Daniel A.S. D’Ippolito

Daniel A.S. D’Ippolito died peacefully at home in Erie, CO on April 3, 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). He was 66 years old. Dan was born in Washington, D.C. on October 13, 1949 to Mario and Irene Rose D’Ippolito. He was raised in Hyattsville, MD and attended St. John’s College High School (class of 1967), the University of Chicago (1971), and the University of Maryland, from which he earned both a master of science and a doctorate in Plasma Physics in 1973 and 1975, respectively. He was a member of the American Physical Society for over 40 years. His early career took him to the FOM-Institute for Plasma Physics “Rijnhuizen” in Jutphaas/Nieuwegein, NL (where he collaborated with Hans Goedblood from 1975-1977), the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and UCLA. In 1979 he joined Science Applications Incorporated, and in 1987 he joined Lodestar Research Corporation in Boulder, CO, retiring as president in 2016.

Dan’s research interests encompassed various topics in plasma physics and fusion energy research. In his early career he studied magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium and stability in tokamaks and tandem mirrors. A major part of his career was devoted to advancing the theory of rf wave interactions with plasma, especially rf ponderomotive force and rf-sheath interactions. His rf wave studies began in the mirror program and contributed to the understanding of ponderomotive stabilization of MHD modes in axisymmetric linear devices. Later, in the tokamak program in the 1990s, Dan worked closely with experiments in the U.S. and Europe to advance understanding and modeling of rf-induced impurity release and related rf sheath phenomena that occur when plasma, intense rf waves and material surfaces co-exists. This research interest continued throughout Dan’s career. His other major research interest was in the area of instabilities and turbulence in the boundary plasma, open field line region of a tokamak. The importance of the open field line region for fusion applications has been increasingly recognized by the fusion community. He authored or co-authored many papers on turbulence-generated coherent structures called blobs or blob-filaments in the boundary plasma, and was the principal author of a review paper on this topic comparing theory with experimental observations. Dan served on many committees and review panels, and was a dedicated referee for the top journals in plasma physics.

Dan will be remembered by his professional colleagues not only for his technical contributions, but also for his personal qualities which included affability, generosity, patience, good judgment and a strong sense of ethics. He was notable for caring deeply about the people with whom he worked. Dan was both a good conversationalist and a good listener, who often seemed to ask just the right questions. He was a strong advocate of lunch-time walks, both as a productive venue for physics conversations and for the health benefits of exercise. He is fondly remembered and appreciated by his coworkers for his thirteen-year leadership of Lodestar.

Dan was an avid musician. He was a classical pianist, and contributed with regularity over the years to services at various churches around Colorado and to 5-piano concerts at the First Presbyterian Church in Boulder. He was also a keen trumpet player and former member of the Longmont Concert Band, and long enjoyed playing in the bell choir at church. He loved walking and hiking, the Denver Broncos, Rockies, and Avalanche, movies, books, and philosophical conversations.

He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Nancy, his daughters Corinne Baulcomb, Laura D’Ippolito, and Michelle Fabiani (Nicholas), his sister Marilyn Donovan (Michael), his nephew and godson Michael Donovan, his nieces Kathleen Donovan and Mary Stella Donovan, his uncle Benjamin Oliver, his cousins Kathryn Kadilak and Michael Oliver, and many long-term friends around the world. Dan’s colleagues at Lodestar included Richard Aamodt, Derek Baver, Sonya Blackledge, Peter Catto, Peter Cheung, James Myra, Donna Rohde and David Russell. He was a loving and dedicated husband, father, brother, uncle, friend and colleague. He was a generous and enthusiastic man who gave freely of his time and attention to others. He is, and will continue to be, greatly missed.

Submitted by James Myra, David Russell, and Donna Rohde (Lodestar Research Corporation) with contributions from the D’Ippolito family.