to Columbia University in 1969, apparently due to a conflict with a dean over how early in the morning his classes would meet.[3] He worked as a professor of astronomy at Columbia for the rest of his career, retiring as Professor Emeritus.[4] He also taught classes at Cooper Union[5] and served on the staff of the American Museum of Natural History.[6]

Contributions

In the 1960s his research focused on turbulence and on chaos theory, returning to mathematical aspects of that subject from 1975 to 1985. In the late 1980s he concentrated on mathematical pattern theory in fluids and other systems. Afterwards, Spiegel's work focused on models of the solar cycle and radiative processes in hot stars. He authored or co-authored more than 100 papers involving collaborations with over 60 individuals; these papers have been cited well in excess of 3000 times.

His 1966 article entitled "A thermally excited non-linear oscillator,"

Edward Lorenz
's famous paper, which appeared just a few years earlier, this paper provided one of the first models that showed how simple fluid systems can display complex dynamics.

"Cosmic Arrhythmias" in "Chaos in Astrophysics" (Reidel 1985) is a compendium of Edward Spiegel's ideas for rationalizing cosmic phenomena. The article talks about the philosophy of why low-dimensional systems are relevant, useful and important in astrophysics. Between the lines, is the understanding that these ideas extend well beyond the subject of

astrophysical
phenomena.

His insights and ideas have had a long-term effect on

oscillator and chaos have become influential ideas since the 1980s.[citation needed] He also coined the field's use of the terms "blazar" and "photon bubble".[citation needed
]

Awards

Spiegel was the Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974.

References

  1. ^ "National Union Catalog".
  2. ^ Hill, Jessica (13 January 2020). "Colleagues remember famed WHOI astrophysicist". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Ed's Obituary". Edward A. Spiegel, Astrophysicist. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "Edward Spiegel". Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "ALBERT NERKEN SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FACULTY 2016/17 CATALOG LIST". The Cooper Union. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  6. ^ "Staff Directory: Edward A. Spiegel". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  7. .

External links