Henri Navelet died on 3 July 2023 in Bordeaux, at the age of 84. Born on 28 October 1938, he studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He went on to become a specialist in strong interactions and was a leading member of the Service de Physique Théorique (SPhT, now Institut de Physique Théorique) of CEA Saclay since its creation in 1963. Henri stood out for his theoretical rigour and remarkable computational skills, which meant a great deal to his many collaborators.
In the 1960s, Henri was a member of the famous “CoMoNav” trio with two other SPhT researchers, Gilles Cohen-Tannoudji and André Morel. The trio was famous in particular for introducing the so-called Regge-pole absorption model into the phenomenology of high-energy (at the time!) strong interactions. This model was used by many physicists to untangle the multitude of reactions studied at CERN. Henri’s other noteworthy contributions include his work with Alfred H Mueller on very-high-energy particle jets, today commonly referred to as “Mueller-Navelet jets”, which are still the subject of experimental research and theoretical calculations in quantum chromodynamics.
Henri had a great sense of humour and human qualities that were highly motivating for his colleagues and the young researchers who met him during his long career. He was not only a great theoretical physicist, but also a passionate sportsman, training the younger generations. In particular, he ran the marathon in two hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. A valued researcher and friend has left us.
