Last night the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society awarded their highest honor to Tom Duvall, a NASA scientist who spent his career using the waves seen at the surface of the Sun to look inside the Sun. Dr. Duvall then gave the Hale Prize lecture where he described the many ways helioseismology has grown since the waves were first seen in the 1960's. His observations of the Sun at the South Pole showed how important continuous strings of data where to understand the Sun. His later work with SOHO MDI and SDO HMI pushed his students to develop ever-better ways to look inside the Sun. After describing the inside of the Sun, he showed how the techniques of helioseismology have been adapted for seismology and metal fatigue.
The Hale Prize is awarded annually by the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society for outstanding contributions over an extended period of time to the field of solar astronomy. The prize is named in memory of George Ellery Hale, who discovered the magnetic field in sunspots and also developed the observing techniques that made local helioseismology possible.
The citation for Dr. Duvall reads:
Hale Prize for 2014
The Hale Prize has been awarded to Thomas Duvall, Jr., for his invention and application of innovative helioseismic methods and the resulting ground-breaking discoveries within the solar interior, including internal sound-speed and rotation profiles, meridional circulation, wave perturbations in sunspots, and large scale convection properties.
Congratulations Tom for a well-deserved award!
