Postdoctoral Fellowships: Caltech (1998-1999); Cambridge (1995-1998)
PhD.: Theoretical Astrophysics, Harvard (1995)
C.A.S.M. (Part III tripos): Applied Math/Theoretical Physics, Cambridge (1991)
S.B.: Physics, MIT (1990)
S.B.: Mathematics, MIT (1990)
My research interests span a broad range of problems in theoretical astrophysics. Plasma astrophysics has been an underlying theme in much of my recent research because many fascinating astrophysical sources contain highly conducting magnetized plasma. For example, observations of the interplanetary medium, the sun, stars, galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGN), and planetary nebualae, indicate that magnetized plasmas are important to the dynamics and/or the emission in these systems. Some of my recent activities can be divided in three categories:
1. EJECTORS, ACCRETORS, BURSTERS, AND FLARES
This category of projects is devoted to understanding high energy accreting or jetted astrophysical sources such as active galactic nuclei (AGN), Galactic microquasars, gamma-ray bursts (GRB), solar flares, and planetary nebulae. These sources are magnetized, exhibit outflows and efficient particle acceleration, and require turbulence. The physics of particle acceleration, accretion disks, and high energy plasmas are important for these studies.
2. ORIGIN AND DYNAMICS OF MAGNETIC FIELDS
This category of projects focues on a rigorous understanding of the the orgin and dynamics of astrophysical magnetic fields and the associated MHD turbulence. Magnetic fields are not only fundamental for their dynamical role as an intermediary between gravitational energy and radiation in many sources, but are observable astrophysical entities themselves, detected by a variety of techniques. See the following figure (from ApJ 584 L99 (2003). ) which encapsulates some recent progress (e.g. Phys. Rev. Lett., 89, 265007 (2002)) of how magnetic dynamos conserve magnetic helicity. Some of the underlying MHD physics also has application to magnetic pinch configurations in laboratory plasma configurations of fusion devices. I am now directing attention toward these applications.
3. FORMATION OF ASTROPHYSICAL OBJECTS
Recently, I have been involved in projects in planet formation and star formation
