William Alfred Fowler

William Alfred Fowler 1911-95, American nuclear astrophysicist, b. Pittsburgh. While a professor at the California Institute of Technology, Fowler studied how chemical elements are formed in nuclear reactions, especially in the evolution of stars. For his work in this area he shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar . Fowler also studied the radio emissions of quasars and the functioning of subatomic particles such as neutrinos.

Fowler, William Alfred (1911–95) US physicist and astrophysicist best known for his explanation of how chemical elements are built up (from heavier to lighter) within stars as they evolve. He developed these ideas (published 1957) while working with three British astronomers: Fred Hoyle, and Geoffrey and Margaret Burbidge. In 1983, he shared the Nobel Prize in physics with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.