W. David Arnett

W. David Arnett
Arnett in 2008
Born1940
NationalityAmerican
Alma materYale University
Known fornuclear astrophysics
supernovae
AwardsHans Bethe Prize (2009)
Henry Norris Russell Lectureship
Scientific career
FieldsAstrophysics
InstitutionsUniversity of Chicago
University of Arizona
Doctoral advisorAlastair G. W. Cameron

William David Arnett (born 1940) is a Regents Professor of Astrophysics at Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, known for his research on supernova explosions, the formation of neutron stars or black holes by gravitational collapse, and the synthesis of elements in stars; he is author of the monograph Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis which deals with these topics. Arnett pioneered the application of supercomputers to astrophysical problems, including neutrino radiation hydrodynamics, nuclear reaction networks, instabilities and explosions, supernova light curves, and turbulent convective flow in two and three dimensions.