Richard A. Nolthenius

 

Program Chair

Dept. of Astronomy

Cabrillo College

Aptos, CA 95003

 

Email: rinolthe@cabrillo.edu                                               Office phone: (831) 479-6506

URL: www.cabrillo.edu/~rnolthenius                                                Fax: (831) 479-6507

 

Education: B.S. w/ Honors Mathematics, University of Arizona (1975); M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona (1976) (computational fluid dynamics); Graduate in Applied Physics, Stanford University (1977/78). PhD Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles (1984) (advisor: Prof. Holland Ford).

 

Professional Experience: Thermal Engineer – General Dynamics Convair (in charge of solar panels design for the original International Space Station proposal) 1976-77, Post-doctoral research fellow w/ Prof. Simon D.M. White, Steward Observatory 1984-86; Astronomy Department, Cabrillo College 1986-present. Visiting Research Astronomer, University of California Santa Cruz since 1987.

 

Affiliations: University of California Santa Cruz Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics – visiting researcher since 1987.

 

Research Background: Chaos and strange attractors in spiral galaxy dynamics, numerical smoothed particle hydrodynamics, galaxy clustering, luminosity functions, large-scale structure as a diagnostic for Dark Matter composition, photometry software coding, astronomical imaging, asteroid occultations.

 

Awards: The Dean’s Scholarship (graduate school Univ. Az). Fellowship, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona.

 

Related Projects: RPHOT photometry software, a platform for data-taking and reduction of photoelectric photometry through multiple band-pass filters. Now in use at small observatories around the world.

 

Selected Publications:

“RPHOT Release 2.0: a UBVRI and Occultation Photometry Acquisition and Reduction Software Package for PC-Based Observatories” ;  Proceedings of the Symposium, ed. S. J. Edberg, ASP Conference Series (ASP: San Francisco), vol. 33, p. 135

 

“Galaxy Groups, CDM/CHDM Cosmologies, and the Value of Omega0”; The Astrophysical Journal, volume 480, part 1 (1997), pages 43–58

 

“Galaxy groups in Cold + Hot Dark Matter and Cold Dark Matter universes: Comparison with CfA data”; Astrophysical Journal, Part 2 - Letters (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 422, no. 2, p. L45-L48

 

“Global Relationships Among the Physical Properties of Stellar Systems”; The Astronomical Journal, v. 114, p. 1365.

 

“A revised catalog of CfA1 galaxy groups in the Virgo/Great Attractor flow field”; Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (ISSN 0067-0049), vol. 85, no. 1, p. 1-25.

 

“Visualization of Cold + Hot and Cold Dark Matter Cosmologies versus CfA1 Data”;

 The Astrophysical Journal, 495:1–8, 1998 March 1

 

“HD 12545: A Record Photometric Amplitude for an  RS CVn Star” ;  1991 Intl. Bull. Var. Stars, no. 3589.

 

“Groups of galaxies in the CfA survey and in Cold Dark Matter universes” ; Royal Astronomical Society, Monthly Notices (ISSN 0035-8711), vol. 225, April 1, 1987, p. 505-530

 

“The Infall of a Star into a Massive Black Hole”; Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 269, June 1, 1983, p. 297-302

 

Professional Memberships: American Astronomical Society