[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXXI, Issue 4

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXXI, Issue 4
Jan.20,2024

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Table of Contents

1. OBITUARY: Prof. Karl Schindler, 1931-2023

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OBITUARY: Prof. Karl Schindler, 1931-2023

From: Joachim Birn, Michael Hesse (jbirn at spacescience.org)

Prof. Karl Schindler, a scientific leader in space plasma physics, passed away on December 28, 2023. Karl was born and educated in Aachen, Germany, was a Senior Scientist, and later Deputy Director, at the European Space Research Institute, Frascati, Italy, and since 1972 Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. 

Karl belonged to a small group of scientists who laid the foundation for Theoretical Space Plasma Physics. His outstanding contributions range from plasma physical applications in the Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar corona to astrophysical research concerning stability of gravitational systems. He is highly regarded for his foundational contributions in space-related steady state and stability theory with emphasis on magnetospheric dynamics and other space plasma environments. His most relevant contributions include magnetotail equilibrium theory, Vlasov stability analysis, magnetotail dynamics in the collisionless plasma regime relevant for substorms, analyses of the structure and crucial role of thin current sheets, and his pivotal role in extending the understanding of magnetic reconnection from traditional two-dimensional models into the nontrivial three-dimensional regime. He authored or coauthored about 200 peer-reviewed papers in these areas. He is the author of the highly regarded Cambridge University Press Monograph “Physics of Space Plasma Activity,“ which describes fundamentals of space plasma theory and their applications to magnetospheric and solar processes, published in 2007. Karl was elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 1993, based on his “Outstanding contributions and leading role in the advance of space plasma theory.“ Also, he received the 2014 Hannes Alfvén Medal of the European Geosciences Union for his “Illuminating contributions to the dynamics of the solar corona, the magnetosphere and astrophysical plasmas through elegant theoretical analysis of fundamental plasma phenomena such as equilibria, stability, current sheets, and reconnection." Karl was a gifted teacher, creating the foundation for the scientific careers of his co-workers and students, many of whom assumed top-level academic positions at universities and Research Centers internationally and carry his legacy. 

Karl Schindler was an outstanding scientist, teacher, mentor, and friend. He will be missed.

Submitted by Joachim Birn and Michael Hesse, gratefully using information provided by Erika Schindler.


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