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Archive · Arecibo · Puerto Rico

Arecibo Observatory

In research, Arecibo Observatory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#7,282 of 17,446 worldwide), Physics and Astronomy (#1,258 of 2,917 worldwide) and Astronomy and Astrophysics (#499 of 954 worldwide), over all time.

World rank, all time
#19,749
of 34,923
Rank in Puerto Rico
#18
of 32
Research works
436
▼ 39% vs 2018-21
Citations
13k
29.9 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
6.2%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.22×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
38%
world 40%
International
61%
world 18%

What is Arecibo Observatory known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Physical SciencesDomain #7,282 of 17,446 11.8%416
Physics and AstronomyField #1,258 of 2,917 11.2%280
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #499 of 954 10.6%239

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Arecibo Observatory sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Arecibo Observatory work in?

In all years, 95% of research at Arecibo Observatory is in Physical Sciences, 2% in Life Sciences. Its largest fields are Physics and Astronomy (64%), Earth and Planetary Sciences (14%), Engineering (13%). It does 2.3× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 416 fractional works · 95.4% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 280 fractional works · 64.2% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 239 fractional works · 54.9% of its workInstrumentation: 16 fractional works · 3.7% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 14 fractional works · 3.1% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 7 fractional works · 1.5% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 4 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 61 fractional works · 13.9% of its workAtmospheric Science: 28 fractional works · 6.5% of its workOceanography: 16 fractional works · 3.6% of its workGeophysics: 15 fractional works · 3.4% of its workEarth-Surface Processes: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEngineering: 57 fractional works · 13.2% of its workAerospace Engineering: 31 fractional works · 7.2% of its workComputational Mechanics: 11 fractional works · 2.5% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 7 fractional works · 1.6% of its workOcean Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.6% of its workMechanics of Materials: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMedia Technology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnvironmental Science: 11 fractional works · 2.4% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 5 fractional works · 1.2% of its workEcology: 3 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workChemistry: 4 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSpectroscopy: 4 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workComputer Science: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMaterials Science: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 10 fractional works · 2.2% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 7 fractional works · 1.7% of its workMolecular Biology: 7 fractional works · 1.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 6 fractional works · 1.3% of its workSocial Sciences: 4 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSociology and Political Science: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 5 fractional works · 1.1% of its workMedicine: 3 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Professions: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workVeterinary: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workNursing: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workALL ITS WORKAreciboObservatory436fractional works, all years
Life Sciences2%Physical Sciences95%Health Sciences1%Social Sciences1%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in all years. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 20 fields, with their numbers
    1. Physics and Astronomy28064.2%
    2. Earth and Planetary Sciences6113.9%
    3. Engineering5713.2%
    4. Environmental Science112.4%
    5. Chemistry41.0%
    6. Computer Science10.3%
    7. Mathematics10.1%
    8. Materials Science00.1%
    9. Energy00.1%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology71.7%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences20.4%
    3. Neuroscience00.1%
    1. Social Sciences40.9%
    2. Decision Sciences10.2%
    3. Economics, Econometrics and Finance10.2%
    4. Arts and Humanities00.1%
    1. Medicine30.7%
    2. Health Professions10.3%
    3. Veterinary00.1%
    4. Nursing00.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1.05× its world share, 1 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.45× its world share, 0 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Earth and Planetary Sciences: 3.44× its world share, 1 worksEarth and Planetary …Engineering: 0.63× its world share, 1 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.23× its world share, 0 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.24× its world share, 0 worksMaterials SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 29.70× its world share, 9 worksPhysics and AstronomyMedicine: 0.40× its world share, 1 worksMedicineNursing: 2.55× its world share, 0 worksNursingSocial Sciences: 0.07× its world share, 0 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 29.7×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 10 fields, with their numbers
  1. Physics and Astronomy29.70×9 works
  2. Earth and Planetary Sciences3.44×1 works
  3. Nursing2.55×0 works
  4. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1.05×1 works
  5. Engineering0.63×1 works
  6. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.45×0 works
  7. Medicine0.40×1 works
  8. Materials Science0.24×0 works
  9. Environmental Science0.23×0 works
  10. Social Sciences0.07×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Arecibo Observatory?

Ranked on the quality score, R. A. Behnke, M. P. Sulzer and M. M. Davis lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Arecibo Observatory.

  1. 1 R. A. Behnke Puerto Rico · #1,205,028 worldwide 1.7k citations · 41 works
  2. 2 M. P. Sulzer Puerto Rico · #2,285,165 worldwide 997 citations · 88 works
  3. 3 M. M. Davis Puerto Rico · #2,469,391 worldwide 2.3k citations · 136 works
  4. 4 H. D. Craft Puerto Rico · #2,522,911 worldwide 567 citations · 15 works
  5. 5 John K. Harmon Puerto Rico · #2,565,810 worldwide 3.2k citations · 162 works
  6. 6 H. Vo Puerto Rico · #2,647,069 worldwide 880 citations · 49 works
  7. 7 Craig A. Tepley Puerto Rico · #2,788,724 worldwide 4.3k citations · 156 works
  8. 8 M. P. Sulzer Puerto Rico · #3,310,138 worldwide 3.7k citations · 183 works
  9. 9 Chris J. Salter Puerto Rico · #3,333,568 worldwide 3.6k citations · 260 works
  10. 10 Nestor A. Aponte Puerto Rico · #3,423,670 worldwide 1.5k citations · 119 works
All ranked researchers at Arecibo Observatory

What are the most cited papers from Arecibo Observatory?

The most cited paper from Arecibo Observatory is "A planetary system around the millisecond pulsar PSR1257 + 12" (A. Wolszczan, D. A. Frail, 1992), with 1,549 citations. Next come "A Double-Pulsar System: A Rare Laboratory for Relativistic Gravity and Plasma Physics" (943) and "A repeating fast radio burst" (921).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 A planetary system around the millisecond pulsar PSR1257 + 12 A. Wolszczan, D. A. Frail · Nature 9 Jan 1992 1,549
2 A Double-Pulsar System: A Rare Laboratory for Relativistic Gravity and Plasma Physics A. G. Lyne, M. Burgay, Michael J. Kramer et al. · Science Open access 13 Jan 2004 943
3 A repeating fast radio burst Laura G. Spitler et al. · Nature Open access Mar 2016 921
4 A Radio Pulsar Spinning at 716 Hz Jason W. T. Hessels, S. M. Ransom, Ingrid H. Stairs et al. · Science Open access 12 Jan 2006 900
5 A direct localization of a fast radio burst and its host Shami Chatterjee et al. · Nature Open access 2017 853
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Arecibo Observatory?

By fractional works in all years, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Solar Wind, Electron Acceleration, Ionosphere, Magnetosphere, Star Formation, Solar System Abundances, Terrestrial Planets and Coronal Mass Ejections.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in all years in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Solar Wind70▲ 116×2 topics
  2. Electron Acceleration44▲ 105×2 topics
  3. Ionosphere43▲ 144×1 topic
  4. Magnetosphere43▲ 144×1 topic
  5. Star Formation34▲ 85×2 topics
  6. Solar System Abundances33▲ 89×1 topic
  7. Terrestrial Planets33▲ 89×1 topic
  8. Climate Change29▲ 2.5×11 topics
  9. Coronal Mass Ejections27▲ 90×1 topic
  10. Solar Dynamics Observatory27▲ 90×1 topic
  11. Gravitational Waves24▲ 85×2 topics
  12. Exoplanets23▲ 71×1 topic
  13. Stellar Astrophysics23▲ 71×1 topic
  14. Accretion Disks22▲ 64×2 topics
  15. Magnetic Fields22▲ 50×3 topics
  16. Mars22▲ 103×1 topic
  17. Martian Surface22▲ 103×1 topic
  18. Black Holes21▲ 33×3 topics
  19. Turbulence20▲ 31×3 topics
  20. Molecular Clouds18▲ 85×1 topic
  21. Protoplanetary Disks18▲ 85×1 topic
  22. Dark Matter17▲ 21×3 topics
  23. Cosmology17▲ 42×2 topics
  24. Radio Astronomy16▲ 103×2 topics
  25. Galaxies16▲ 84×1 topic
  26. Stellar Populations16▲ 84×1 topic
  27. Orbit Determination16▲ 86×2 topics
  28. Astronomical Instrumentation16▲ 70×1 topic
  29. Spectrograph16▲ 70×1 topic
  30. Binary Black Hole16▲ 113×1 topic
  31. Neutron Star16▲ 113×1 topic
  32. Sea Level Rise15▲ 27×2 topics
  33. Global Navigation Satellite Systems14▲ 124×2 topics
  34. Geodetic Measurements14▲ 25×2 topics
  35. Hydrological Modeling14▲ 16×3 topics
  36. GNSS14▲ 139×1 topic
  37. Precise Point Positioning14▲ 139×1 topic
  38. Epoch of Reionization14▲ 186×1 topic
  39. Low-Frequency Telescopes14▲ 186×1 topic
  40. GRACE13▲ 63×1 topic

Which research topics does Arecibo Observatory publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology, Planetary Science and Exploration, Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics and Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research.

  1. 1 Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 works
  2. 2 Planetary Science and Exploration Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  3. 3 Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  4. 4 Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  5. 5 Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  6. 6 Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  7. 7 Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena Nuclear and High Energy Physics 1 works
  8. 8 Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  9. 9 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  10. 10 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available37.7%not open62.3%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors61.0%domestic only39.0%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Arecibo Observatory's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 39% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Arecibo Observatory as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.000024% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%Arecibo Observatory0.000026% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Arecibo Observatory over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

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Arecibo Observatory on Science Explorer

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