[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXXI, Issue 2

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXXI, Issue 2
Jan.12,2024

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Table of Contents

1. David Montgomery, 1936-2023

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David Montgomery, 1936-2023

From: James LaBelle (james.w.labelle at dartmouth.edu)

David Montgomery, a towering intellect in the field of plasma physics, died in Hanover, New Hampshire, on December 12, 2023, of complications to Parkinson's disease. He was 87.

One of the most talented theorists of his generation, David did pioneering research in both kinetic theory and magnetohydrodynamics, applied to both laboratory and space plasmas.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of Wisconsin at age twenty and completed his PhD dissertation in 1959 after only three years at Princeton with Professor Lyman Spitzer. In 1964, together with Derek Tidman, he published his first book, Plasma Kinetic Theory, a landmark in the field and the primary compendium of the subject for many years, lauded by its review in Physics Today as a "quantum jump in difficulty from the existing books on plasma physics." A second book, The Theory of the Unmagnetized Plasma, followed in 1971.

In the 1970s David pivoted to Navier-Stokes fluids and magnetohydrodynamics, fields in which he continued to make seminal advances for decades. Applications of David’s work on MHD turbulence range from laboratory plasmas such as reversed field pinches and tokamaks, to turbulence in the solar wind. His 1980 review paper with Robert Kraichnan on two-dimensional MHD turbulence has nearly a thousand citations. He effectively teamed with younger scientists, including former students, to accomplish combined analytic and simulation studies of the most challenging problems in fluid and plasma turbulence.  These efforts led to landmark papers, including one which demonstrated development of anisotropy in initially isotropic two-dimensional turbulence which is the single most cited paper in the history of the Journal of Plasma Physics according to Web of Science, and another which reported the discovery of coherent phenomena emergent in long-time evolution of two-dimensional Navier-Stokes turbulence. Between 1978 and 1980 David was asked to chair the NASA Plasma Turbulence Explorer Study Group, charged with describing requirements for a multi-spacecraft mission to characterize plasma turbulence in space. The NASA Helioswarm mission, currently under development for a 2028 anticipated launch, is the long-awaited realization of David’s vision.

After productive research scientist appointments at Princeton University, University of Maryland, and University of Wisconsin, David joined the faculty of University of Iowa in 1965, then moved to the College of William and Mary in 1977, and from 1984 finished his career with over two decades at Dartmouth College, where he held the Eleanor and A. Kelvin Smith Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.  Over the years, he had visiting appointments at the University of Wisconsin, Columbia University, New York University, Hunter College, University of California, Berkeley, University of Colorado, Utrecht University (Netherlands), Culham Laboratory (Oxford, UK), Technical University of Eindhoven (Netherlands), Heinrich-Heine University (Germany), Riso National Laboratory (Denmark), and Nagoya University (Japan), as well as consultant appointments at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Langley Research Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He published nearly 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals, supervised 22 PhD theses and more than 20 postdoctoral scholars, and taught numerous undergraduate and graduate physics classes at all levels. He was an outstanding teacher and lecturer who gave many invited talks, including supporting summer schools at Les Houches and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

To mark David’s 60th birthday in 1996, the Journal of Plasma Physics published a special issue on nonlinear plasma physics, a topic he pioneered. So many papers were submitted that the issue had to be published in two parts. Also in 1996, he received an honorary doctoral degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) from the Technical University of Eindhoven for his work in two-dimensional hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics. Since 1969 he has been a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Those who knew David Montgomery appreciated his broad interests; he was an avid and well-informed follower of current events with strong feelings about politics, and a frequent contributor of letters to local newspapers. Out of concern for other people, he served on Quaker committees devoted to social justice for several years. He was concerned about the environment and served several years on the regional Sierra Club board. He had an abiding interest in music, art, and literature. He was an active outdoorsman with several hiking adventures to his credit. He enjoyed canoeing, badminton, volleyball, and tennis.

David is survived by his wife Shirley, of 66 years, his daughters Elizabeth Montgomery and Kathleen Montgomery Sutton, and two grandchildren. With his passing, the field has lost not only an intellectual powerhouse who made significant advances in the most difficult areas of plasma physics, but also a fine person who stood out for his honesty and forthrightness, inspiring generations of students, colleagues, and friends. He has left an impressive legacy and will be long remembered.


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