Erich Rieger
Erich Rieger | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 October 1935 Gauting, Germany |
| Died | 14 August 2021 (aged 85) |
| Citizenship | Germany |
| Alma mater | Ph.D. (Technical University of Munich) |
| Known for | Rieger periodicities |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics, Heliophysics, Geophysics |
| Institutions | Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (Garching, Germany) |
| Thesis | Interpretation of the sintering processes in thorium powder compacts (1962) |
Erich Rieger (1 October 1935 – 14 August 2021) was a German astrophysicist who spent his research career at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) near Munich. He is notable for his 1984 discovery of the period of ~154 days in solar flares. Since the discovery, the period has been confirmed in most heliophysics data in the Solar System, including the interplanetary magnetic field, and has become known as the Rieger period (PR). Rieger died on 14 August 2021, at the age of 85.