Saul Rappaport is a professor emeritus[1] of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rappaport became assistant professor in the MIT Department of Physics in 1969 and became a full professor in 1981. From 1993 to 1995, he was head of the Astrophysics Division.
His main research interest is in binary systems containing collapsed stars—white dwarfs, neutron stars[2] (including pulsars[3]), and black holes. He has authored numerous papers regarding the discovery of astronomical phenomena, such as the discovery of transiting exocomets[4] and the discovery of a quadruple star system containing two strongly interacting eclipsing binaries.[5]
He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1989 "for major contributions to our understanding of the evolution of binary stellar systems containing a compact member and for the determination of the masses of neutron stars"[6]
Selected publications
Some of his publications in the Astrophysical Journal, one of the major astrophysics journals, are:
"A New Technique for Calculations of Binary Stellar Evolution, with Application to Magnetic Braking Rappaport S, et al. Astrophysical Journal 275 (2): 713-731 1983.
"On the Evolutionary Status of Bright, Low-Mass X-ray Sources," Webrink, RF, Rappaport S, Savonije GJ, Astrophysical Journal 270 (2): 678-693 1983.
"The Evolution of Highly Compact Binary Stellar-Systems," Rappaport S, et al. Astrophysical Journal 254 (2): 616-640 1982.
"Formation and Evolution of Luminous Supersoft X-ray Sources," Rappaport S, et al. Astrophysical Journal 426 (2): 692-703 Part 1 May 10, 1994.
"The Rings Around the Egg Nebula," Harpaz A, Rappaport S, Soker N, Astrophysical Journal 487 (2): 809-817 Part 1 Oct 1 1997.
"Collisions of Free-floating Planets with Evolved Stars in Globular Clusters," Soker N, Rappaport S, Fregeau J, Astrophysical Journal 563 (1): L87-L90 Part 2 DEC 10 2001.
