Mrs. Chrysa Kouveliotou, Professor of Astrophysics on the George Washington College, USA, will probably be honored with the Bodosaki Award 2024. Shortly earlier than the award ceremony, which can happen at Zappeio Megaro on Tuesday, June 25, we sought out the well-known Greek scientist to search out out who she was the driving drive that propelled her to NASA and from there to… pimps.
When and the way did your curiosity in astrophysics start? Was there a historical past in your loved ones concerning this area or are you the primary?
No prehistory or custom in astrophysics! My father was a mathematician and my mom an economist. My experiences through the summers in nature and on the Greek coasts and the primary vivid impressions from the clear starry nights appear to have been decisively engraved in my thoughts and influenced my decisions and course. And on the similar time all of the questions that come up if you observe the sky, reminiscent of “what are these flickering within the sky?”, “are there folks there?”, “how can we go up there too?”, “are we the one ones on this planet us;”. Once I was nonetheless in elementary faculty, my father gave me a well-liked cosmology ebook (with the views of the time) and every part related. I already knew what I wished to be: an astronomer. However our Earth was not sufficient for me – it was too restricted. Once I graduated from the College of Athens, I specialised in Astrophysics on the Max Planck Institut in Munich, the place I had the chance to check Gamma-ray bursts. Particularly, I wished to grasp how they had been created and are being created, how shut/far they’re, and if there may be different life within the Universe. Because of Neil Armstrong’s achievements, my choice was lastly sealed and thus I grew to become an astrophysicist…
What decided your scientific path, from Athens to NASA?
The actual fact that there have been no astronauts in Greece! I hoped that possibly I might fly too, or at the very least take part by finding out the Universe. NASA was the one path I wished to take. Throughout my PhD in Munich I went to NASA at the very least twice as a customer to find out about satellite tv for pc information evaluation. Once I was employed on the College of Athens I went fairly often to NASA/Goddard House Flight Heart for collaborations. Then I bought employed at NASA/Marshall House Flight Heart, and the dream got here true, however solely partially. Ultimately I grew to become a ground-based astrophysicist.
How would you describe magnastras (and why they’re essential) in a method that’s comprehensible to most of the people?
Summarized in a single sentence: as a result of they’re a brand new kind of neutron star which have the very best magnetism within the Universe. In additional element, magnastras are neutron stars with properties that don’t exist on our Earth. They signify sturdy gravity, excessive densities and the very best magnetic fields on Earth (over 1014 bigger than these of the Solar). They’re thought of the ultimate levels of many phenomena, reminiscent of gamma-ray bursts, superluminous novae and Quick Radio Bursts.’
Accordingly, why are you drawn to flare analysis?
As a result of they’re essentially the most highly effective explosions in our Universe. In reality, we observe at the very least one every single day. They’re created both by exploding supernovae or by merging neutron stars. For the typical individual, a NASA mission boils all the way down to the second of launch. However what occurs “behind the scenes”, earlier than, throughout and after a profitable launch?
“Small missions as soon as chosen take about 4-10 years to be able to launch. Often their teams have 10-30 members. Giant missions take 10-20 years to excellent and fly. They’ve very massive scientific teams, with tons of of members. Every mission has theoretical and observational scientists and engineers. The groups work collectively very carefully overlaying all of the wants of their mission.”
What mission at the moment are you finding out the info for and what are you planning?
There are various operational missions sending information to our Earth. They differ by the wavelength of their detectors in addition to their dimension. NASA has small missions (one or two devices), medium missions (typically with just one however bigger detector) and Flagships – massive missions that concentrate on one wavelength with excellent decision, sometimes surviving as much as 15-20 years. I exploit information from many missions, and for a lot of targets, such because the Chandra X-ray observatory and the Gamma Ray Burst Monitor on the Fermi observatory. I am additionally on a workforce finding out the proposal for the brand new Gamow mission.”
How do you understand your function as a mentor of younger scientists and what recommendation would you give to younger individuals who wish to comply with in your footsteps?
I mentor younger scientists at George Washington College, in addition to some college students. What I all the time emphasize is that they comply with the trail they really need, regardless of the adversities that exist in life. My expertise is that there are hardly ever one-way streets – there’ll all the time be a turning level that joins them. I’d additionally like to emphasise that all of us make our personal tracks. All we comply with and search is a want, a hope and a consequence.
You’re the recipient of many scientific awards and honors. What does Aristio Bodosaki imply to you?
It is vitally essential as a result of it comes from my homeland, the place the place I used to be born and had my first experiences. The Bodosaki Award honors me and acknowledges me for what I’ve performed in my life. I’m very pleased with this recognition from Greece.
Who’s who
Mrs. Chrysa Kouveliotou is at present a professor of Astrophysics within the Physics Division of the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences at George Washington College (GWU).
A graduate of the Physics Division of the Athens College of Utilized Sciences, he specialised in Astrophysics in the UK and Germany. He returned to our nation to show Astrophysics at EKPA whereas on the similar time (from 1985) he began collaborating with NASA. Somewhat later he began working at NASA, the place he remained for 25 years climbing all of the steps within the analysis hierarchy. Since 2013 she has been working as a professor of Astrophysics at GWU, the place she based the Institute for Astronomical, Bodily and Statistical Sciences (APSIS).
Her analysis work focuses on Excessive Vitality Astrophysics and particularly the research of phenomena associated to black holes, neutron stars and gamma ray bursts. Finding out information from a mission to the Solar, he found magnetars, neutron stars with excessive magnetic fields.
He’s thought of probably the most influential astrophysicists having revealed round 500 analysis papers. He’s a member of a number of academies, together with the American Academy of Sciences, and has obtained quite a few honors.
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