Douglass S. Darrow *88

Douglass Darrow, principal research physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, died Sept. 13, 2017, of cancer-related complications, at age 57.

Darrow graduated from Michigan State University in 1982 with a degree in physics and computer science. In 1988, he earned a Ph.D. in astrophysical sciences from Princeton. He then became a research physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on the Forrestal Campus, where he remained for his entire career.

Darrow was an international expert on measuring fast ions in magnetic fusion energy devices (an essential ingredient for future fusion power plants). He participated in the Princeton Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) experiment that set a world record for fusion power. He developed specialized diagnostics for the TFTR and then for fusion experiments around the world, including the JET and MAST experiments in England, the CHS and LHD stellarators in Japan, and the NSTX back in Princeton.

This led Darrow to make extended collaborative visits to England and Japan. He was the main author of 20 scientific papers and co-authored 180 more. He was known for his kindness and friendship within the fusion-research community.

Darrow is survived by his wife, Connie; three children; and his mother, Margaret.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.