ATNF Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Prof Tor Hagfors

The Arecibo Observatory From Ionosphere Sounder to a Major Astronomy Observatory - Prof Tor Hagfors Informal Colloquium

Prof Tor Hagfors is an internationally known pioneer in studies of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with ionized plasmas and solid surfaces. He was one of the early directors of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and from 1982 to 1992, was director of the observatory's managing organization, the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC). In 1992 he joined the directorate of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (formerly the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy) in Germany. He is now professor emeritus of electrical engineering and astronomy at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and scientific member emeritus of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.

Prof Hagfors' current research interests include HF induced modification of the ionosphere, radar astronomy of the solar system, radar observations of planetary surfaces from space craft, observational techniques in radio observations, scattering from rough surfaces, fluctuations in dusty plasmas, antennas, radio wave propagation.