Eugene Parker

Eugene Newman Parker (June 10, 1927 – March 15,

2022) was an American solar and plasma physicist. In Eugene Parker
the 1950s he proposed the existence of the solar wind
and that the magnetic field in the outer Solar System
would be in the shape of a Parker spiral, predictions
that were later confirmed by spacecraft measurements.
In 1987, Parker proposed the existence of nanoflares, a
leading candidate to explain the coronal heating
problem.

Parker obtained his PhD from Caltech and spent four

years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Parker in 2018 at the launch of the solar probe
Utah. He joined University of Chicago in 1955 and that bears his name
spent the rest of his career there, holding positions in Born Eugene Newman Parker
the physics department, the astronomy and June 10, 1927
astrophysics department, and the Enrico Fermi Houghton, Michigan, U.S.
Institute. Parker was elected to the National Academy Died March 15, 2022 (aged 94)
of Sciences in 1967. In 2017, NASA named its Parker Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Solar Probe in his honor, the first NASA spacecraft Alma mater Michigan State University (BS)
named after a living person.[1] Caltech (PhD)
Known for Sweet–Parker model
Solar wind
Biography Parker spiral

Parker was born in Houghton, Michigan to Glenn and Awards Arctowski Medal (1969)
Helen (MacNair) Parker on June 10, 1927.[2] He George Ellery Hale Prize (1978)
received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics Chapman Medal (1979)
from Michigan State University in 1948 and a Doctor National Medal of Science (1989)
of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Caltech in 1951.[3] William Bowie Medal (1990)
Parker spent four years at the University of Utah James Clerk Maxwell Prize (2003)
before joining the University of Chicago in 1955, Kyoto Prize (2003)
where he spent the rest of his career.[3] He held APS Medal (2018)
positions in Chicago's physics department, astronomy Crafoord Prize (2020)
and astrophysics department, and the Enrico Fermi Scientific career
Institute.[4] Parker was elected to the National
Fields Solar physics, plasma physics
Academy of Sciences in 1967.[4]
Institutions University of Chicago
Thesis The interstellar dust and gas
Theoretical research
structures (http://www.worldcat.or
g/oclc/437065571) (1951)
In the mid-1950s, Parker developed the theory of Doctoral Howard P. Robertson
supersonic solar wind and predicted the Parker spiral advisor
shape of the solar magnetic field in the outer Solar Doctoral Arnab Rai Choudhuri
System. His theoretical modeling was not immediately students
accepted by the astronomical community: when he
submitted the results to The Astrophysical Journal, two reviewers recommended its rejection. The editor
of the journal, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, overruled the reviewers and published the paper
anyway.[5][6] Parker's theoretical predictions were confirmed by satellite observations a few years later,
especially the 1962 Mariner 2 mission.[7]

Parker's work increased understanding of the solar corona, the solar wind, the magnetic fields of both the
Earth and the Sun, and their complex electromagnetic interactions. In 1972, he formulated what became
known as the Parker theorem, which showed how the topology of magnetic field lines in the solar corona
of the Sun (and similar stars) can produce flares at X-ray energies.[8][9]

He published several textbooks, including Cosmical Magnetic Fields in 1979, and one on magnetic fields
in X-ray astronomy in 1994.[10] Seeking to address the coronal heating problem, in 1987 Parker proposed
that the solar corona might be heated by myriad tiny "nanoflares", miniature brightenings resembling
solar flares that would occur all over the surface of the Sun. Parker's theory became a leading candidate to
explain the problem.[4][10]

Personal life
Parker was married for 67 years to his wife, Niesje, with whom he had two children. He died in Chicago
on March 15, 2022, at the age of 94.[2][3]

Honors and awards

1969: Arctowski Medal of the National Academy of Sciences[11]
1969: Henry Norris Russell Lectureship of the American Astronomical Society[12]
1978: George Ellery Hale Prize, Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical
Society, first time this prize was awarded[13]
1979: Chapman Medal, Royal Astronomical Society[14]
1989: National Medal of Science[15]
1990: William Bowie Medal[4]
1992: Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society[16]
1997: Bruce Medal[10]
2003: Kyoto Prize[17][18]
2003: James Clerk Maxwell Prize of the American Physical Society. Citation: "For seminal
contributions in plasma astrophysics, including predicting the solar wind, explaining the solar
dynamo, formulating the theory of magnetic reconnection, and the instability which predicts
the escape of the magnetic fields from the galaxy."[19]
2010: Member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.[20]
2017: NASA renamed its Solar Probe Plus mission to Parker Solar Probe,[21] the first time
that a spacecraft was named after a living person.[22][2] Parker was present at its launch on
 August 12, 2018.
2018: Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research of the American Physical Society.
Citation: "For fundamental contributions to space physics, plasma physics, solar physics
and astrophysics for over 60 years."[23]
2020: Crafoord Prize in Astronomy[24]

Books
Interplanetary Dynamical Processes, 1963, Interscience Publishers. ISBN 978-0-47-
065916-8.
Cosmical Magnetic Fields: Their Origin and their Activity, 1979, Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0-19-851290-5.
Spontaneous Current Sheets in Magnetic Fields: With Applications to Stellar X-rays, 1994,
Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507371-3.
Conversations on Electric and Magnetic Fields in the Cosmos, 2007, Princeton University
Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12841-2.

References
1. "Eugene Parker, 'legendary figure' in solar science and namesake of Parker Solar Probe,
1927-2022" (https://news.uchicago.edu/story/eugene-parker-legendary-figure-solar-science-
and-namesake-parker-solar-probe-1927-2022). University of Chicago News. March 16,
2022. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
2. Chang, Kenneth (March 17, 2022). "Eugene N. Parker, 94, Dies; Predicted the Existence of
Solar Wind" (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/science/space/eugene-n-parker-dead.ht
ml). The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
3. Lerner, Louise (March 16, 2022). "Eugene Parker, 'legendary figure' in solar science and
namesake of Parker Solar Probe, 1927–2022" (https://news.uchicago.edu/story/eugene-par
ker-legendary-figure-solar-science-and-namesake-parker-solar-probe-1927-2022).
University of Chicago. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
4. Tatarewicz, Joseph N. "Eugene N. Parker (1912– )" (https://web.archive.org/web/201312121
65326/http://www.agu.org/honorsprogram/bowie_lectures/parker.shtml). Honors program.
American Geophysical Union. Archived from the original (http://www.agu.org/honorsprogra
m/bowie_lectures/parker.shtml) on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
5. Parker, E. N. (1997), "The martial art of scientific publication", EOS Transactions, 78 (37):
391–395, Bibcode:1997EOSTr..78..391P (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997EOSTr..7
8..391P), doi:10.1029/97EO00251 (https://doi.org/10.1029%2F97EO00251)
6. Roach, John. "Astrophysicist Recognized for Discovery of Solar Wind" (https://web.archive.o
rg/web/20030830010454/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0827_030827_
kyotoprizeparker.html). National Geographic News. National Geographic. Archived from the
original (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0827_030827_kyotoprizeparker.
html) on August 30, 2003. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
7. Chang, Kenneth (August 10, 2018). "NASA's Parker Solar Probe Is Named for Him. 60
Years Ago, No One Believed His Ideas About the Sun" (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/1
0/science/eugene-parker-solar-wind-nasa-probe.html). The New York Times. "After Mariner
2, 'everyone agreed the solar wind existed,' Dr. Parker said."
 8. Parker, E. N. (1990), "Formal mathematical solutions of the force-free equations,
spontaneous discontinuities, and dissipation in large-scale magnetic fields" (https://dx.doi.or
g/10.1029/gm058p0195), Physics of Magnetic Flux Ropes, Geophysical Monograph Series,
vol. 58, Washington, D. C.: American Geophysical Union, pp. 195–202,
doi:10.1029/gm058p0195 (https://doi.org/10.1029%2Fgm058p0195), ISBN 0-87590-026-7,
retrieved January 7, 2024
9. Chhabra, Sherry (April 30, 2022). "Obituary: Eugene N. Parker (1927 - 2022)" (https://solarn
ews.nso.edu/obituary-eugene-n-parker-1927-2022/). SolarNews. Retrieved January 7,
2024.
10. Tenn, Joseph S. "Eugene Newman Parker: 1997 Bruce Medalist" (http://www.phys-astro.son
oma.edu/BruceMedalists/Parker/index.html). Sonoma State University. Retrieved
December 7, 2013.
11. "Arctowski Medal" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101229195941/http://www.nasonline.org/s
ite/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_arctowski). National Academy of Sciences. Archived
from the original (http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_arctowsk
i) on December 29, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
12. "Henry Norris Russell Lectureship" (https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/henry-norris-russell-lec
tureship). aas.org. American Astronomical Society. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
13. "George Ellery Hale Prize – Previous Winners" (https://spd.aas.org/prizes/hale/previous).
spd.aas.org. AAS Solar Physics Division. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
14. "Chapman Medal winners" (https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-03/Chapman_medallist
s.pdf) (PDF). Awards, medals and prizes. Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved October 9,
2019.
15. "Eugene N. Parker" (https://www.nsf.gov/od/nms/recip_details.jsp?recip_id=269). The
President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details. National Science Foundation.
Retrieved December 7, 2013.
16. "The Gold Medal" (https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/Gold%20Medal%202021.pdf)
(PDF). Royal Astronomical Society. 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
17. "Citation: Eugene Newman Parker" (https://web.archive.org/web/20131211172157/http://ww
w.inamori-f.or.jp/laureates/k19_b_eugene/ctn_e.html). Kyoto Prize. Inamori Foundation.
Archived from the original (http://www.inamori-f.or.jp/laureates/k19_b_eugene/ctn_e.html) on
December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
18. Roach, John (August 27, 2003). "Astrophysicist Recognized for Discovery of Solar Wind" (ht
tps://web.archive.org/web/20030830010454/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/
08/0827_030827_kyotoprizeparker.html). National Geographic News. Archived from the
original (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0827_030827_kyotoprizeparker.
html) on August 30, 2003. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
19. "2003 James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics Recipient" (http://www.aps.org/progra
ms/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Parker&first_nm=Eugene&year=2003).
Prizes, Awards and Fellowships. American Physical Society. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
20. "Gruppe 2: Fysikkfag (herunder astronomi, fysikk og geofysikk)" (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20110927171005/http://www.dnva.no/c26849/artikkel/vis.html?tid=40118) (in Norwegian).
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Archived from the original (http://www.dnva.no/
c26849/artikkel/vis.html?tid=40118) on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
21. N. Davis (May 31, 2017). "Nasa's hotly anticipated solar mission renamed to honour
astrophysicist Eugene Parker" (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/may/31/nasa-to-
announce-details-of-hotly-anticipated-mission-to-the-sun-solar-probe-plus). The Guardian.
Retrieved May 31, 2017.
22. "NASA Renames Solar Probe Mission to Honor Pioneering Physicist Eugene Parker" (http
s://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-renames-solar-probe-mission-to-honor-pionee
ring-physicist-eugene-parker). NASA. May 31, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
23. "Award honors Prof. Eugene Parker's lifetime of physics research" (https://news.uchicago.e
du/article/2018/01/31/award-honors-prof-eugene-parkers-lifetime-physics-research).
UChicago News. January 31, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
24. "The Crafoord Prizes in Mathematics and Astronomy 2020" (https://www.crafoordprize.se/pr
ess_release/the-crafoord-prizes-in-mathematics-and-astronomy-2020). January 30, 2020.
Retrieved March 17, 2022.

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