31:
263:
of astronomy at
Berkeley in 1989. Backer served as the acting chair of the Berkeley Astronomy Department from 1998 to 1999, as vice chair 1999–2001, and as chair 2002–2006 and 2007–2008. In 2008, he was appointed director of Berkeley's
822:
812:
295:, which rotates at 642 Hz (1.558 ms), a rate far beyond what was expected of pulsars before its discovery. Backer was also involved in the discovery of a
322:, a technique in radio astronomy used to achieve high angular resolution images of astronomical sources. His efforts here were directed towards understanding
358:
726:
827:
510:
817:
473:
397:
342:
256:
128:
319:
609:
657:
Backer, D.C.; Foster, R.S.; Sallmen, S. (October 1993). "A second companion of the millisecond pulsar 1620-26".
807:
533:
730:
350:
265:
232:
700:
100:
377:
327:
346:
188:
55:
370:
216:
176:
802:
797:
666:
624:
574:
434:
196:
74:
8:
248:
200:
670:
628:
578:
438:
682:
590:
477:
418:
304:
303:, thought to be the oldest known extrasolar planet. Backer pioneered efforts to detect
288:
204:
192:
168:
96:
541:
452:
208:
686:
674:
632:
594:
582:
442:
135:
384:
was neutral, and by doing so study the first objects that formed in the universe.
212:
160:
117:
771:
506:
393:
323:
156:
791:
545:
373:
369:. These arrays are simple long wavelength telescopes that hope to detect the
362:
292:
86:
456:
366:
338:
308:
300:
823:
University of
California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty
272:
140:
163:. Backer made important contributions to the understanding and study of
701:"Primeval Planet: Oldest Known World Conjures Prospect of Ancient Life"
534:"Lutz Bacher, Conceptual Artist Who Hid Much About Herself, Dies at 75"
259:
as a research astronomer in the Radio
Astronomy Laboratory, and became
172:
30:
636:
705:
678:
586:
331:
260:
224:
220:
447:
422:
656:
381:
312:
311:, aiming to set limits on the gravitational wave background of the
252:
236:
296:
268:. Backer collapsed outside his home and died on July 25, 2010.
361:(PAPER). The project consists of two arrays of antenna, one in
284:
164:
507:"World-renowned astronomer Donald C. Backer dies at age 66"
354:
244:
240:
228:
227:
in 1971. Backer then took post-doctoral positions first at
751:
565:
Backer, D.C.; et al. (1982). "A millisecond pulsar".
359:
Precision Array for
Probing the Epoch of Reionization
476:. University of California, Berkeley. Archived from
155:(November 9, 1943 – July 25, 2010) was an American
219:in 1968, and then returned to Cornell to earn his
813:Cornell University College of Engineering alumni
789:
501:
499:
497:
495:
468:
466:
423:"Obituary: Donald Charles Backer (1943–2010)"
601:
564:
558:
492:
463:
271:Donald C. Backer was married to the artist
255:(1973–1975). In 1975, Backer moved to the
446:
417:
828:Alumni of the University of Manchester
790:
531:
341:, leading a collaboration between the
167:(including the discovery of the first
607:
474:"Don Backer, Professor of Astronomy"
398:National Radio Astronomy Observatory
744:
513:from the original on August 9, 2010
13:
818:People from Plainfield, New Jersey
343:University of California, Berkeley
257:University of California, Berkeley
14:
839:
337:Backer then moved on to studying
320:Very Long Baseline Interferometry
29:
764:
283:Backer's early work focused on
727:"Catching Gravitational Waves"
719:
693:
650:
532:Cotter, Holland (2019-05-26).
525:
411:
376:from a time very early in the
1:
404:
318:Backer was also a pioneer in
182:
7:
278:
10:
844:
608:Moran, James (July 2011).
351:University of Pennsylvania
287:. He discovered the first
266:Radio Astronomy Laboratory
387:
239:(1971–1973), and then at
146:
134:
124:
113:
106:
92:
82:
63:
37:
28:
21:
159:who primarily worked in
101:University of Manchester
610:"Donald Charles Backer"
378:history of the universe
328:supermassive black hole
207:in 1966. He received a
16:American astrophysicist
752:"The PAPER Experiment"
347:University of Virginia
307:from rapidly rotating
189:Plainfield, New Jersey
56:Plainfield, New Jersey
330:at the center of the
299:-sized planet around
275:for almost 40 years.
217:Manchester University
177:epoch of reionization
153:Donald Charles Backer
42:Donald Charles Backer
808:American astronomers
195:, where he earned a
75:Berkeley, California
671:1993Natur.365..817B
629:2011PhT....64g..61M
579:1982Natur.300..615B
439:2010Natur.467...41K
396:Lectureship of the
305:gravitational waves
201:engineering physics
187:Backer was born in
772:"Jansky Home Page"
538:The New York Times
289:millisecond pulsar
205:Cornell University
193:Cornell University
169:millisecond pulsar
97:Cornell University
665:(6449): 817–819.
637:10.1063/PT.3.1174
573:(5893): 315–318.
509:. July 29, 2010.
365:and the other in
209:Master of Science
197:Bachelor's degree
150:
149:
108:Scientific career
835:
782:
781:
779:
778:
768:
762:
761:
759:
758:
748:
742:
741:
739:
738:
729:. Archived from
723:
717:
716:
714:
713:
697:
691:
690:
679:10.1038/365817a0
654:
648:
647:
645:
643:
614:
605:
599:
598:
587:10.1038/300615a0
562:
556:
555:
553:
552:
529:
523:
522:
520:
518:
503:
490:
489:
487:
485:
470:
461:
460:
450:
415:
136:Doctoral advisor
70:
52:November 9, 1943
51:
49:
33:
23:Donald C. Backer
19:
18:
843:
842:
838:
837:
836:
834:
833:
832:
788:
787:
786:
785:
776:
774:
770:
769:
765:
756:
754:
750:
749:
745:
736:
734:
725:
724:
720:
711:
709:
699:
698:
694:
655:
651:
641:
639:
612:
606:
602:
563:
559:
550:
548:
530:
526:
516:
514:
505:
504:
493:
483:
481:
480:on June 9, 2010
472:
471:
464:
448:10.1038/467041a
419:Kulkarni, S. R.
416:
412:
407:
390:
281:
233:Charlottesville
213:radio astronomy
185:
161:radio astronomy
118:Radio Astronomy
99:
93:Alma mater
78:
72:
68:
59:
53:
47:
45:
44:
43:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
841:
831:
830:
825:
820:
815:
810:
805:
800:
784:
783:
763:
743:
718:
692:
649:
600:
557:
524:
491:
462:
409:
408:
406:
403:
402:
401:
394:Karl G. Jansky
389:
386:
324:Sagittarius A*
280:
277:
203:(B.E.P.) from
191:. He attended
184:
181:
157:astrophysicist
148:
147:
144:
143:
138:
132:
131:
126:
122:
121:
115:
111:
110:
104:
103:
94:
90:
89:
84:
80:
79:
73:
71:(aged 66)
65:
61:
60:
54:
41:
39:
35:
34:
26:
25:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
840:
829:
826:
824:
821:
819:
816:
814:
811:
809:
806:
804:
801:
799:
796:
795:
793:
773:
767:
753:
747:
733:on 2008-05-11
732:
728:
722:
708:
707:
702:
696:
688:
684:
680:
676:
672:
668:
664:
660:
653:
638:
634:
630:
626:
622:
618:
617:Physics Today
611:
604:
596:
592:
588:
584:
580:
576:
572:
568:
561:
547:
543:
539:
535:
528:
512:
508:
502:
500:
498:
496:
479:
475:
469:
467:
458:
454:
449:
444:
440:
436:
432:
428:
424:
420:
414:
410:
399:
395:
392:
391:
385:
383:
379:
375:
374:hydrogen line
372:
368:
364:
363:West Virginia
360:
356:
352:
348:
344:
340:
335:
333:
329:
325:
321:
316:
314:
310:
309:neutron stars
306:
302:
298:
294:
290:
286:
276:
274:
269:
267:
262:
258:
254:
250:
246:
242:
238:
234:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
180:
178:
174:
170:
166:
162:
158:
154:
145:
142:
139:
137:
133:
130:
127:
123:
119:
116:
112:
109:
105:
102:
98:
95:
91:
88:
85:
81:
76:
67:July 25, 2010
66:
62:
57:
40:
36:
32:
27:
20:
775:. Retrieved
766:
755:. Retrieved
746:
735:. Retrieved
731:the original
721:
710:. Retrieved
704:
695:
662:
658:
652:
640:. Retrieved
623:(7): 61–62.
620:
616:
603:
570:
566:
560:
549:. Retrieved
537:
527:
515:. Retrieved
482:. Retrieved
478:the original
433:(7311): 41.
430:
426:
413:
367:South Africa
339:reionization
336:
317:
301:PSR B1620-26
293:PSR B1937+21
282:
270:
186:
152:
151:
125:Institutions
107:
69:(2010-07-25)
803:2010 deaths
798:1943 births
357:called the
273:Lutz Bacher
173:black holes
141:Frank Drake
129:UC Berkeley
83:Nationality
792:Categories
777:2009-05-13
757:2012-11-23
737:2009-05-17
712:2009-05-17
551:2023-09-29
405:References
371:redshifted
211:degree in
175:, and the
48:1943-11-09
706:Space.com
546:0362-4331
332:Milky Way
261:professor
249:Greenbelt
225:astronomy
221:doctorate
183:Biography
642:July 21,
517:July 21,
511:Archived
484:July 21,
457:20811449
421:(2010).
382:hydrogen
313:universe
279:Research
253:Maryland
237:Virginia
87:American
687:4356233
667:Bibcode
625:Bibcode
595:4247734
575:Bibcode
435:Bibcode
400:in 2003
297:Jupiter
285:pulsars
165:pulsars
685:
659:Nature
593:
567:Nature
544:
455:
427:Nature
388:Honors
353:, and
349:, the
345:, the
326:, the
114:Fields
77:, U.S.
58:, U.S.
683:S2CID
613:(PDF)
591:S2CID
380:when
215:from
644:2023
542:ISSN
519:2023
486:2023
453:PMID
355:NRAO
245:GSFC
241:NASA
229:NRAO
64:Died
38:Born
675:doi
663:365
633:doi
583:doi
571:300
443:doi
431:467
247:in
231:in
223:in
199:in
171:),
794::
703:.
681:.
673:.
661:.
631:.
621:64
619:.
615:.
589:.
581:.
569:.
540:.
536:.
494:^
465:^
451:.
441:.
429:.
425:.
334:.
315:.
291:,
251:,
235:,
179:.
780:.
760:.
740:.
715:.
689:.
677::
669::
646:.
635::
627::
597:.
585::
577::
554:.
521:.
488:.
459:.
445::
437::
243:/
120:,
50:)
46:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
.jpg)