Tributes paid after passing of "world-renowned" physicist from Athlone

One of the world's most respected physicists, the Athlone-born Professor Robert Francis O'Connell, has passed away at his residence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the United States, at the age of 92.

The late Mr. O'Connell died peacefully at his home in the company of his wife, Josephine O'Connell, on March 24. Robert's sister Ann (Colleran) is a resident of St Francis Terrace in Athlone.

A regular visitor back home to his native town over the years, Professor O'Connell had a distinguished 53-year career at the prestigious Louisiana State University (LSU). In a tribute, LSU described him as one of its "internationally respected faculty members" who had laid the foundation for the university's "excellence in quantum physics and astrophysics".

Robert Francis O'Connell was born on April 22, 1933 in Athlone to William and Kitty O'Connell. From an early age, he excelled at school in the Marist Brothers, where he developed a strong interest in maths and science.He soon earned a scholarship to the National University of Ireland (Galway) from which he graduated with a BS in Physics in 1953.He then journeyed to the United States in 1958 and obtained a PhD in Physics from the University of Notre Dame in 1962, before moving to Louisiana to join the faculty of the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy in January 1964. By the time of his retirement, 53 years later, he was one of the longest-serving tenured professors at LSU.Over his career, he published more than 350 papers on theoretical physics and served as an editorial board member and advisor on multiple physics journals.He was selected as a Boyd Professor, one of the highest honours given to faculty at LSU, and was also inducted into the College of Science Hall of Distinction in 2018.

Robert served as vice-president and president of the Faculty Senate at LSU and an obituary in The Advocate, a Louisiana news organisation, said Prof O'Connell "established an international reputation in physics, working with colleagues across the globe".

In its tribute to the late Prof O'Connell, Jeffery Blackmon, Department Chair LSU Physics & Astronomy, said: "Bob O'Connell was a legend that laid the foundation for our department's excellence in quantum physics and astrophysics. He made foundational discoveries in quantum statistical mechanics and major contributions to a wide variety of fields including optics, astrophysics and subatomic physics."

Over his 53-year career at LSU, he published more than 350 papers, and his close collaboration with Eugene Wigner produced important discoveries and papers with more than 1,000 citations.

"His high standards always pushed our department towards excellence, and his passing leaves an indelible mark,” added Mr Blackmon.

Robert O'Connell was named Distinguished Research Master at LSU in 1975 and was appointed Boyd Professor (the highest rank at LSU) in 1986. He was also a Fellow of the American Physical Society since 1969.In order to further his research, he accepted invitations to various institutions. Initially, he accepted a two-year NAS-NRC award at the NASA Institute for Space Studies, New York.Next, he obtained the SRC visiting fellowship which enabled him to spend a year at the University of Oxford and Queen Mary College, London (1975-76).

He later spent a summer at the Institute for Astronomy at the Cambridge University and many other summers at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching and the University of Santa Caterina, Brazil, the Technical University of Denmark, the Universities of Paris, Orsay, Rome and Bilkent, Ankara, as well as the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.

Professor O’Connell also enjoyed extended summer collaborations over a period of 25 years at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and the University of Ulm in Germany.

According to his tribute in The Advocate, "Robert enjoyed his life and family, and was a loving father whose steady presence and support shaped the lives of his children".It added that Robert was involved in his daughters' and grandchildren's day-to-day lives and was an avid traveller who appreciated other places and cultures, and also enjoyed playing tennis.In a 2013 interview with the Westmeath Independent, Robert said that his education from the Marist Brothers in Athlone - and a scholarship from Westmeath County Council - helped him to reach his academic and professional goals.

He also noted his fond memories of living in Athlone and that on his returns to Ireland, he would always visit his sister Ann.True to his commitment to science, Robert donated his body to the Tulane Medical School in New Orleans.

He is survived by his wife Josephine, sister Ann Colleran, and his three daughters and their families: Eimear O'Connell, Adrienne O'Connell McNamara (Thomas) and their children Conor, Maureen and Brigid McNamara; and Fiona Norman (Wayne) and their children Dara Jones and Doug Norman and their families. May he rest in peace.