Gilles Fontaine
Gilles Fontaine | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948 Lévis, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | (aged 71) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Known for | white dwarfs, sub-dwarf stars and astroseismology |
| Awards | Steacie Prize, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Montreal |
| Thesis | Outer layers of white dwarf stars (1974) |
| Doctoral advisor | Hugh M. Van Horn |
Gilles Fontaine (1948 – November 1, 2019) was a professor of astrophysics at the Université de Montréal in Quebec, Canada.
Fontaine's research interests included theoretical and observational studies of white dwarfs, sub-dwarf stars and astroseismology (the interpretation of variations in brightness of certain pulsating or vibrating stars to understand their interior structure). In particular, he found that white dwarfs can serve as test benches for the equation of state, the coefficient of transport, and the phase transition between solid and liquid states at very high densities.