FPN08-69

In Memoriam: Phil West

December 19, 2008

General Atomics is saddened to report the abrupt and unexpected passing of Dr. William P. (Phil) West of the DIII-D program staff. Phil received his PhD. in Physics from Rice University in 1976. In 1979, he joined the Applied Physics Group at General Atomics to work on the development of a lithium beam diagnostic for implementation on TEXT. In subsequent years, he applied his extensive experience in spectroscopy, atomic physics, and beam physics to Scrape-off Layer (SOL) and divertor physics issues in tokamak plasmas.

Since 1991, Phil served in various technical management roles on DIII-D, most recently as coordinator of boundary research. In this role, Phil was an early pioneer in establishing collaborations with scientific institutes in Russia and China. His international reputation is evidenced by multiple invitations to present his research at major conferences, his avid participation in the ITPA Divertor and SOL Topical Group, and his selection as chair of the IFRC Committee on Atomic, Molecular, and Plasma Material Interaction Data for Fusion.

Phil's breadth of expertise and contributions to fusion will be sorely missed.

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Ron Stambaugh at General Atomics: stambaugh@fusion.gat.com