Chryssa Kouveliotou

2024

Date of Birth

May 26, 1953

A native of Greece, Chryssa Kouveliotou earned her bachelor’s degree at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and her master’s at the University of Sussex. Her Ph.D. is from the Technical University of Munich, where she began to specialize in high energy astrophysics. She wrote her thesis in 1981 on “Observations of fast transient gamma-ray phenomena” under Klaus Pinkau at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. It was as a graduate student that she began her association with NASA, visiting the United States to analyze gamma ray observations from the ISEE-3 satellite. From 1982 to 1994 she taught at the University of Athens, making extended visits to NASA centers in the U.S., and publishing research on gamma ray sources in both distant gamma ray bursters (GRBs) and the nearby Sun.

In 1993 she moved to the United States, where she has become one of the world’s leaders in the study of gamma ray bursters and other celestial sources of gamma-rays and X-rays. For many years, she worked in Huntsville, Alabama—for the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center—and was associated with the University of Alabama in Huntsville. From her marriage to Dutch astrophysicist Jan van Paradijs in 1992 until his untimely death in 1999, the two often worked together, although there had been little overlap in their research fields before they met. They ended up coauthoring (with others) more than 200 publications. She and her many colleagues used observations from nearly all of the orbiting gamma-ray and X-ray observatories, and also sought to observe the same objects in radio, infrared, and optical wavelengths from the ground. Their most important instrument was the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO). She showed that there were two classes of GRB, and then her team found a new type of GRB, first called soft gamma-ray repeaters, and then shown to have the properties of the hypothesized class of pulsars with extremely high magnetic fields called magnetars. Breaks in the crusts of these stars, known as starquakes, cause some of the bursts of lower energy radiation that give soft gamma-ray repeaters their name. Kouveliotou and her team were able to determine the ages of these pulsars and the rates at which they are slowing their rotations.

In 2015, Kouveliotou retired from NASA and joined the faculty of George Washington University. There she has built a substantial and highly productive team and greatly expanded the role of astrophysics in the physics department. She has also been a mentor to many graduate students and post-doctoral researchers.

Personal Web Page

At the George Washington University

Other awards

American Astronomical Society High Energy Astrophysics Division, Bruno Rossi Prize, 2003
American Institute of Physics & American Astronomical Society, Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics, 2012
Shaw Prize Foundation, Shaw Prize, 2021

Bibliography

Other References: Historical

Allen, Summer, 5 Things About Me: Astrophysicist Chryssa Kouveliotou, 7 October 2013.

American Association of Variable Star Observers, AAVSO Councilor Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou elected to National Academy of Sciences, 2013.

Coles, Peter, Oration on presentation of honorary degree of Dr. of Science, University of Sussex, 10 July 2014.

George Washington University, Physics’ Kouveliotou Earns Distinguished Scientist Honors, 21 June 2024.

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Other References: Scientific

Kouveliotou, C.; Treumann, R. A.; & Scholer, M., “Analysis of solar flare gamma-ray events,” Ap.J. 278, 420 (1984).

Meegan, C. A.; Fishman, G. J.; Wilson, R. B.; et al., “Spatial Distribution of γ-Ray Bursts Observed by BATSE,” Nature 355, 143 (1992).

Band, D.; Matteson, J.; Ford, L.; et al., “BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Spectra. I. Spectral Diversity,” Ap.J. 413, 281 (1993).

Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Meegan, Charles A.; Fishman, Gerald J.; et al., “Identification of Two Classes of Gamma-Ray Bursts,” Ap.J. 413, L101 (1993).

Fishman, Gerald J.; Meegan, Charles A.; Wilson, Robert B.; et al., “The First BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog,” Ap.J. Supp. 92, 229 (1994).

Fishman, G. J.; Bhat, P. N.; Mallozzi, R.; et al., “Discovery of Intense Gamma-Ray Flashes of Atmospheric Origin,” Science 264, 1313 (1994).

Hurley, K.; Dingus, B. L.; Mukherjee, R.; et al., “Detection of a γ-Ray Burst of Very Long Duration and Very High Energy,” Nature 372, 652 (1994).

Ford, L. A.; Band, D. L.; Matteson, J. L.; et al., “BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Spectra. II. Peak Energy Evolution in Bright, Long Burst,” Ap.J. 439, 307 (1995).

Norris, J. P.; Nemiroff, R. J.; Bonnell, J. T.; et al., “Attributes of Pulses in Long Bright Gamma-Ray Bursts,” Ap.J. 459, 393 (1996).

Meegan, Charles A.; Pendleton, Geoffrey N.; Briggs, Michael S.; et al., “The Third BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog,” Ap.J. Supp. 106, 65 (1996).

van Paradijs, J.; Groot, P. J.; Galama, T.; et al., “Transient Optical Emission from the Error Box of the γ-Ray Burst of 28 February 1997,” Nature 386, 686 (1997).

Kouveliotou, C.; Dieters, S.; Strohmayer, T.; et al., “An X-Ray Pulsar with a Superstrong Magnetic Field in the Soft γ-Ray Repeater SGR1806 - 20,” Nature 393, 235 (1998).

Galama, T. J.; Vreeswijk, P. M.; van Paradijs, J.; et al., “An Unusual Supernova in the Error Box of the γ-Ray burst of 25 April 1998,” Nature 395, 670 (1998).

Iwamoto, K.; Mazzali, P. A.; Nomoto, K.; et al., “A Hypernova Model for the Supernova Associated with the γ-Ray Burst of 25 April 1998,” Nature 395, 672 (1998).

Kouveliotou, C.; Strohmayer, T.; Hurley, K.; et al., “Discovery of a Magnetar Associated with the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1900+14,” Ap.J. 510, 115 (1999).

Paciesas, William S.; Meegan, Charles A.; Pendleton, Geoffrey N.; et al., “The Fourth BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog (Revised),” Ap.J. Supp. 122, 465 (1999).

Thorsett, S. E.; Metzger, Mark R.; et al., “Hubble Space Telescope and Palomar Imaging of GRB 990123: Implications for the Nature of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Their Hosts,” Ap.J. 519, 13 (1999).

Beuermann, K.; Hessman, F. V.; Reinsch, K.; et al., “VLT Observations of GRB 990510 and Its Environment,” Astron. & Astrophys. 352, 2 (1999).

van Paradijs, Jan; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Wijers, & Ralph A. M. J., “Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows,” Ann. Revs. Astron. & Astrophys.. 38, 379 (2000).

Galama, T. J.; Tanvir, N.; Vreeswijk, P. M.; et al., “Evidence for a Supernova in Reanalyzed Optical and Near-Infrared Images of GRB 970228,” Ap.J. 536, 185 (2000).

Kouveliotou, Chryssa, “A Review of Soft Gamma Repeaters,” in From X-ray Binaries to Gamma-Ray Bursts: Jan van Paradijs Memorial Symposium, Edward P. van den Heuvel, Lex Kaper, Evert Rol, and Ralph A.M.J. Wijers, eds. (Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, vol. 308, 2003), p. 413.

Hjorth, Jens; Sollerman, Jesper; Møller, Palle; et al., “A Very Energetic Supernova Associated with the γ-Ray Burst of 29 March 2003,” Nature 423, 847 (2003).

Vreeswijk, P. M.; Ellison, S. L.; Ledoux, C.; et al., “The Host of GRB 030323 at z=3.372: A Very High Column Density DLA System with a Low Metallicity,” Astron. & Astrophys. 419, 927 (2004).

Ibrahim, Alaa I.; Markwardt, Craig B.; Swank, Jean H.; et al., “Discovery of a Transient Magnetar: XTE J1810-197,” Ap.J. 6096, 21I (2004).

Palmer, D. M.; Barthelmy, S.; Gehrels, N.; et al., “A Giant γ-Ray Flare from the Magnetar SGR 1806 - 20,” Nature 434, 1107 (2005).

Gehrels, N.; Sarazin, C. L.; O'Brien, P. T.; et al., “A Short γ-Ray Burst Apparently Associated with an Elliptical Galaxy at Redshift z = 0.225,” Nature 437, 851 (2005).

Hjorth, Jens; Watson, Darach; Fynbo, Johan P. U.; et al., “The Optical Afterglow of the Short γ-Ray burst GRB 050709,” Nature 437, 859 (2005).

Barthelmy, S. D.; Chincarini, G.; Burrows, D. N.; et al., “An Origin for Short γ-Ray Bursts Unassociated With Current Star Formation,” Nature 438, 994 (2005).

Nousek, J. A.; Kouveliotou, C.; Grupe, D.; et al., “Evidence for a Canonical Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow Light Curve in the Swift XRT Data,” Ap.J. 642, 389 (2006).

Fruchter, A. S.; Levan, A. J.; Strolger, L.; et al., “Long γ-Ray Bursts and Core-Collapse Supernovae Have Different Environments,” Nature 441, 463 (2006).

Mazzali, P. A.; Masetti, N.; et al., “An Optical Supernova Associated with the X-Ray Flash XRF 060218,” Nature 442, 1011 (2006).

Gehrels, N.; Norris, J. P.; Barthelmy, S. D.; et al., “A New γ-Ray Burst Classification Scheme from GRB060614,” Nature 444, 1044 (2006).

Racusin, J. L.; Karpov, S. V.; Sokolowski, M.; et al., “Broadband Observations of the Naked-Eye γ-Ray Burst GRB080319B,” Nature 455, 183 (2008).

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Arimoto, M.; et al., “Fermi Observations of High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from GRB 080916C,” Science 323, 1688 (2009).

Meegan, Charles; Lichti, Giselher; Bhat, P. N.; et al., “The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor,” Ap.J. 702, 791 (2009).

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; et al., “Fermi Observations of GRB 090902B: A Distinct Spectral Component in the Prompt and Delayed Emission,” Ap.J. 706, 138 (2009).

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; et al., “A Limit on the Variation of the Speed of Light Arising From Quantum Gravity Effect,” Nature 462, 331 (2009).

Fynbo, J. P. U.; Jakobsson, P.; Prochaska, J. X.; et al., “Low-Resolution Spectroscopy of Gamma-Ray Burst Optical Afterglows: Biases in the Swift Sample and Characterization of the Absorbers,” Ap.J. Supp. 185, 526 (2009).

Ackermann, M.; Asano, K.; Atwood, W. B.; et al., “Fermi Observations of GRB 090510: A Short-Hard Gamma-Ray Burst with an Additional, Hard Power-law Component from 10 keV to GeV Energies,” Ap.J. 716, 1178 (2010).

Rea, N.; Esposito, P.; Turolla, R.; et al., “A Low-Magnetic-Field Soft Gamma Repeater,” Science 330, 944 (2010).

Guiriec, Sylvain; Connaughton, Valerie; Briggs, Michael S.; et al., “Detection of a Thermal Spectral Component in the Prompt Emission of GRB 100724B,” Ap.J. 727, L33 (2011).

Rezzolla, Luciano; Giacomazzo, Bruno; Baiotti, Luca; et al., “The Missing Link: Merging Neutron Stars Naturally Produce Jet-like Structures and Can Power Short Gamma-Ray Bursts,” Ap.J. 732, 6 (2011).

Levan, A. J.; Tanvir, N. R.; Cenko, S. B.; et al., An Extremely Luminous Panchromatic Outburst from the Nucleus of a Distant Galaxy,” Science 333, 199L (2011).

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Asano, K.; et al., “The First Fermi-LAT Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog,” Ap.J. Supp. 209, 11 (2013).

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Asano, K.; et al., “Fermi-LAT Observations of the Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 130427A,” Science 343, 42 (2014).

Gruber, David; Goldstein, Adam; Weller von Ahlefeld, Victoria; et al., “The Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Catalog: Four Years of Data,” Ap.J. Supp. 211, 12 (2014).

Narayana Bhat, P.; Meegan, Charles A.; von Kienlin, Andreas; et al., “The Third Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog: The First Six Years,” Ap.J. Supp. 223, 28 (2016).

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; et al., “Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger,” Ap.J. 848 , L12 (2017).

Pian, E.; D'Avanzo, P.; Benetti, S.; et al., “Spectroscopic Identification of r-Process Nucleosynthesis in a Double Neutron-Star Merger,” Nature 551, 67 (2017).

Watson, Darach; Hansen, Camilla J.; Selsing, Jonatan; et al., “Identification of Strontium in the Merger of Two Neutron Stars,” Nature 574, 497 (2019).

Chastain, S. I.; van der Horst, A. J.; Anderson, G. E.; et al., “Constraints on Short Gamma-Ray Burst Physics and Their Host Galaxies From Systematic Radio Follow-Up Campaigns,” MNRAS 532, 2820 (2024).

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