Cosmic-ray research Eugene Loh, known for his work with the Fly's Eye observatory in Utah's western desert, has died at his home in Arlington, Va.
Loh, 72, University of Utah distinguished professor emeritus of physics, died Friday of renal cancer, his family said.
Loh worked on detecting ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.
He joined the university in 1975 and worked with a team to create a prototype cosmic ray detector. The results were promising and the university was able to get $3 million to build the Fly's Eye network of cosmic-ray detectors at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground.
Before the Fly's Eye, scientists had tried to detect cosmic rays by looking for debris left by the particles. Loh and others found a way to indirectly detect the high-energy particles, said Pierre Sokolsky, chairman of the university's physics department.
In 1991, the Fly's Eye array recorded the most energetic cosmic ray ever detected.
The original Fly's Eye was replaced with the High Resolution Fly's Eye in 1999, which in turn will be succeeded by the Telescope Array under construction west of Delta.
Among the memories of Loh that stand out for Sokolsky were the times they worked in the trailer at Dugway recording data from the Fly's Eye. "If there was something wrong, he would zero in on it instinctively," he said.
Sokolsky said Loh also was good at making babies smile. "Anyone who could fix electronics, and whom babies loved, can't be all bad," Sokolsky said.
In the late 1990s, Loh moved to Virginia to take a position with the National Science Foundation.
Loh is survived by his wife, Jocelyn, three sons, five grandchildren, one sister and three brothers.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Arlington Funeral Home.