Obituary: Edwin Salpeter (1924–2008)

Abstract

Edwin Ernest Salpeter, who perhaps more than anyone put the physics into astrophysics, died on 26 November 2008 at the age of 83. Among his many accomplishments was figuring out how giant stars burn helium to form carbon in the 'triple-alpha process' (named after the three helium nuclei — alpha particles — that fuse together in the process). Before this discovery, the origin of the elements beyond helium in the periodic table was a mystery.

Additional details