The ALMA telescope as seen from Cerro Chajnantor, the site of the FYST.
I am interested in understanding how massive stars interact, via stellar feedback, with their environment across scales. From 100AU to tenth of parsec I aim to trace the gas conditions and connect global scales to local phenomena. By better constraining massive star formation we can understand galaxy evolution across cosmic time and also the evaporative timescales affecting the onset of planet formation.
As part of this effort I am interested in observing the ISM with various telescopes. I am a member of the several collaborations, like the SOFIA FEEDBACK legacy project and the NASCENT-star NOEMA Large Program.
Besides being an observational astronomer, I am curious about confronting observations with hydrodynamic simulations and modelling PDR conditions. Furthermore I am involved in the commissioning of the FYST telescope of the CCAT collaboration in Chile, from the technical site. I think a sound understanding of the tools which allow us to observe the night sky is fundamental to modern science.
Recent highlights
The ‚Diamond Ring‘ in Cygnus X
South-west of the infamous DR21 ridge sits the first true ring — not bubble — ever resolved in the [CII] cooling line. Following its evolution with dedicated radiation-HD simulations reveals problems with commonly assumed age estimates.
Globules & Pillars in Cygnus X
The first velocity-resolved [OI] map of a proplyd-like object allows us to gain direct insights in the photo-evaporation timescales of these peculiar objects.
The [CII]/FIR deficit in RCW79
In this work we suggest that in young, compact, galactic HII regions the C+ deficit can be solely explained by [CII] self-absorption, without the need to invoke other mechanisms.