John N. Bahcall

Biography

Abstract

John Bahcall was an American astrophysicist. He contributed to the solar neutrino problem and was a leader in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Important Dates

December 30, 1934Birth, Shreveport (La.).

1956Obtained BS in Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley (Calif.).

1957Obtained MA, University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).

1960 – 1962Research Fellow in Physics, Indiana University.

1961Obtained PhD in Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).

1962 – 1970Research Fellow in Physics (1962-1963); Senior Research Fellow in Physics (1963-1965); and Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics (1965-1970), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (Calif.).

1968 – 2005Member (1968-1970); Professor of Natural Sciences (1971-1997); and Richard Black Professor of Natural Sciences (1997-2005), Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (N.J.).

1971 – 2005Visiting Lecturer, Princeton University, Princeton (N.J.).

1972 – 1974Committee Member, Division of High Energy Astrophysics, American Astronomical Society.

1972 – 1975Member, Physics Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation.

1973 – 1992At-Large Member, Hubble Telescope Working Group.

1976Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1978 – 1981Member, Council, American Astronomical Society.

1980 – 1983Chair, Section on Astronomy, National Academy of Sciences.

1989 – 1991Chair, Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, National Academy of Sciences.

1990 – 1992President, American Astronomical Society.

1994 – 1995Chair, Panel on Neutrino Astrophysics, National Academy of Sciences.

1996 – 1998Chair, United States National Committee, International Astronomical Union.

1998Awarded Hans A. Bethe Prize, American Physical Society.

1998Awarded National Medal of Science.

1998 – 2003Member, Nova International Advisory Board.

2003Awarded Enrico Fermi Award, United States Department of Energy.

2004Vice President, American Physical Society.

August 17, 2005Death, New York (N.Y.).

Occupation

Astrophysicist.

Places

Birth

Shreveport (La.)

Undergraduate Education

Berkeley (Calif.)

Graduate Education

Chicago (Ill.)

Cambridge (Mass.)

Employment

Pasadena (Calif.)

Princeton (N.J.)

Death

New York (N.Y.)

Subjects

Astrophysics.

Red shift.

Solar neutrinos.

Relationships

People

Family

Bahcall, Neta

Wife.

Advisors & Collaborators

Arp, Halton C.

Co-wrote "The redshift controversy."

Field, George B., 1929-

Co-wrote "The redshift controversy."

Matthews, Mildred Shapley

Co-wrote "The Galaxy and the solar system."

Smoluchowski, Roman

Co-wrote "The Galaxy and the solar system."

Colleagues

Adelberger, Eric G.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Adler, Stephen L.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Anderson, Carl D. (Carl David), 1905-1991

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bacher, Robert F. (Robert Fox), 1905-2004

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bardeen, James Maxwell, 1939-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bardeen, William A.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Barish, B. C. (Barry Clark), 1936-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Boehm, Felix

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bowman, J. D. (J. David)

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Brown, Harold, 1927-2019

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Callan, Curtis G.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Campbell, David K.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Christy, Robert F.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Cole, Julian D.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Coppi, B.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Dashen, Roger F.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology and the Institute for Advanced Study.

DuBridge, Lee A. (Lee Alvin), 1901-1994

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

DuMond, Jesse W. M. (Jesse William Monroe), 1892-1976

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Dyson, Freeman J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Epstein, Paul S. (Paul Sophus), 1883-1966

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Feynman, Richard P. (Richard Phillips), 1918-1988

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Fowler, William A.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Gell-Mann, Murray

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Goldberger, Marvin L.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Gould, Roy W. (Roy Walter), 1927-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Hellwarth, Robert Willis, 1930-2021

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Horowitz, Gary T., 1955-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Kryder, Mark H.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Lauritsen, Charles Christian, 1892-1968

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Lauritsen, Thomas, 1915-1973

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Leighton, Robert B.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

McKee, Christopher, 1942-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Morse, Marston, 1892-1977

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Oddone, Piermaria J.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Rosenbluth, M. N.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Sciulli, Frank J.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Seiberg, Nathan

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Spencer, Thomas, 1946-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Strominger, Andrew Eben

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Thorne, Kip S.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Tollestrup, Alvin

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Tsuei, Chang C.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Weinberg, Erick J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Wilczek, Frank

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Wilson, Robert Woodrow, 1936-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Witten, E.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Zweig, George

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Additional

Barnes, C. A.

Boyce, Peter B.

Gunn, J. E. (James Edward), 1938-

Koshiba, Masatoshi, 1926-2020

O'Dell, C. Robert (Charles Robert), 1937-

Smarr, Larry L.

Suzuki, Y. (Yoichiro)

Wagoner, Robert V.

Institutions

Major Positions

California Institute of Technology. Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy

Research Fellow in Physics; Senior Research Fellow in Physics; and Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics.

Indiana University, Bloomington. Department of Physics

Research Fellow in Physics.

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)

Member; Professor of Natural Sciences; and Richard Black Professor of Natural Sciences.

Princeton University. Department of Physics

Visiting Lecturer.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Astronomical Society

President; Committee Member, Division of High Energy Astrophysics; and Member, Council.

American Physical Society

Vice President and awarded 1998 Hans A. Bethe Prize.

Harvard University. Department of Physics

Obtained PhD in 1961.

International Astronomical Union

Chair, United States National Committee.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Chair, Section on Astronomy; Chair, Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee; and Chair, Panel on Neutrino Astrophysics.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Member, Physics Advisory Panel.

Nova Scientific Corporation

Member, International Advisory Board.

United States. Department of Energy

Received 2003 Enrico Fermi Award.

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Hubble Telescope Working Group

At-Large Member.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Obtained BS in 1956.

University of Chicago. Department of Physics

Obtained MA in 1957.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

American Astronomical Society centennial [sound recording]: 194th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, 1999 May 30 - June 3.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Institute for Advanced Study oral history project files and recordings, circa 1950-2012 (bulk 1988-2012).

Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center

Institute for Advanced Study

1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

John Bahcall papers, 1955-2005 (bulk 1971-2005).

Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center

Institute for Advanced Study

1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

National Air and Space Museum Space Telescope History Project records, 1983-1990.

Archives Division

Smithsonian Institution. National Air and Space Museum

MRC 322, Washington, DC, 20560, USA

Selected presentations from the AAS centennial meeting [sound recording], 1999 May 30-June 3.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Unsolved problems in astrophysics [videorecording] / John Bahcall and Neta Bahcall.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

Larry Smarr papers, 1956-2000.

University Archives

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1408 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

Murray Gell-Mann papers, 1931-2001 (bulk 1955-1993).

Institute Archives

California Institute of Technology

1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Oral history interview with Charles A. Barnes, 1987 July and August.

Institute Archives

California Institute of Technology

1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Oral history interview with Charles Robert O'Dell, 1985 May 21 to 23.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with James Edward Gunn, 1975 February 10.

University Research Library. Department of Special Collections

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575, USA.

Oral history interview with James Edward Gunn, 1975 February 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Masatoshi Koshiba, 1997 August 30.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Peter B. Boyce, 1997 February 19.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Robert Wagoner, 1988 October 14.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral History Interview with Yoichiro Suzuki, 1997 August 29.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Published Resources

Author

Neutrino astrophysics / John N. Bahcall.

Solar neutrinos : the first thirty years / edited by John N. Bahcall ... [et al.].

The Galaxy and the solar system / Roman Smoluchowski, John N. Bahcall, and Mildred S. Matthews, editors ; with 34 collaborating authors.

The redshift controversy [by] George B. Field, Halton Arp [and] John N. Bahcall.

Working papers : astronomy and astrophysics panel reports / Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, Board on Physics and Astronomy, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications, National Research Council.

Subject

John Norris Bahcall Physics Today obituary.