Jonathan Arons
Professor of Astronomy
Professor of Physics
PhD 1970 (Harvard University)
Campus address and phone:
537 Campbell Hall
(510) 642-4730
Email:
Website:
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~arons/
Specialty areas:
Astrophysics, compact astrophysical objects, Neutron Stars, ionized
plasmas, cosmic rays, magnetized accretion disks, black holes pulsars,
magnetic fields, planets
Research projects:
I am fascinated by the physics of compact astrophysical objects, especially neutron stars. I am intrigued by the bizarre behavior of fully ionized plasmas, which mix long range electromagnetic forces with kinetic particle behavior. I merge these interests by studying the magnetospheres of neutron stars and their interactions with their environs, and their role in the acceleration of the highest energy cosmic rays. I also have interests in the magnetized accretion disks around black holes, whose physics has similarities to that of the outflows from rotation powered pulsars.
Biography:
Aside from my professional life as a teacher and researcher in Astrophysics and Plasma Physics, I enjoy cooking and playing the 'cello. I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 16, 1943, and lived there for 18 years; I received my B.A. in Physics from Williams College in 1965 and my Ph. D. in Astronomy from Harvard University in 1970. I was a postdoctoral Fellow at the Princeton University Observatory and the Institute for Advanced Study for 2 years before coming to Berkeley in 1972.