I am a theoretical astrophysicist . My research interests include: dark matter in galaxies and clusters; extragalactic jets and active galaxies; stability of radiative shocks and their post-shock flows; accretion onto compact and other stellar objects. I mainly investigate my topics using analytic approaches. I also run simulations in numerical hydrodynamics and radiative transfer modelling.
My PhD thesis, (University of Sydney) was a formulation of stability analysis, applied to the thermal instabilities of accretion shocks on magnetic white dwarfs. Such instabilities arise in many other physical contexts. Slight overdensities of gas can cool radiatively, leading to local collapse of pressure support, resulting in oscillations or fragmentation of the medium. Computer simulations of such phenomena using different numerical methods tend to produce different results. Analytic methods are necessary to obtain definitive conclusions.
| research fellow, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, United Kingdom. |
| postdoc, Max Plank Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany. |
| postdoc, Mt Stromlo Observatory and the Department of Theoretical Physics, Australian National University. |
| PhD, Sir Frank Packer Department of Theoretical Physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Australia. Resident at St Paul's College U. Sydney. |