Eliot Quataert

Eliot Quataert has made seminal contributions in many areas of theoretical astrophysics, in particular in the areas of stars, black holes, plasma astrophysics, and how galaxies form.   Specific contributions include the theory of accretion onto black holes; the light produced from neutron star mergers, which provides a unique test of the production of many heavy elements in nature (e.g., gold and platinum); radiation-pressure driven outflows from galaxies and active galactic nuclei; the theory of wave-driven mass ejection in pre-supernova stars; how instabilities, particularly the heat-flux-driven buoyancy instability that he discovered, alter the magnetic field and thereby regulate hot gas in clusters of galaxies; and the physics of weakly collisional plasmas. He carefully connects his theoretical work to current observations.   Quataert is also a highly regarded teacher and public lecturer.