# Most-cited Physics and Astronomy papers of 2017, with free PDFs

The 25 most-cited Physics and Astronomy research papers published in 2017, ranked by citations in OpenAlex, with their original abstracts and free PDFs where available.

1. [GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2765081049) · 9,508 citations · Free PDF
2. [Advanced capabilities for materials modelling with Q uantum ESPRESSO](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2757803490) · 7,824 citations · Free PDF
3. [Software update: the ORCA program system, version 4.0](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2739439285) · 5,616 citations
4. [Joint effect of ageing and multilayer structure prevents ordering in the voter model](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2949816023) · 5,608 citations · Free PDF
5. [Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger *](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2766840380) · 3,943 citations · Free PDF
6. [Advanced capabilities for materials modelling with Quantum ESPRESSO](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W3101095095) · 3,642 citations
7. [Gravitational Waves and Gamma-Rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2766754978) · 3,522 citations · Free PDF
8. [The clustering of galaxies in the completed SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: cosmological analysis of the DR12 galaxy sample](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2501864044) · 3,045 citations · Free PDF
9. [The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references*](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W4205606225) · 2,794 citations
10. [GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2621266390) · 2,489 citations · Free PDF
11. [Thirty years of density functional theory in computational chemistry: an overview and extensive assessment of 200 density functionals](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2639728117) · 2,312 citations
12. [Solving the quantum many-body problem with artificial neural networks](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2419175238) · 2,216 citations · Free PDF
13. [GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2756512191) · 2,153 citations · Free PDF
14. [A Robust and Accurate Tight-Binding Quantum Chemical Method for Structures, Vibrational Frequencies, and Noncovalent Interactions of Large Molecular Systems Parametrized for All spd-Block Elements ( Z = 1–86)](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2605801743) · 2,029 citations
15. [Simulating galaxy formation with the IllustrisTNG model](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2600163159) · 2,003 citations · Free PDF
16. [Quantized electric multipole insulators](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2557414703) · 1,966 citations · Free PDF
17. [A look at the density functional theory zoo with the advanced GMTKN55 database for general main group thermochemistry, kinetics and noncovalent interactions](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2766033847) · 1,910 citations
18. [Accurately extracting the signature of intermolecular interactions present in the NCI plot of the reduced density gradient versus electron density](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2692515715) · 1,844 citations
19. [First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: matter and galaxy clustering](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2735395126) · 1,827 citations · Free PDF
20. [The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2949380767) · 1,798 citations · Free PDF
21. [P y SCF: the Python‐based simulations of chemistry framework](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2756519801) · 1,746 citations · Free PDF
22. [Topological Materials: Weyl Semimetals](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2341694669) · 1,742 citations · Free PDF
23. [GaN-on-Si Power Technology: Devices and Applications](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2593495332) · 1,716 citations
24. [Ultralight scalars as cosmological dark matter](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2594838509) · 1,706 citations · Free PDF
25. [First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: the stellar mass content of groups and clusters of galaxies](https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W2735710795) · 1,705 citations · Free PDF

Canonical page: https://nerdi.pages.dev/papers/physics-and-astronomy/most-cited-2017