About

D. Reichart is an observational astronomer whose research spans gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), robotic telescope systems, variable stars, and time-domain astrophysics. He is perhaps best known as the driving force behind PROMPT (Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes), a network of six 0.41-meter robotic telescopes at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, built for just $1.2 million in grants and donations. PROMPT's rapid-slewing design enables it to capture GRB afterglows within seconds of an alert, yielding densely sampled, multiwavelength light curves such as those obtained for GRB 060607A. His early work on GRB 020405, discovered through the Interplanetary Network, further cemented his reputation in transient astrophysics. Beyond GRBs, Reichart has contributed to the study of eclipsing binaries, near-Earth asteroids, pulsating subdwarf stars, and AGN reverberation mapping, including a multiwavelength campaign on the Seyfert galaxy Ark 120. With his most-cited papers accumulating hundreds of citations, and PROMPT serving as the backbone of the broader Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, Reichart's infrastructure-driven approach has enabled a wide community of researchers and students to engage meaningfully with time-domain astronomy.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

9
H-Index
15
Papers
399
Total Citations
27
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Discovery of GRB 020405 and Its Late Red Bump
93 citations · 2003
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2017 (3 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 154
🏛 Institutions: California Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bowling Green State University

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
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