Fowler, William Alfred (1911-1995), an American nuclear astrophysicist, developed a theory of the evolution and death of stars. For his work, Fowler was awarded half of the 1983 Nobel Prize for physics. The other half was awarded to the American physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who also worked on processes of stellar evolution.
According to Fowler’s theory, during the evolution of stars, lighter elements are continuously joined together to form heavier elements. The reactions involved produce light and heat. He suggested that supernova (explosion of an unstable star) produces the final synthesis of the heaviest elements (see Supernova ). Fowler’s theory, developed during the 1950’s, explained the formation of all chemical elements in the universe. Later research confirmed the theory.
Fowler was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied ceramic engineering at Ohio State University and during the course he developed an interest in physics. After graduating, Fowler went on to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in Pasadena, where he received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics in 1936. He then carried out research at the W. K. Kellogg Radiation Laboratory at Caltech until his retirement in 1982.
