I am an astrophysicist with particular interests in astrophysical fluid dynamics, plasma astrophysics and relativistic astrophysics.
Many of my efforts involve producing analytical and numerical models of radio galaxies, astrophysical jets, quasars and blazars.
The cosmological evolution of radio galaxies and its implication for large-scale structure in the universe is one focus of my attention.
I’m also interested in accretion disks in both active galactic nuclei (AGN) and in microquasars in our own galaxy.
I collaborate in analysis of radio, optical and X-ray observations of different types of radio sources and many classes of AGN.
Studies of rapid optical and X-ray variability in different classes of AGN are of continuing interest to me.
My experimental interests are in fluid dynamics, particularly the study of instabilities in two-fluid flows.
I’m happy to talk to TCNJ students about working with me on research projects in any of the above areas.
A map of the radio galaxy 3C 452 at 325 MHz made with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in India. Other Indian collaborators and I discovered faint extensions beyond the known portion of the radio lobes, proving that this well-known classical double radio galaxy had an earlier period of activity.
An artist’s impression of the Kepler satellite orbiting the Sun behind the Earth and looking at a planet passing in front of a star. (Courtesy NASA.) We used Kepler to look for variations from active galaxies.
The light curve (brightness) of an active galaxy observed by the Kepler satellite. TCNJ students Mitchell Revalski and Dawid Nowak are the first two authors on the paper we wrote on this work.
The power spectral density of the light curve of an active galaxy that we observed with the Kepler satellite. TCNJ students, Mitchell Revalski, Paolo Di Lorenzo, Dan Silano and Dan Sprague are coauthors on this paper.
Observations of the famous blazar BL Lacertae. The panels show gamma-ray emission (top), optical brightness (bottom) and the fractional optical polarization and the polarization angle (middle). My collaborators in India and Japan and I discovered an interesting and rare anti-correlation between the optical brightness and the polarization fraction while the polarization angle didn’t change very much.
