Alexei Filippenko
Encyclopedia
Alexei Vladimir Filippenko (born July 25, 1958, Oakland, California
) is an American astrophysicist and professor
of astronomy
at the University of California, Berkeley
. Filippenko received a Bachelor of Arts
in physics
from the University of California, Santa Barbara
in 1979 and a Ph.D.
in astronomy
from the California Institute of Technology
in 1984, where he was a Hertz Foundation
Fellow. His research focuses on supernova
e and active galaxies at optical, ultraviolet
, and near-infrared wavelengths.
and the High-z Supernova Search Team
that used observations of extragalactic supernovae to discover the accelerating universe
. This universal acceleration implies the existence of dark energy
and was voted the top science breakthrough of 1998 by Science magazine.
Filippenko developed and runs the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope
(KAIT), a fully robotic telescope
which conducts the Lick Observatory Supernova Search
(LOSS), the most successful nearby supernova search. He is also a member of the Nuker Team
which uses the Hubble space telescope
to examine supermassive black holes and determined the relationship between a galaxy
's central black hole
's mass and velocity dispersion
. The Thompson-Reuters "incites" index ranked Filippenko as the most cited researcher in space science for the ten year period between 1996 and 2006.
" programs.
in 1992 and a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 2000. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2009. In addition to recognition for his scholarship, he has received numerous honors for his undergraduate teaching, including the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization by Wonderfest
in 2004. In 2006 Filippenko was awarded the US Professor of the Year Award, sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
and administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE). Filippenko won the 2010 Richard H. Emmons Award for excellence in college astronomy teaching, issued by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
) is an American astrophysicist and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. Filippenko received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
in 1979 and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in 1984, where he was a Hertz Foundation
Hertz Foundation
The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation is an American non-profit organization that awards fellowships to Ph.D. students in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences. It is considered to be the most competitive and prestigious graduate fellowship in science and engineering. The...
Fellow. His research focuses on supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
e and active galaxies at optical, ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
, and near-infrared wavelengths.
Research
Filippenko was a member of the Supernova Cosmology ProjectSupernova Cosmology Project
The Supernova Cosmology Project is one of two research teams that determined the likelihood of an accelerating universe and therefore a positive Cosmological constant, using data from the redshift of Type Ia supernovae...
and the High-z Supernova Search Team
High-z Supernova Search Team
The High-z Supernova Search Team was an international cosmology collaboration which used Type Ia Supernovae to chart the expansion of the Universe. The team was formed in 1994 by Brian P. Schmidt, then a post-doctoral research associate at Harvard University, and Nicholas B. Suntzeff, a staff...
that used observations of extragalactic supernovae to discover the accelerating universe
Accelerating universe
The accelerating universe is the observation that the universe appears to be expanding at an increasing rate, which in formal terms means that the cosmic scale factor a has a positive second derivative, implying that the velocity at which a given galaxy is receding from us should be continually...
. This universal acceleration implies the existence of dark energy
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
and was voted the top science breakthrough of 1998 by Science magazine.
Filippenko developed and runs the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope
Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope
The Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope is an automated telescope used in the search for supernovae.The KAIT is a computer-controlled reflecting telescope with a 76 cm mirror and a CCD camera to take pictures. It is located at the Lick Observatory near San Jose, California.KAIT can take close to...
(KAIT), a fully robotic telescope
Robotic telescope
A robotic telescope is an astronomical telescope and detector system that makes observations without the intervention of a human. In astronomical disciplines, a telescope qualifies as robotic if it makes those observations without being operated by a human, even if a human has to initiate the...
which conducts the Lick Observatory Supernova Search
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
(LOSS), the most successful nearby supernova search. He is also a member of the Nuker Team
Nuker Team
The Nuker Team was organized in 1985 to use the Hubble Space Telescope, with its high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy, to investigate the central structure and dynamics of galaxies. The team uses the space telescope to examine supermassive black holes and determined the relationship between a...
which uses the Hubble space telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
to examine supermassive black holes and determined the relationship between a galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
's central black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
's mass and velocity dispersion
Velocity dispersion
In astronomy, the velocity dispersion σ, is the range of velocities about the mean velocity for a group of objects, such as a cluster of stars about a galaxy...
. The Thompson-Reuters "incites" index ranked Filippenko as the most cited researcher in space science for the ten year period between 1996 and 2006.
In the media
He is frequently featured on History Channel's "The UniverseThe Universe (TV series)
The Universe is an American documentary television series that features computer-generated imagery and computer graphics of astronomical objects in the universe plus interviews with experts who study in the fields of cosmology, astronomy, and astrophysics...
" programs.
Honours and awards
Filippenko was awarded the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in AstronomyNewton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy
The Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society to a young astronomer for outstanding achievement in observational astronomical research.Pierce Prize winners:* 1974 Edwin M. Kellogg...
in 1992 and a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in 2000. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2009. In addition to recognition for his scholarship, he has received numerous honors for his undergraduate teaching, including the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization by Wonderfest
Wonderfest
Wonderfest is a nonprofit California corporation dedicated to informal science education. Wonderfest seeks to inspire and nurture a deep sense of wonder about the world. Through provocative public discourse about science, Wonderfest aspires to stimulate curiosity, promote careful reasoning,...
in 2004. In 2006 Filippenko was awarded the US Professor of the Year Award, sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
and administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a nonprofit association of educational institutions. It serves professionals in the field of educational advancement...
(CASE). Filippenko won the 2010 Richard H. Emmons Award for excellence in college astronomy teaching, issued by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
.
External links
- Alexei Filippenko official webpage
- Introduction to General Astronomy – UC Berkeley Webcast
- Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe – UC Berkeley Webcast