Alan Andrew Watson
Encyclopedia
Alan Andrew Watson is Emeritus Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, Leeds University, UK
He was educated at the University of Edinburgh
(B.Sc 1960 First class honours in Physics) and was awarded a PhD in 1964 for his thesis on the Physics of Condensation of Water Vapour.
His main areas of interest were high-energy cosmic rays, ultra high-energy gamma rays and high-energy astrophysics
. He was Professor of Physics at Leeds University 1984-2003 and was instrumental in the creation of the Pierre Auger Observatory
in Argentina (begun 1999) which gathered the data that led to major discoveries in cosmic-ray astronomy. The Observatory covers an area of 3000 km2 with 1,600 particle detectors each placed at 1.5 km intervals.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2000.
He was educated at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
(B.Sc 1960 First class honours in Physics) and was awarded a PhD in 1964 for his thesis on the Physics of Condensation of Water Vapour.
His main areas of interest were high-energy cosmic rays, ultra high-energy gamma rays and high-energy astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
. He was Professor of Physics at Leeds University 1984-2003 and was instrumental in the creation of the Pierre Auger Observatory
Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is an international cosmic ray observatory designed to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays: single sub-atomic particles with energies beyond 1020 eV...
in Argentina (begun 1999) which gathered the data that led to major discoveries in cosmic-ray astronomy. The Observatory covers an area of 3000 km2 with 1,600 particle detectors each placed at 1.5 km intervals.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2000.