W.M. Keck Observatory
In research, W.M. Keck Observatory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#3,710 of 21,541 worldwide), Astronomy and Astrophysics (#448 of 1,146 worldwide) and Physics and Astronomy (#1,637 of 3,663 worldwide), over all time. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Physics and Astronomy — Physics and Astronomy is 23.8× its share of world research.
- World rank, all time
- #6,143 of 42,892
- Rank in United States
- #1,409 of 8,685
- Research works
- 655 ▼ 27% vs 2013–17
- Citations
- 17k 25.4 per fractional work
- Top-10% rate
- 12.9% record average 16.5%
- Open access
- 41% world 28%
What is W.M. Keck Observatory known for in research?
The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.
| Field | World rank | Where that sits | Top-10% rate | Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical SciencesDomain | #3,710 of 21,541 | 22.3% | 626 | |
| Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield | #448 of 1,146 | 32.3% | 250 | |
| Physics and AstronomyField | #1,637 of 3,663 | 27.0% | 411 | |
| EngineeringField | #7,683 of 11,412 | 14.3% | 131 |
Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where W.M. Keck 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 world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).
What does W.M. Keck Observatory specialise in?
Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Physics and Astronomy takes 23.8× the share of its output that it takes of world research.
- Physics and AstronomyField · 30.1 works24×
Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.
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.
Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 23.8×. Every wedge is a field page.
- Physics and Astronomy 23.8×
- Earth and Planetary Sciences 3.9×
- Engineering 1.7×
- Decision Sciences 0.9×
- Business, Management and Accounting 0.6×
- Social Sciences 0.5×
- Chemistry 0.4×
- Environmental Science 0.4×
- Chemical Engineering 0.2×
- Computer Science 0.2×
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 0.2×
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences 0.1×
- Materials Science 0.0×
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance 0.0×
- Medicine 0.0×
Who are the top researchers at W.M. Keck Observatory?
Ranked on the composite score, H. D. Tran, Frederic H. Chaffee and Robert W. Goodrich lead among researchers whose main affiliation is W.M. Keck Observatory.
- 1 H. D. Tran United States · #123,440 worldwide 287 citations · 38 works
- 2 Frederic H. Chaffee United States · #161,287 worldwide 189 citations · 27 works
- 3 Robert W. Goodrich United States · #187,164 worldwide 272 citations · 44 works
- 4 Marcos van Dam United States · #414,490 worldwide 56 citations · 19 works
- 5 L. M. Hobbs United States · #559,515 worldwide 219 citations · 62 works
- 6 Peter Wizinowich United States · #639,652 worldwide 202 citations · 88 works
- 7 F. J. W. Whipple United States · #677,299 worldwide 49 citations · 22 works
- 8 Sam Ragland United States · #777,541 worldwide 79 citations · 47 works
- 9 J. Mader United States · #848,044 worldwide 39 citations · 17 works
- 10 R. Campbell United States · #850,650 worldwide 95 citations · 39 works
Which keywords describe research at W.M. Keck Observatory?
By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Adaptive Optics, Wavefront Sensing, Astronomical Instrumentation, Spectrograph, Exoplanets, Stellar Astrophysics, Imaging and Laser.
- Solar System Abundances
- Molecular Clouds
- Hydrological Modeling
- Galaxies
- Cosmology
- Electron Acceleration
- Compound Eyes
- Neutron Stars
- Supernovae
- Position-Sensitive Detector
- Magnetic Fields
- Structural Health Monitoring
- Nucleosynthesis
- Academic Freedom
- Star Formation
- Semiconductor
- Imaging
- Stellar Astrophysics
- Spectrograph
- Wavefront Sensing
- Adaptive Optics
- Astronomical Instrumentation
- Exoplanets
- Remote Sensing
- Laser
- Higher Education
- Gravitational Waves
- Black Holes
- Political Bias
- Accretion Disks
- Optical 3D Laser Measurement
- Radio Astronomy
- Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Solar Wind
- Freeform Optics
- Turbulence
- Dark Matter
- High-Resolution Imaging
- Spectroscopy
- Protoplanetary Disks
Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 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
- Adaptive Optics7▲ 974×1 topic
- Wavefront Sensing7▲ 974×1 topic
- Astronomical Instrumentation5▲ 317×1 topic
- Spectrograph5▲ 317×1 topic
- Exoplanets4▲ 174×1 topic
- Stellar Astrophysics4▲ 174×1 topic
- Remote Sensing3▲ 4.6×6 topics
- Imaging3▲ 20×3 topics
- Laser3▲ 233×1 topic
- Semiconductor3▲ 14×1 topic
- Higher Education3▲ 8.7×3 topics
- Star Formation2▲ 82×2 topics
- Gravitational Waves2▲ 67×2 topics
- Academic Freedom2▲ 855×1 topic
- Black Holes2▲ 38×2 topics
- Nucleosynthesis2▲ 72×3 topics
- Political Bias2▲ 855×1 topic
- Structural Health Monitoring2▲ 46×2 topics
- Accretion Disks2▲ 70×2 topics
- Magnetic Fields2▲ 51×2 topics
- Optical 3D Laser Measurement2▲ 285×1 topic
- Position-Sensitive Detector2▲ 285×1 topic
- Radio Astronomy2▲ 152×2 topics
- Supernovae2▲ 40×2 topics
- Gamma-Ray Bursts2▲ 118×1 topic
- Neutron Stars2▲ 118×1 topic
- Solar Wind2▲ 34×2 topics
- Compound Eyes2▲ 357×1 topic
- Freeform Optics2▲ 357×1 topic
- Electron Acceleration1▲ 37×2 topics
- Turbulence1▲ 27×2 topics
- Cosmology1▲ 35×1 topic
- Dark Matter1▲ 20×2 topics
- Galaxies1▲ 85×1 topic
- High-Resolution Imaging1▲ 42×2 topics
- Hydrological Modeling1▲ 9.3×2 topics
- Spectroscopy1▲ 13×3 topics
- Molecular Clouds1▲ 80×1 topic
- Protoplanetary Disks1▲ 80×1 topic
- Solar System Abundances1▲ 41×1 topic
Which research topics does W.M. Keck Observatory publish most on?
By volume in 2022–2025: Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing, Astronomy and Astrophysical Research, Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies and Optical Systems and Laser Technology.
Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.
- 1 Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 7 works
- 2 Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Instrumentation 5 works
- 3 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 4 works
- 4 Optical Systems and Laser Technology Electrical and Electronic Engineering 3 works
- 5 Academic Freedom and Politics Political Science and International Relations 2 works
- 6 Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation Computational Mechanics 2 works
- 7 Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 works
- 8 Advanced optical system design Biomedical Engineering 2 works
- 9 Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
- 10 Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 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.
World: 28% of research is openly available.
World: 19% is written across borders.
How has W.M. Keck Observatory's research output changed?
Output in 2018–2022 was 27% lower than in 2013–2017.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Other research institutions in Waimea
Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.