Richard M. Thorne

American physicist and professor (1942–2019)

Richard Mansergh Thorne (July 25, 1942 – July 12, 2019) was an American physicist and a distinguished professor in the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA. He was known for his contributions to space plasma physics. He was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Thorne graduated from Birmingham University in 1963 with a BS in mathematical physics.^[1] In 1968 he received a PhD in physics from MIT. The astronomer Alar Toomre was his advisor; his thesis was titled On the distribution of interstellar gas in the galaxy.^[2]

In 1968 Thorne joined the department of meteorology at UCLA (now the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences). In 2000 he was appointed distinguished professor^[1] and elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.^[3] He retired in 2015.^[1]

Selected publications

Cornwall, John M.; Coroniti, F. V.; Thorne, R. M. (1970). "Turbulent loss of ring current protons". Journal of Geophysical Research. 75 (25): 4699–4709. Bibcode:1970JGR....75.4699C. doi:10.1029/JA075i025p04699. ISSN 0148-0227.
Lyons, Lawrence R.; Thorne, Richard Mansergh; Kennel, Charles F. (1972). "Pitch-angle diffusion of radiation belt electrons within the plasmasphere". Journal of Geophysical Research. 77 (19): 3455–3474. Bibcode:1972JGR....77.3455L. doi:10.1029/JA077i019p03455. ISSN 0148-0227.
Thorne, Richard M.; Smith, Edward J.; Burton, Rande K.; Holzer, Robert E. (1973). "Plasmaspheric hiss". Journal of Geophysical Research. 78 (10): 1581–1596. Bibcode:1973JGR....78.1581T. doi:10.1029/JA078i010p01581. ISSN 0148-0227.
Lyons, Lawrence R.; Thorne, Richard Mansergh (1973). "Equilibrium structure of radiation belt electrons". Journal of Geophysical Research. 78 (13): 2142–2149. Bibcode:1973JGR....78.2142L. doi:10.1029/JA078i013p02142. ISSN 0148-0227.
Summers, Danny; Thorne, Richard M. (1991). "The modified plasma dispersion function". Physics of Fluids B: Plasma Physics. 3 (8): 1835–1847. Bibcode:1991PhFlB...3.1835S. doi:10.1063/1.859653. ISSN 0899-8221.
Summers, Danny; Thorne, Richard M.; Xiao, Fuliang (1998). "Relativistic theory of wave-particle resonant diffusion with application to electron acceleration in the magnetosphere". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 103 (A9): 20487–20500. Bibcode:1998JGR...10320487S. doi:10.1029/98JA01740. ISSN 0148-0227.
Horne, Richard B.; Thorne, Richard M. (1998). "Potential waves for relativistic electron scattering and stochastic acceleration during magnetic storms". Geophysical Research Letters. 25 (15): 3011–3014. Bibcode:1998GeoRL..25.3011H. doi:10.1029/98GL01002. ISSN 0094-8276. S2CID 120434760.
Abel, Bob; Thorne, Richard M. (1998). "Electron scattering loss in Earth's inner magnetosphere: 1. Dominant physical processes". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 103 (A2): 2385–2396. Bibcode:1998JGR...103.2385A. doi:10.1029/97JA02919. ISSN 0148-0227.
Daglis, Ioannis A.; Thorne, Richard M.; Baumjohann, Wolfgang; Orsini, Stefano (1999). "The terrestrial ring current: Origin, formation, and decay". Reviews of Geophysics. 37 (4): 407–438. Bibcode:1999RvGeo..37..407D. doi:10.1029/1999RG900009. ISSN 8755-1209. S2CID 17693120.
Summers, Danny (2003). "Relativistic electron pitch-angle scattering by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves during geomagnetic storms" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research. 108 (A4): 1143. Bibcode:2003JGRA..108.1143S. doi:10.1029/2002JA009489. ISSN 0148-0227.
Horne, Richard B. (2005). "Timescale for radiation belt electron acceleration by whistler mode chorus waves". Journal of Geophysical Research. 110 (A3): A03225. Bibcode:2005JGRA..110.3225H. doi:10.1029/2004JA010811. ISSN 0148-0227.
Horne, Richard B.; Thorne, Richard M.; Shprits, Yuri Y.; Meredith, Nigel P.; Glauert, Sarah A.; Smith, Andy J.; Kanekal, Shrikanth G.; Baker, Daniel N.; Engebretson, Mark J.; Posch, Jennifer L.; Spasojevic, Maria; Inan, Umran S.; Pickett, Jolene S.; Decreau, Pierrette M. E. (2005). "Wave acceleration of electrons in the Van Allen radiationbelts". Nature. 437 (7056): 227–230. Bibcode:2005Natur.437..227H. doi:10.1038/nature03939. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 16148927. S2CID 1530882.
Thorne, Richard Mansergh (2010). "Radiation belt dynamics: The importance of wave-particle interactions". Geophysical Research Letters. 37 (22): n/a. Bibcode:2010GeoRL..3722107T. doi:10.1029/2010GL044990. ISSN 0094-8276. S2CID 117777812.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Gilbert, C. (July 15, 2019). "Richard Thorne obituary". American Geophysical Union SPA Section Newsletter. XXVI (43).
^ Thorne, Richard (1968). On the distribution of interstellar gas in the galaxy (Thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
^ "Richard M Thorne". American Geophysical Union. Retrieved 21 July 2019.