Florian Goebel

Florian Goebel
Born(1972-10-18)18 October 1972
Cologne, Germany
Died10 September 2008(2008-09-10) (aged 35)
La Palma, Spain
Alma mater
Known forMAGIC and MAGIC-II telescopes
Scientific career
FieldsAstrophysics
Institutions
ThesisMeasurement of the Diffactive Contribution to the DIS Cross Section using the ZEUS Forward Plug Calorimeter (2001)
Websitewww-zeus.desy.de/~fgoebel/

Karl Florian Goebel (18 October 1972 — 10 September 2008) was a German astrophysicist attached to the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich. He had also been a member of DESY, a German-based research center that develops and runs several particle accelerators and detectors, most notably the ZEUS project.

At the time of his death he was managing the MAGIC-II telescope project. His death led to the suspension of the official inauguration date for MAGIC-II, originally set for 19 September 2008.

Education and career

Goebel graduated from Heidelberg University in July 1995 with an undergraduate degree in Physics. As a recipient of a Fulbright scholarship,[1][2][3] he earned his master's degree in Physics from Stony Brook University, the first degree awarded from work with the Stony Brook Nucleon decay and Neutrino Group's participation in the Super-Kamiokande experiment,[4] in December 1996. Goebel completed his PhD in Physics at the DESY in Hamburg in September 2001 as part of his work on the ZEUS project.[5][3]

Image of MAGIC telescopes with some of the other facilities at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
MAGIC telescopes with some of the other facilities at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory

In 2002, Goebel joined the Max Planck Institute for Physics's MAGIC project,[6] becoming the project manager for MAGIC-II in 2005.[7][3] MAGIC-II, the companion to the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) telescope, is situated 85 metres from its counterpart at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, one of the Canary Islands.[7]

Death and legacy

On 10 September 2008, just nine days prior to the scheduled inauguration of MAGIC-II, Goebel fell about 10 metres (33 ft) to his death while changing one of that telescope's lenses, leading to the suspension of the telescope's commencement of operations.[8][9] After his death, the pair of telescopes were renamed the "MAGIC Florian Goebel Telescopes" in his memory.[7][10] MAGIC-II had its "first light" on 25 April 2009 after a ceremony during which Goebel's brother assisted with the ribbon-cutting.[10]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ Goebel, Karl Florian. "A Study of Particle Identification with the Super-Kamiokande Detector" (PDF). Stony Brook NN Group. p. xi. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Frankly: The Fulbright Alumni e.V. Magazine" (PDF). German Fulbright Alumni Association. Fulbright Alumni e.V. October 2016. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Obituaries (Page 5)". CERN Courier. IOP Publishing. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  4. ^ "People". Stony Brook NN Group. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Curriculum Vitae". The ZEUS Experiment. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Florian Goebel 1972-2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Cortina, Juan; Goebel, Florian; Schweizer, Thomas (7 July 2009). "Technical Performance of the MAGIC Telescopes". arXiv:0907.1211 [astro-ph.IM]. The telescopes have been recently renamed "MAGIC Florian Goebel Telescopes" in memory of the project manager of MAGIC-II, who died shortly before completing the telescope in 2008.
  8. ^ "Muere el astrónomo alemán Florian Goebel en Canarias al caer del telescopio 'Magic II'". El Mundo (in Spanish). 11 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  9. ^ "MAGIC accident". Astronomy & Geophysics. 49 (5): 5.06. October 2008. doi:10.1111/j.1468-4004.2008.49504_7.x. ISSN 1468-4004. OCLC 795981216.
  10. ^ a b "A MAGIC touch brings astronomical delights". CERN Courier. IOP Publishing. 8 June 2009. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2018.