2026 Sumner Starrfield: Physics Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Physics	74	3489	3315	1647	1532	666	16013

Discipline name

D-Index

World Ranking

Current World Ranking

National Ranking

Current National Ranking

Publications

Citations

Physics

3489

3315

1647

1532

666

16013

Research.com Recognitions

1999 - Fellow of American Physical Society (APS) Citation For fundamental contributions to our understanding of the cause and evolution of the nova outburst involving forefront observational and theoretical studies of these explosions

Overview

Sumner Starrfield is a researcher affiliated with Arizona State University in the United States, with a primary focus in Physics and Astronomy. Their work spans 89 publications in this field, with a concentration on Astronomy and Astrophysics among other subfields such as Nuclear and High Energy Physics, Geophysics, Computational Mechanics, and Radiation.

Their research topics cover a range of areas related to astrophysical phenomena and observations, including gamma-ray bursts and supernovae, stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, high-pressure geophysics and materials, astrophysics and star formation studies, as well as astronomical observations and instrumentation.

Starrfield has published extensively in multiple venues, with frequent contributions to the following:

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
The Astrophysical Journal
arXiv (Cornell University)
UNC Libraries
The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Recent papers authored or coauthored by Starrfield illustrate active engagement in nova and astrophysical phenomena studies. Notable recent publications include:

"Hydrodynamic Simulations of Oxygen-Neon Classical Novae as Galactic ⁷Li Producers and Potential Accretion-induced Collapse Progenitors*," 2024, The Astrophysical Journal
"The 2021 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi observed in X-rays by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory: a comparative study," 2022, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
"The Remarkable Spin-down and Ultrafast Outflows of the Highly Pulsed Supersoft Source of Nova Herculis 2021," 2021, The Astrophysical Journal Letters
"The infrared view of dust and molecules around V4334 Sgr (Sakurai's object): a 20-yr retrospective," 2020, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
"High-resolution X-ray spectra of RS Ophiuchi (2006 and 2021): Revealing the cause of SSS variability," 2023, Astronomy and Astrophysics

Starrfield has collaborated regularly with several coauthors, including:

C. E. Woodward
A. Evans
R. M. Wagner
K. L. Page
D. P. K. Banerjee

In recognition of scientific contributions, Starrfield was awarded the Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 1999 for work on the cause and evolution of nova outbursts, covering both observational and theoretical aspects of these phenomena.

Best Publications

Nucleosynthesis in Classical Novae and Its Contribution to the Interstellar Medium

Robert D. Gehrz;James W. Truran;Robert E. Williams;Sumner Starrfield

563
Citations
MODEL ATMOSPHERES OF VERY LOW MASS STARS AND BROWN DWARFS

Peter H. Hauschildt;David R. Alexander;Sumner Starrfield

550
Citations
Proton-induced Thermonuclear Reaction Rates for A = 20–40 Nuclei

Christian G Iliadis;John M. D'Auria;Sumner Starrfield;William J. Thompson

339
Citations
CNO abundances and hydrodynamic models of the nova outburst.

Sumner Starrfield;J. W. Truran;Warren M. Sparks;G. S. Kutter

332
Citations
The effects of thermonuclear reaction rate variations on nova nucleosynthesis: a sensitivity study

Christian G Iliadis;Arthur E Champagne;Jordi José;Sumner Starrfield

314
Citations
An energetic stellar outburst accompanied by circumstellar light echoes.

Howard E. Bond;Arne Henden;Zoltan G. Levay;Nino Panagia;Nino Panagia

281
Citations
Theory and Observations of Classical Novae

J. S. Gallagher;S. Starrfield

267
Citations
Evolutionary sequences for Nova V1974 Cygni using new nuclear reaction rates and opacities

Sumner Starrfield;J. W. Truran;M. C. Wiescher;W. M. Sparks

219
Citations
ROSAT X-ray observations of nova V1974 Cygni: The rise and fall of the brightest supersoft X-ray source

J. Krautter;H. Oegelman;S. Starrfield;R. Wichmann

216
Citations
Swift X-Ray Observations of Classical Novae. II. The Super Soft Source Sample

Greg J. Schwarz;Jan Uwe Ness;J. P. Osborne;K. L. Page

214
Citations
Swift Observations of the 2006 Outburst of the Recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi. I. Early X-Ray Emission from the Shocked Ejecta and Red Giant Wind

M. F. Bode;T. J. O'Brien;J. P. Osborne;K. L. Page

211
Citations
STARLIB: A NEXT-GENERATION REACTION-RATE LIBRARY FOR NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS

A. L. Sallaska;Christian G Iliadis;Christian G Iliadis;A. E. Champange;S. Goriely

206
Citations
XIPE: the x-ray imaging polarimetry explorer

P. Soffitta;R. Bellazzini;E. Bozzo;V. Burwitz

180
Citations
STARLIB: A Next-Generation Reaction-Rate Library for Nuclear Astrophysics

A. L. Sallaska;C. Iliadis;A. E. Champagne;S. Goriely

178
Citations
The Halo Black Hole X-Ray Transient XTE J1118+480*

R. Mark Wagner;C. B. Foltz;T. Shahbaz;J. Casares

166
Citations
Hydrodynamic Studies of Accretion onto Massive White Dwarfs: ONeMg-enriched Nova Outbursts. I. Dependence on White Dwarf Mass

M. Politano;Sumner Starrfield;J. W. Truran;A. Weiss

163
Citations
IRC +10420 - A cool hypergiant near the top of the H-R diagram

Terry Jay Jones;Roberta M. Humphreys;Robert D. Gehrz;Geoffrey F. Lawrence

157
Citations
The Thermonuclear Runaway and the Classical Nova Outburst

Sumner Starrfield;C. Iliadis;W. R. Hix;W. R. Hix

157
Citations
THE SUPERSOFT X-RAY PHASE OF NOVA RS OPHIUCHI 2006

J. P. Osborne;K. L. Page;A. P. Beardmore;M. F. Bode

152
Citations
The Halo Black-Hole X-ray Transient XTE J1118+480

R. M. Wagner;C. B. Foltz;T. Shahbaz;J. Casares

149
Citations