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vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Alpher</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 29 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-29" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">29 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81_%D8%A3%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1" title="رالف ألفر – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="رالف ألفر" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81_%D8%A2%D8%B4%D8%B1_%D8%A2%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1" title="رالف آشر آلفر – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="رالف آشر آلفر" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bn mw-list-item"><a href="https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AB_%E0%A6%85%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0_%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0" title="রালফ অ্যাশার আলফার – Bangla" lang="bn" hreflang="bn" data-title="রালফ অ্যাশার আলফার" data-language-autonym="বাংলা" data-language-local-name="Bangla" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>বাংলা</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be-x-old mw-list-item"><a href="https://be-tarask.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84_%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84%D1%8D%D1%80" title="Ральф Альфэр – Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" lang="be-tarask" hreflang="be-tarask" data-title="Ральф Альфэр" data-language-autonym="Беларуская (тарашкевіца)" data-language-local-name="Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская (тарашкевіца)</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_A._Alpher" title="Ralph A. Alpher – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Ralph A. Alpher" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A1%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%86_%CE%86%CE%BB%CF%86%CE%B5%CF%81" title="Ραλφ Άλφερ – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Ραλφ Άλφερ" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81_%D8%A2%D8%B4%D8%B1_%D8%A2%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1" title="رالف آشر آلفر – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="رالف آشر آلفر" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ga mw-list-item"><a href="https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" title="Ralph Asher Alpher – Irish" lang="ga" hreflang="ga" data-title="Ralph Asher Alpher" data-language-autonym="Gaeilge" data-language-local-name="Irish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Gaeilge</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%9E%A0%ED%94%84_%EC%95%A0%EC%85%94_%EC%95%A8%ED%8D%BC" title="랠프 애셔 앨퍼 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="랠프 애셔 앨퍼" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A8%D7%9C%D7%A3_%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%A4%D7%A8" title="רלף אלפר – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="רלף אלפר" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-arz mw-list-item"><a href="https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1" title="رالف الفر – Egyptian Arabic" lang="arz" hreflang="arz" data-title="رالف الفر" data-language-autonym="مصرى" data-language-local-name="Egyptian Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>مصرى</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%BC" title="ラルフ・アルファー – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="ラルフ・アルファー" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alpher" title="Ralph Alpher – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Ralph Alpher" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%80,_%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84_%D0%90%D1%88%D0%B5%D1%80" title="Алфер, Ральф Ашер – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Алфер, Ральф Ашер" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" title="Ralph Asher Alpher – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Ralph Asher Alpher" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" title="Ralph Asher Alpher – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Ralph Asher Alpher" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" title="Ralph Asher Alpher – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Ralph Asher Alpher" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%86%E0%AE%B4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%86%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D" title="இரால்ப் ஆழ்சர் ஆல்ப்பர் – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="இரால்ப் ஆழ்சர் ஆல்ப்பர்" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" title="Ralph Asher Alpher – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Ralph Asher Alpher" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84_%D0%90%D1%88%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%80" title="Ральф Ашер Алфер – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Ральф Ашер Алфер" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" title="Ralph Asher Alpher – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Ralph Asher Alpher" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%8B%89%E5%B0%94%E5%A4%AB%C2%B7%E9%98%BF%E5%B0%94%E5%BC%97" title="拉尔夫·阿尔弗 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="拉尔夫·阿尔弗" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit 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.mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox biography vcard"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div class="fn">Ralph Alpher</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:Ralph_Alpher_(cropped).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Ralph_Alpher_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Ralph_Alpher_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="272" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Ralph_Alpher_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="291" data-file-height="360" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Alpher in 1950</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display:inline" class="nickname">Ralph Asher Alpher</div><br /><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1921-02-03</span>)</span>February 3, 1921<br /><div style="display:inline" class="birthplace"><a href="/wiki/Washington,_D.C." title="Washington, D.C.">Washington, D.C.</a>, U.S.</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Died</th><td class="infobox-data">August 12, 2007<span style="display:none">(2007-08-12)</span> (aged 86)<br /><div style="display:inline" class="deathplace"><a href="/wiki/Austin,_Texas" title="Austin, Texas">Austin, Texas</a>, U.S.</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Nationality</th><td class="infobox-data category">American</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Alma mater</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/George_Washington_University" title="George Washington University">George Washington University</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Known for</th><td class="infobox-data">First modern physical theory of nucleosynthesis and prediction of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation in 1948.</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Awards</th><td class="infobox-data"><span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/Magellanic_Premium" title="Magellanic Premium">Magellanic Premium</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(1975)</span><br /><a href="/wiki/Henry_Draper_Medal" title="Henry Draper Medal">Henry Draper Medal</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(1993)</span><br /><a href="/wiki/National_Medal_of_Science" title="National Medal of Science">National Medal of Science</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(2005)</span></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1257001546"><b>Scientific career</b></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Fields</th><td class="infobox-data category">Cosmology, Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Institutions</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_University" title="Johns Hopkins University">Johns Hopkins University</a> Applied Physics Laboratory, General Electric Research and Development Center, Union College, Dudley Observatory</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Doctoral_advisor" title="Doctoral advisor">Doctoral advisor</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/George_Gamow" title="George Gamow">Georg Antonovich Gamow</a></td></tr><tr style="display:none"><td colspan="2"> </td></tr></tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist 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a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks plainlist"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle">Part of a series on</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle"><a href="/wiki/Physical_cosmology" title="Physical cosmology">Physical cosmology</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:WMAP_2012.png" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Full-sky image derived from nine years' WMAP data" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/WMAP_2012.png/220px-WMAP_2012.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="110" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/WMAP_2012.png/330px-WMAP_2012.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/WMAP_2012.png/440px-WMAP_2012.png 2x" data-file-width="4096" data-file-height="2048" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-above" style="border:0;font-weight:normal; display:block;margin-bottom:0.4em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Big_Bang" title="Big Bang">Big Bang</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Universe" title="Universe">Universe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Age_of_the_universe" title="Age of the universe">Age of the universe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chronology_of_the_universe" title="Chronology of the universe">Chronology of the universe</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content-with-subgroup"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#ddd8e7;text-align:center;;color: var(--color-base)">Early universe</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><table class="sidebar-subgroup"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Cosmic_inflation" title="Cosmic inflation">Inflation</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Big_Bang_nucleosynthesis" title="Big Bang nucleosynthesis">Nucleosynthesis</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;"> Backgrounds</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gravitational_wave_background" title="Gravitational wave background">Gravitational wave (GWB)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background" title="Cosmic microwave background">Microwave (CMB)</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Cosmic_neutrino_background" title="Cosmic neutrino background">Neutrino (CNB)</a></li></ul></td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#ddd8e7;text-align:center;;color: var(--color-base)">Expansion <b>·</b> Future</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hubble%27s_law" title="Hubble's law">Hubble's law</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Redshift" title="Redshift">Redshift</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Expansion_of_the_universe" title="Expansion of the universe">Expansion of the universe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Friedmann%E2%80%93Lema%C3%AEtre%E2%80%93Robertson%E2%80%93Walker_metric" title="Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker metric">FLRW metric</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Friedmann_equations" title="Friedmann equations">Friedmann equations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Inhomogeneous_cosmology" title="Inhomogeneous cosmology">Inhomogeneous cosmology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Future_of_an_expanding_universe" title="Future of an expanding universe">Future of an expanding universe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ultimate_fate_of_the_universe" title="Ultimate fate of the universe">Ultimate fate of the universe</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content-with-subgroup"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#ddd8e7;text-align:center;;color: var(--color-base)">Components <b>·</b> Structure</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><table class="sidebar-subgroup"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;"> Components</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lambda-CDM_model" title="Lambda-CDM model">Lambda-CDM model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dark_energy" title="Dark energy">Dark energy</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Dark_matter" title="Dark matter">Dark matter</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;"> Structure</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Shape_of_the_universe" title="Shape of the universe">Shape of the universe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Galaxy_filament" title="Galaxy filament">Galaxy filament</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Galaxy_formation_and_evolution" title="Galaxy formation and evolution">Galaxy formation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Large_quasar_group" title="Large quasar group">Large quasar group</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Observable_universe#Large-scale_structure" title="Observable universe">Large-scale structure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reionization" title="Reionization">Reionization</a> <b>·</b> <a href="/wiki/Structure_formation" title="Structure formation">Structure formation</a></li></ul></td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#ddd8e7;text-align:center;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Observational_cosmology" title="Observational cosmology">Experiments</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Black_Hole_Initiative" title="Black Hole Initiative">Black Hole Initiative (BHI)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/BOOMERanG_experiment" title="BOOMERanG experiment">BOOMERanG</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cosmic_Background_Explorer" title="Cosmic Background Explorer">Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dark_Energy_Survey" title="Dark Energy Survey">Dark Energy Survey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planck_(spacecraft)" title="Planck (spacecraft)">Planck space observatory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sloan_Digital_Sky_Survey" title="Sloan Digital Sky Survey">Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2dF_Galaxy_Redshift_Survey" title="2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey">2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey ("2dF")</a></li> <li><div style="display:inline-block; padding:0.2em 0.4em; line-height:1.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Wilkinson_Microwave_Anisotropy_Probe" title="Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe">Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy<br />Probe (WMAP)</a></div></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#ddd8e7;text-align:center;;color: var(--color-base)">Scientists</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist" style="padding:0 0.9em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Marc_Aaronson" title="Marc Aaronson">Aaronson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hannes_Alfv%C3%A9n" title="Hannes Alfvén">Alfvén</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ralph_Asher_Alpher" class="mw-redirect" title="Ralph Asher Alpher">Alpher</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus" title="Nicolaus Copernicus">Copernicus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Willem_de_Sitter" title="Willem de Sitter">de Sitter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Robert_H._Dicke" title="Robert H. Dicke">Dicke</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/J%C3%BCrgen_Ehlers" title="Jürgen Ehlers">Ehlers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Albert_Einstein" title="Albert Einstein">Einstein</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/George_F._R._Ellis" title="George F. R. Ellis">Ellis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alexander_Friedmann" title="Alexander Friedmann">Friedmann</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Galileo_Galilei" title="Galileo Galilei">Galileo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/George_Gamow" title="George Gamow">Gamow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alan_Guth" title="Alan Guth">Guth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stephen_Hawking" title="Stephen Hawking">Hawking</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Edwin_Hubble" title="Edwin Hubble">Hubble</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christiaan_Huygens" title="Christiaan Huygens">Huygens</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Johannes_Kepler" title="Johannes Kepler">Kepler</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtre" title="Georges Lemaître">Lemaître</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_C._Mather" title="John C. Mather">Mather</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Isaac_Newton" title="Isaac Newton">Newton</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Roger_Penrose" title="Roger Penrose">Penrose</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arno_Allan_Penzias" title="Arno Allan Penzias">Penzias</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vera_Rubin" title="Vera Rubin">Rubin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Brian_Schmidt" title="Brian Schmidt">Schmidt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/George_Smoot" title="George Smoot">Smoot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nicholas_B._Suntzeff" title="Nicholas B. Suntzeff">Suntzeff</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rashid_Sunyaev" title="Rashid Sunyaev">Sunyaev</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Richard_C._Tolman" title="Richard C. Tolman">Tolman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Robert_Woodrow_Wilson" title="Robert Woodrow Wilson">Wilson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yakov_Zeldovich" title="Yakov Zeldovich">Zeldovich</a></li></ul> </div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_cosmologists" title="List of cosmologists">List of cosmologists</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background:#ddd8e7;text-align:center;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Physical_cosmology#Subject_history" title="Physical cosmology">Subject history</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><div style="display:inline-block; padding:0.2em 0.4em; line-height:1.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Discovery_of_cosmic_microwave_background_radiation" title="Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation">Discovery of cosmic microwave<br />background radiation</a></div></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Big_Bang_theory" title="History of the Big Bang theory">History of the Big Bang theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_cosmological_theories" title="Timeline of cosmological theories">Timeline of cosmological theories</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below" style="display:block;margin-top:0.4em; line-height:1.6em;padding-bottom:0.5em;"> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/23px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/31px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Category:Physical_cosmology" title="Category:Physical cosmology">Category</a></li> <li><span class="nowrap"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Crab_Nebula.jpg/16px-Crab_Nebula.jpg" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Crab_Nebula.jpg/24px-Crab_Nebula.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Crab_Nebula.jpg/32px-Crab_Nebula.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3864" data-file-height="3864" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Portal:Astronomy" title="Portal:Astronomy">Astronomy portal</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output 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navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Physical_cosmology" title="Template:Physical cosmology"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Physical_cosmology" title="Template talk:Physical cosmology"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Physical_cosmology" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Physical cosmology"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Ralph Asher Alpher</b> (February 3, 1921 – August 12, 2007) was an American <a href="/wiki/Physical_cosmology" title="Physical cosmology">cosmologist</a>, who carried out pioneering work in the early 1950s on the <a href="/wiki/Big_Bang" title="Big Bang">Big Bang</a> model, including <a href="/wiki/Big_Bang_nucleosynthesis" title="Big Bang nucleosynthesis">Big Bang nucleosynthesis</a> and predictions of the <a href="/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background" title="Cosmic microwave background">cosmic microwave background</a> radiation. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Childhood_and_education">Childhood and education</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Childhood and education"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Unreferenced plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Ralph_Alpher" title="Special:EditPage/Ralph Alpher">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22">"Ralph Alpher"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Ralph+Alpher%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">April 2024</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Alpher was the son of a Jewish immigrant, Samuel Alpher (<span title="Name at birth"><a href="/wiki/Birth_name#Maiden_and_married_names" title="Birth name">né</a></span> Alfirevich), from <a href="/wiki/Vitebsk" title="Vitebsk">Vitebsk</a>, Russian Empire. His mother, Rose Maleson, died of <a href="/wiki/Stomach_cancer" title="Stomach cancer">stomach cancer</a> in 1938, and his father later remarried. Alpher graduated at age 15 from <a href="/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt_High_School_(Washington_D.C.)" class="mw-redirect" title="Theodore Roosevelt High School (Washington D.C.)">Theodore Roosevelt High School</a> in <a href="/wiki/Washington,_D.C." title="Washington, D.C.">Washington, D.C.</a>, and held the ranks of Major and Commander of his school's <a href="/wiki/Junior_Reserve_Officers%27_Training_Corps" title="Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps">Cadet program</a>. He worked in the high school theater as stage manager for two years, supplementing his family's Depression-era income. He also learned <a href="/wiki/Gregg_shorthand" title="Gregg shorthand">Gregg shorthand</a>, and in 1937 began working for the director of the <a href="/wiki/American_Geophysical_Union" title="American Geophysical Union">American Geophysical Union</a> as a stenographer. </p><p>In 1940, he was hired by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the <a href="/wiki/Carnegie_Foundation_for_the_Advancement_of_Teaching" title="Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching">Carnegie Foundation</a>, where he worked with <a href="/wiki/Scott_Forbush" title="Scott Forbush">Dr. Scott Forbush</a> under contract for the U.S. Navy to develop ship <a href="/wiki/Degaussing" title="Degaussing">degaussing</a> techniques during <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>. He contributed to the development of the Mark 32 and Mark 45 detonators, torpedoes, Naval gun control, Magnetic Airborne Detection (of submarines), and other top-secret ordnance work (including the Manhattan Project), and he was recognized at the end of the War with the Naval Ordnance Development Award (December 10, 1945 — with Symbol), and another Naval Ordnance Development award in 1946. Alpher's war time work been somewhat obscured by security classification. </p><p>From 1944 through 1955, he was employed at the <a href="/wiki/Applied_Physics_Laboratory" title="Applied Physics Laboratory">Applied Physics Laboratory</a> (APL). During the daytime he was involved in the development of ballistic missiles, guidance systems, supersonics, and related subjects. In 1948, he earned his Ph.D. in physics with a theory of nucleosynthesis called <a href="/wiki/Neutron_capture" title="Neutron capture">neutron capture</a>, and from 1948 onward collaborated with <a href="/wiki/Robert_Herman" title="Robert Herman">Dr. Robert C. Herman</a>, also at APL, on predictions of the <a href="/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background_radiation" class="mw-redirect" title="Cosmic microwave background radiation">cosmic microwave background radiation</a>. </p><p>He earned his bachelor's degree and advanced graduate degrees in physics from <a href="/wiki/George_Washington_University" title="George Washington University">George Washington University</a>, all the while working as a physicist on contract to the Navy, and eventually for the Johns Hopkins University APL. He met Russian-Ukrainian physicist <a href="/wiki/George_Gamow" title="George Gamow">George Gamow</a> at the University, who subsequently took him on as his doctoral student. Gamow was a prominent Soviet defector and one of the luminaries on the GWU faculty. Alpher provided much needed mathematical ability to support Gamow's theorizing. </p><p>Alpher wrote his doctoral thesis on "The Origin of the Elements", and soon after obtaining his doctorate, made the first prediction of the existence of "fossil" radiation from a hypothetical singularity—the <a href="/wiki/Cosmic_Microwave_Background_Radiation" class="mw-redirect" title="Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation">Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation</a>. This was observationally confirmed by <a href="/wiki/Arno_Allan_Penzias" title="Arno Allan Penzias">Arno Allan Penzias</a> and <a href="/wiki/Robert_Woodrow_Wilson" title="Robert Woodrow Wilson">Robert Wilson</a> at Bell Labs using a horn radio telescope. </p><p>While attending GWU, Alpher met Louise Ellen Simons, who was majoring in psychology at night school and working as a day secretary with the State Department. Nearly two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Alpher and Louise were married. At this time he had already done classified work for the U.S. Navy through the <a href="/wiki/Carnegie_Institution" class="mw-redirect" title="Carnegie Institution">Carnegie Institution</a> for nearly one and a half years. During a hiatus in his scientific work in early 1944, he did apply to the Navy for a commission, for which he was eligible. By this time he had done so much classified and secret work that he was no longer subject to the draft (along with about 7,000 others), and was prohibited from enlistment. That summer, he signed on to APL at Johns Hopkins University to work on another classified project — a new magnetic-influence torpedo exploder. This was badly needed since the <a href="/wiki/Mark_14_torpedo" title="Mark 14 torpedo">Mark 14 torpedo</a>, which had a poorly tested exploder that had its magnetic component turned off by order of the Chief of Naval Operations in late 1943, was badly in need of replacement (V.S. Alpher, <i>The Submarine Review</i>, October 2009). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Big_Bang_nucleosynthesis_theory">Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Alpher's dissertation in 1948 dealt with a subject that came to be known as <a href="/wiki/Big_Bang_nucleosynthesis" title="Big Bang nucleosynthesis">Big Bang nucleosynthesis</a>. <a href="/wiki/Nucleosynthesis" title="Nucleosynthesis">Nucleosynthesis</a> is the explanation of how more complex elements are created out of simple elements in the moments following the <a href="/wiki/Big_Bang" title="Big Bang">Big Bang</a>. Right after the Big Bang, when the temperature was extremely high, if any nuclear particles, such as <a href="/wiki/Neutrons" class="mw-redirect" title="Neutrons">neutrons</a> and <a href="/wiki/Protons" class="mw-redirect" title="Protons">protons</a>, became bound together (being held together by the attractive <a href="/wiki/Nuclear_force" title="Nuclear force">nuclear force</a>) they would be immediately broken apart by the high energy <a href="/wiki/Photon" title="Photon">photons</a> (<a href="/wiki/Quantum" title="Quantum">quanta</a> of <a href="/wiki/Light" title="Light">light</a>) present in high density. In other words, at this extremely high temperature, the photons' kinetic energy would overwhelm the <a href="/wiki/Binding_energy" title="Binding energy">binding energy</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Strong_nuclear_force" class="mw-redirect" title="Strong nuclear force">strong nuclear force</a>. For example, if a proton and a neutron became bound together (forming <a href="/wiki/Deuterium" title="Deuterium">deuterium</a>), it would be immediately broken apart by a high energy photon. However, as time progressed, the universe expanded and cooled and the average energy of the photons decreased. At some point, roughly one second after the Big Bang, the attractive force of nuclear attraction would begin to win out over the lower energy photons and neutrons and protons would begin to form stable <a href="/wiki/Deuterium" title="Deuterium">deuterium</a> nuclei. As the universe continued to expand and cool, additional nuclear particles would bind with these light nuclei, building up heavier elements such as <a href="/wiki/Helium" title="Helium">helium</a>, etc. </p><p>Alpher argued that the Big Bang would create hydrogen, helium and heavier elements in the correct proportions to explain their abundance in the early universe. Alpher and Gamow's theory originally proposed that all atomic nuclei are produced by the successive capture of neutrons, one mass unit at a time. However, later studies challenged the universality of the successive capture theory, since no element was found to have a stable isotope with an atomic mass of five or eight, hindering the production of elements beyond helium. It was eventually recognized that most of the heavy elements observed in the present universe are the result of stellar nucleosynthesis in stars, a theory largely developed by <a href="/wiki/Hans_Bethe" title="Hans Bethe">Hans Bethe</a>, <a href="/wiki/William_Alfred_Fowler" title="William Alfred Fowler">William Fowler</a> and <a href="/wiki/Subrahmanyan_Chandrasekhar" title="Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar">Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar</a>. Bethe had been a last minute addition to Alpher's dissertation examining committee. </p><p>Since Alpher's dissertation was perceived to be ground-breaking, over 300 people attended the dissertation defense, including the press, and articles about his predictions and a <a href="/wiki/Herblock" title="Herblock">Herblock</a> cartoon appeared in major newspapers. This was quite unusual for a doctoral dissertation. </p><p>Later the same year, collaborating with <a href="/wiki/Robert_Herman" title="Robert Herman">Robert Herman</a>, Alpher predicted the temperature of the residual radiation known as <a href="/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background_radiation" class="mw-redirect" title="Cosmic microwave background radiation">cosmic microwave background radiation</a> resulting from the hypothesized Big Bang.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, Alpher's predictions concerning the cosmic background radiation were more or less forgotten until they were rediscovered by <a href="/wiki/Robert_H._Dicke" title="Robert H. Dicke">Robert Dicke</a> and <a href="/wiki/Yakov_Zel%27dovich" class="mw-redirect" title="Yakov Zel'dovich">Yakov Zel'dovich</a> in the early 1960s. The existence of the cosmic background radiation and its temperature were measured experimentally in 1964 by two physicists working for <a href="/wiki/Bell_Labs" title="Bell Labs">Bell Laboratories</a> in <a href="/wiki/New_Jersey" title="New Jersey">New Jersey</a>, <a href="/wiki/Arno_Penzias" class="mw-redirect" title="Arno Penzias">Arno Penzias</a> and <a href="/wiki/Robert_Woodrow_Wilson" title="Robert Woodrow Wilson">Robert Wilson</a>, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 1978.<sup id="cite_ref-Erica_Westly_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Erica_Westly-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><span class="anchor" id="Alpher-Bethe-Gamow"></span> Elements of Alpher's independent dissertation were first published on April 1, 1948 in the <a href="/wiki/Physical_Review" title="Physical Review">Physical Review</a> with three authors: Alpher, <a href="/wiki/Hans_Bethe" title="Hans Bethe">Hans Bethe</a> and Gamow.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although his name appears on the paper, Bethe had no direct part in the development of the theory, although he later worked on related topics; Gamow added his name to make the author list <i><a href="/wiki/Alpher-Bethe-Gamow_paper" class="mw-redirect" title="Alpher-Bethe-Gamow paper">Alpher, Bethe, Gamow</a>,</i> a <a href="/wiki/Pun" title="Pun">pun</a> on <i><a href="/wiki/Alpha" title="Alpha">alpha</a>, <a href="/wiki/Beta" title="Beta">beta</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gamma" title="Gamma">gamma</a></i> (<i>α, β, γ</i>), the first three letters of the <a href="/wiki/Greek_alphabet" title="Greek alphabet">Greek alphabet</a>. Gamow joked that "There was, however, a rumor that later, when the alpha, beta, gamma theory went temporarily on the rocks, Bethe seriously considered changing his name to Zacharias".<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When referring to Robert Herman he wrote: "R. C. Herman, who stubbornly refuses to change his name to Delter." Alpher worried that the humor engendered by Gamow may have obscured his own critical role in developing the theory. With the award of the 2005 National Medal of Science, Alpher's original work on nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background radiation prediction was recognised. </p><p>Alpher and <a href="/wiki/Robert_Herman" title="Robert Herman">Robert Herman</a> were awarded the <a href="/wiki/Henry_Draper_Medal" title="Henry Draper Medal">Henry Draper Medal</a> from the <a href="/wiki/United_States_National_Academy_of_Sciences" class="mw-redirect" title="United States National Academy of Sciences">National Academy of Sciences</a> in 1993.<sup id="cite_ref-Draper_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Draper-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> They were also awarded the <a href="/wiki/Magellanic_Premium" title="Magellanic Premium">Magellanic Premium</a> of the <a href="/wiki/American_Philosophical_Society" title="American Philosophical Society">American Philosophical Society</a> in 1975, the Georges Vanderlinden Physics prize of the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgian_Academy_of_Sciences&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Belgian Academy of Sciences (page does not exist)">Belgian Academy of Sciences</a>, as well as significant awards of the New York Academy of Sciences and the <a href="/wiki/Franklin_Institute" title="Franklin Institute">Franklin Institute</a> of Philadelphia. Two Nobel Prizes in physics have been awarded for empirical work related to the cosmic background radiation — in 1978 to <a href="/wiki/Arno_Penzias" class="mw-redirect" title="Arno Penzias">Arno Penzias</a> and <a href="/wiki/Robert_Woodrow_Wilson" title="Robert Woodrow Wilson">Robert Wilson</a> and in 2006 to <a href="/wiki/John_C._Mather" title="John C. Mather">John Mather</a> and <a href="/wiki/George_Smoot" title="George Smoot">George Smoot</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Erica_Westly_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Erica_Westly-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Alpher and Herman (the latter, posthumously) published their own account of their work in cosmology in 2001, <i>Genesis of the Big Bang</i> (Oxford University Press). Published as a trade book, it received little promotion or sales in the first edition. </p><p>He was elected a Fellow of the <a href="/wiki/American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences" title="American Academy of Arts and Sciences">American Academy of Arts and Sciences</a> in 1986.<sup id="cite_ref-AAAS_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-AAAS-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2005 Alpher was awarded the <a href="/wiki/National_Medal_of_Science" title="National Medal of Science">National Medal of Science</a>. The citation for the award reads "For his unprecedented work in the areas of nucleosynthesis, for the prediction that universe expansion leaves behind background radiation, and for providing the model for the Big Bang theory." The medal was presented to his son, Dr. Victor S. Alpher, on July 27, 2007 by President George W. Bush, as his father could not travel to receive the award. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Later_career">Later career</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Later career"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Ralph_Alpher" title="Special:EditPage/Ralph Alpher">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22">"Ralph Alpher"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Ralph+Alpher%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Ralph+Alpher%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">April 2024</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>In 1955, Alpher moved to a position with the <a href="/wiki/General_Electric" title="General Electric">General Electric</a> Company's Research and Development Center. His primary role in his early years there was working on problems of vehicle re-entry from space. </p><p>In 1955, both Alpher and Herman applied for positions at Iowa, where van Allen was now department chair, however, the salaries in academia were simply too low by comparison with industrial pay. Alpher also continued to collaborate with Robert Herman, who had moved to the General Motors Research Laboratory, on problems in cosmology. The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation was finally confirmed in 1964, although in retrospect many other astronomers and radio astronomers probably observed it without recognizing the cosmological significance.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>From 1987 to 2004, he served as distinguished research professor of physics and astronomy at <a href="/wiki/Union_College" title="Union College">Union College</a> in Schenectady, New York, during which time he was able to return to research and teaching. During all this time he continued to publish major peer-reviewed scientific papers and was active in community service for Public Broadcasting. Alpher was also (1987–2004) director of the <a href="/wiki/Dudley_Observatory" title="Dudley Observatory">Dudley Observatory</a>. From 2005 until his death, he remained emeritus director of the Dudley Observatory and emeritus distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at Union College. </p><p>In 1986, he was recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Achievement Award of the <a href="/wiki/George_Washington_University" title="George Washington University">George Washington University</a>. All of his degrees were achieved by studying at night, whilst working for the Navy and Johns Hopkins APL during the daytime. In 2004 he joined the <a href="/wiki/Emeritus" title="Emeritus">emeritus</a> faculty at Union and was emeritus director of Dudley. He also received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from <a href="/wiki/Union_College" title="Union College">Union College</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Rensselaer_Polytechnic_Institute" title="Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute">Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Approach_to_science">Approach to science</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Approach to science"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Alpher told Joseph D'Agnese in his interview for <i><a href="/wiki/Discover_(magazine)" title="Discover (magazine)">Discover Magazine</a></i>, "There are two reasons you do science. One is the altruistic feeling that maybe you can contribute to mankind's store of knowledge about the world. The other and more personal thing is you want the approbation of your peers. Pure and simple."<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Personal_life_and_views">Personal life and views</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Personal life and views"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Despite raising a Jewish family, Alpher considered himself to be agnostic and humanist.<sup id="cite_ref-Ralph_A._Alpher_15_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ralph_A._Alpher_15-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Family">Family</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Family"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>He and his wife, Louise, had two children and two grandchildren.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2023)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Death">Death</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Death"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Alpher died following an extended illness on August 12, 2007. He had been in failing health since falling and breaking his hip in February 2007.<sup id="cite_ref-nyt-obit_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nyt-obit-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-legacy-obit_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-legacy-obit-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Jewish_American_physicists" title="List of Jewish American physicists">List of Jewish American physicists</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nobel_Prize_controversies" title="Nobel Prize controversies">Nobel Prize controversies</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFGamow,_G.1948" class="citation journal cs1">Gamow, G. (1948). "The Origin of Elements and the Separation of Galaxies". <i>Phys. Rev</i>. <b>74</b> (4): 505–6. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1948PhRv...74..505G">1948PhRv...74..505G</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRev.74.505.2">10.1103/PhysRev.74.505.2</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Phys.+Rev.&rft.atitle=The+Origin+of+Elements+and+the+Separation+of+Galaxies&rft.volume=74&rft.issue=4&rft.pages=505-6&rft.date=1948&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1103%2FPhysRev.74.505.2&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1948PhRv...74..505G&rft.au=Gamow%2C+G.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span><br /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGamow,_G.1948" class="citation journal cs1">Gamow, G. (30 October 1948). "The Evolution of the Universe". <i>Nature</i>. <b>162</b> (4122): 680–2. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1948Natur.162..680G">1948Natur.162..680G</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2F162680a0">10.1038/162680a0</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18893719">18893719</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4793163">4793163</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Nature&rft.atitle=The+Evolution+of+the+Universe&rft.volume=162&rft.issue=4122&rft.pages=680-2&rft.date=1948-10-30&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1038%2F162680a0&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A4793163%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F18893719&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1948Natur.162..680G&rft.au=Gamow%2C+G.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span><br /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAlpher,_R.A.1948" class="citation journal cs1">Alpher, R.A. (1948). "A Neutron-Capture Theory of the Formation and Relative Abundance of the Elements". <i>Phys. Rev</i>. <b>74</b> (11): 1577–89. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1948PhRv...74.1577A">1948PhRv...74.1577A</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRev.74.1577">10.1103/PhysRev.74.1577</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Phys.+Rev.&rft.atitle=A+Neutron-Capture+Theory+of+the+Formation+and+Relative+Abundance+of+the+Elements&rft.volume=74&rft.issue=11&rft.pages=1577-89&rft.date=1948&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1103%2FPhysRev.74.1577&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1948PhRv...74.1577A&rft.au=Alpher%2C+R.A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span> Alpher and Herman first estimated the temperature of the cosmic microwave background as 5° K, and two years later they re-estimated it as 28° K.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Erica_Westly-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Erica_Westly_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Erica_Westly_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFErica_Westly2008" class="citation web cs1">Erica Westly (October 6, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=10-nobel-snubs#9">"No Nobel for You: Top 10 Nobel Snubs"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Scientific_American" title="Scientific American">Scientific American</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=No+Nobel+for+You%3A+Top+10+Nobel+Snubs&rft.pub=Scientific+American&rft.date=2008-10-06&rft.au=Erica+Westly&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scientificamerican.com%2Fslideshow.cfm%3Fid%3D10-nobel-snubs%239&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAlpher,_R.A.Bethe,_H.Gamow,_G.1948" class="citation journal cs1">Alpher, R.A.; Bethe, H.; Gamow, G. (1948). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRev.73.803">"The Origin of Chemical Elements"</a>. <i>Phys. Rev</i>. <b>73</b> (7): 803–4. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1948PhRv...73..803A">1948PhRv...73..803A</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRev.73.803">10.1103/PhysRev.73.803</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18877094">18877094</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Phys.+Rev.&rft.atitle=The+Origin+of+Chemical+Elements&rft.volume=73&rft.issue=7&rft.pages=803-4&rft.date=1948&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F18877094&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1103%2FPhysRev.73.803&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1948PhRv...73..803A&rft.au=Alpher%2C+R.A.&rft.au=Bethe%2C+H.&rft.au=Gamow%2C+G.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1103%252FPhysRev.73.803&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGamow1961" class="citation book cs1">Gamow, George (1961) [1952]. <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/creationofuniver0000gamo"><i>The Creation of the Universe</i></a></span> (revised ed.). Viking Press. p. 64<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">11 January</span> 2023</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Creation+of+the+Universe&rft.pages=64&rft.edition=revised&rft.pub=Viking+Press&rft.date=1961&rft.aulast=Gamow&rft.aufirst=George&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcreationofuniver0000gamo&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Draper-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Draper_5-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html">"Henry Draper Medal"</a>. <a href="/wiki/National_Academy_of_Sciences" title="National Academy of Sciences">National Academy of Sciences</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">24 February</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Henry+Draper+Medal&rft.pub=National+Academy+of+Sciences&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasonline.org%2Fabout-nas%2Fawards%2Fhenry-draper-medal.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-AAAS-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-AAAS_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf">"Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter A"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <a href="/wiki/American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences" title="American Academy of Arts and Sciences">American Academy of Arts and Sciences</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 April</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Book+of+Members%2C+1780%E2%80%932010%3A+Chapter+A&rft.pub=American+Academy+of+Arts+and+Sciences&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amacad.org%2Fpublications%2FBookofMembers%2FChapterA.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Alpher & Herman, "Genesis of the Big Bang", Oxford Press, 2001.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFD'Agnese,_J.1999" class="citation journal cs1">D'Agnese, J. (July 1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://discovermagazine.com/1999/jul/featbigbang">"The Last Big Bang Man Left Standing"</a>. <i>Discover</i>: 61–67.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Discover&rft.atitle=The+Last+Big+Bang+Man+Left+Standing&rft.pages=61-67&rft.date=1999-07&rft.au=D%27Agnese%2C+J.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fdiscovermagazine.com%2F1999%2Fjul%2Ffeatbigbang&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Ralph_A._Alpher_15-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Ralph_A._Alpher_15_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAlpher" class="citation journal cs1">Alpher, Ralph A. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110929074714/http://www.humanismtoday.org/vol3/alpher.pdf">"Cosmology and Humanism"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>Humanism Today</i>. <b>3</b>: 15–27. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.humanismtoday.org/vol3/alpher.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 2011-09-29. <q>This leads inevitably to my identifying philosophically as an agnostic and a humanist, and explains my temerity in sharing my views with you.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Humanism+Today&rft.atitle=Cosmology+and+Humanism&rft.volume=3&rft.pages=15-27&rft.aulast=Alpher&rft.aufirst=Ralph+A.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.humanismtoday.org%2Fvol3%2Falpher.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-nyt-obit-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-nyt-obit_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/18/us/18alpher.html">"Ralph Alpher, 86, Expert in Work on the Big Bang, Dies"</a>. <i>NY Times</i>. 2007.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=NY+Times&rft.atitle=Ralph+Alpher%2C+86%2C+Expert+in+Work+on+the+Big+Bang%2C+Dies&rft.date=2007&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2007%2F08%2F18%2Fus%2F18alpher.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-legacy-obit-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-legacy-obit_11-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.legacy.com/TimesUnion-Albany/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=92608104">Obituary in the Albany (NY) Times-Union</a> via legacy.com. Accessed April 12, 2024.</span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ralphalpher.com">Website about Alpher maintained by his son Victor S. Alpher, Ph.D</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jhuapl.edu/PressRelease/070723">"On the Origin and Relative Abundance of the Elements,"</a> Doctoral Dissertation, George Washington University, May, 1948. Although discouraged from an academic career in Chemistry because of his Jewish ancestry, this continuing interest is reflected in 1) subject matter for his dissertation, and 2) subsequent research conducted as a full-time employee at the <a href="/wiki/Applied_Physics_Laboratory" title="Applied Physics Laboratory">Applied Physics Laboratory</a> at Johns Hopkins University.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070306062656/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2004/09/22/ecnsing22.xml&sSheet=/connected/2004/09/22/ixconnrite.html">Newspaper review</a> of Big Bang book citing Alpher as major contributor to Big Bang theory</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.today/20061021020127/http://www.discover.com/issues/jul-99/features/featbigbang/?page=1">Article about Alpher's life</a> in a 1999 <a href="/wiki/Discover_magazine" class="mw-redirect" title="Discover magazine">Discover magazine</a>.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/3014-1">Oral History interview transcript for Ralph Alpher on 11 August 1983, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/3014-2">Oral History interview transcript for Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman on 12 August 1983, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081301014.html">Obituary in the Washington Post</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.legacy.com/TimesUnion-Albany/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=92608104">Obituary</a>, legacy.com.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4505414">Profile</a>, npr.org.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070306062656/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2004/09/22/ecnsing22.xml&sSheet=/connected/2004/09/22/ixconnrite.html">Additional discussion of Alpher's career</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1978/penzias-lecture.pdf">ArnoPenzia's 1978 Nobel prize lecture</a></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBowleyMerrifieldPadilla" class="citation web cs1">Bowley, Roger; Merrifield, Michael; Padilla, Antonio (Tony). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sixtysymbols.com/videos/alphabetagamma.htm">"αβγ – The Alpha Beta Gamma Paper"</a>. <i>Sixty Symbols</i>. <a href="/wiki/Brady_Haran" title="Brady Haran">Brady Haran</a> for the <a href="/wiki/University_of_Nottingham" title="University of Nottingham">University of Nottingham</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Sixty+Symbols&rft.atitle=%CE%B1%CE%B2%CE%B3+%E2%80%93+The+Alpha+Beta+Gamma+Paper&rft.aulast=Bowley&rft.aufirst=Roger&rft.au=Merrifield%2C+Michael&rft.au=Padilla%2C+Antonio+%28Tony%29&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sixtysymbols.com%2Fvideos%2Falphabetagamma.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARalph+Alpher" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output 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aria-labelledby="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q142049#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><div id="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q142049#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a> <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q142049#identifiers" title="Edit this at Wikidata"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" 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href="https://viaf.org/viaf/74068181">VIAF</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1534410/">FAST</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJdx6P3fbD9YQdHJtFRVG3">WorldCat</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">National</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://d-nb.info/gnd/1209910187">Germany</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n97065688">United States</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb144206056">France</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://data.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb144206056">BnF data</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://data.bibliotheken.nl/id/thes/p227227999">Netherlands</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://olduli.nli.org.il/F/?func=find-b&local_base=NLX10&find_code=UID&request=987007426957705171">Israel</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Academics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://zbmath.org/authors/?q=ai:alpher.ralph-a">zbMATH</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">People</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd1209910187.html?language=en">Deutsche Biographie</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w69s1sbx">SNAC</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&oldid=1257978854">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Alpher&oldid=1257978854</a>"</div></div> 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