Donald

Donald D. Clayton

Donald
#11,885
Most Influential Person Now

American astrophysicist

Donald D. Clayton's Academic­Influence.com Rankings

Donald D. Clayton
Physics
#530
World Rank
#913
Historical Rank
#258
USA Rank
Nuclear Physics
#27
World Rank
#44
Historical Rank
#8
USA Rank
Astrophysics
#60
World Rank
#64
Historical Rank
#28
USA Rank
physics Degrees
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  • Physics

Donald D. Clayton's Degrees

Why Is Donald D. Clayton Influential?

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According to Wikipedia, Donald Delbert Clayton is an American astrophysicist whose most visible achievement was the prediction from nucleosynthesis theory that supernovae are intensely radioactive. That earned Clayton the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for “theoretical astrophysics related to the formation of elements in the explosions of stars and to the observable products of these explosions”. Supernovae thereafter became the most important stellar events in astronomy owing to their profoundly radioactive nature. Not only did Clayton discover radioactive nucleosynthesis during explosive silicon burning in stars but he also predicted a new type of astronomy based on it, namely the associated gamma-ray line radiation emitted by matter ejected from supernovae. That paper was selected as one of the fifty most influential papers in astronomy during the twentieth century for the Centennial Volume of the American Astronomical Society. He gathered support from influential astronomers and physicists for a new NASA budget item for a gamma-ray-observatory satellite, achieving successful funding for Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. With his focus on radioactive supernova gas Clayton discovered a new chemical pathway causing carbon dust to condense there by a process that is activated by the radioactivity.

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Donald D. Clayton's Published Works

Number of citations in a given year to any of this author's works
Total number of citations to an author for the works they published in a given year. This highlights publication of the most important work(s) by the author
19401950196019701980199020002010012525037550062575087510001125125013751500

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What Schools Are Affiliated With Donald D. Clayton?

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