University of Minnesota
School of Physics & Astronomy
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Kris Davidson

Professor (Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics), Dir. Graduate Studies

368/485 Tate, 624-5711/624-9069, email kd @ astro.umn.edu
davidson.jpg

Expertise: Extremely massive stars, nebular processes, data analysis techniques, special problems.
Has usually concentrated on a small number of genuinely special individual objects that give
astrophysical information unobtainable anywhere else: Eta Carinae, Crab Nebula, et al.

Director of Graduate Studies for Astronomy, U of MN, 2006-present.
UMN Senate, 2005--present.
UMN I.T. committee to evaluate re-appointment of the Head of the School of Physics & Astronomy, 2005-06.
UMN I.T. library committee, 2005—present

Current Research

Highly ionized diffuse matter, particularly that associated with quasars, supernova remnants and X-ray sources - considered in "non-classical" nebular manner. Other aspects of X-ray sources and also very massive stars.

Selected Publications

R.M. Humphreys, KD, & M.D. Koppelman, Astron. J., “The early spectra of Eta Car 1892--1941 and the onset of its high-excitation spectrum.”, SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES (2008)

G. Weigelt et al. incl. KD., “Near-IR interferometry of Eta Car…”, Astronomy & Astrophys (2007)

K. Hamaguchi et al. incl. KD, “X-ray spectral variation of Eta Car…”, Astrophys (2007)

J.C. Martin, KD, et al , “On the He II emission in Eta Carinae and the origin of its spectroscopic events.”, Astrophys (2006)

J.C. Martin, K. Davidson, & M.D. Koppelman, Astron. J., “The chrysalis opens? Photometry from the Eta Car HST Treasury Project 2002--2006.”, (2006)

Education

B.S., Physics, California Institute of Technology, 1965.
Ph.D., Astrophysics, Cornell University, 1970.