Check out the Astrochemistry Group at PUC
🔭 Research Projects
I have worked on two fascinating extremes of stellar evolution — from the dying embers of stars to the chemistry that seeds new planetary systems.
Current Research:
Astrochemistry and Protoplanetary Disks
Ph.D. Research at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Project: Nitrogen Isotope Chemistry in Protoplanetary Environments
Focus: Investigating the evolution and fractionation of nitrogen-bearing compounds in planet-forming disks.
Description:
As a Ph.D. student, I specialize in the nitrogen isotope chemistry of protoplanetary disks. My work involves analyzing ALMA observations of molecules such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and its isotopologues to study isotopic ratios and their spatial distributions. These diagnostics help us trace the chemical and physical processes that shape the evolution of nitrogen-bearing species during planet formation and their possible link to prebiotic chemistry.
This research is conducted within the Astrochemistry Group at PUC.
Key Techniques & Tools:
ALMA data reduction and analysis • Radiative transfer modeling • Isotopic fractionation • Radio interferometry • CASA • Python-based data analysis
Past Research Projects:
Study of White Dwarfs using AstroSat/UVIT and Gaia DR3
Research carried out as a Project Fellow at CHRIST University, Bangalore, India
Publication
Detection of a new sample of Galactic white dwarfs in the direction of the Small Magellanic Cloud
Focus: Identification and characterization of a new population of Galactic white dwarfs (WDs) using UV and optical data.
Description:
This project demonstrated the power of combining Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) and Gaia DR3 data for large-scale WD discovery. We identified 43 single white dwarfs (37 of them new) and derived their masses, effective temperatures (Teff), and cooling ages using WD evolutionary models. The study also reported new extremely low-mass WD candidates and estimated the local WD space density.
Key Techniques & Tools:
Multi-wavelength photometry (UVIT, Gaia) • Spectral energy distribution analysis • Stellar evolutionary models • Python scripting
Disk Evolution in Classical Be Stars
Master’s Thesis
Guide: Dr. Blesson Mathew, Associate Professor, Dept. of Physics and Electronics, CHRIST University, Bangalore, India
Title: Study of Disk Evolution in Classical Be Stars Using LAMOST Medium-Resolution Spectra
Description:
This thesis utilized medium-resolution (R ≈ 7500) LAMOST DR7 spectra to study disk evolution in Classical Be (CBe) stars. A total of 10 candidates exhibiting line profile variability (LPV) and 15 showing variations in Hα emission strength were identified from multi-epoch data. Light curve analyses were performed to determine variability periods, providing insight into the disk formation mechanisms and the potential role of binarity in driving the “Be phenomenon.”
Key Techniques & Tools:
LAMOST spectroscopy • Time-series analysis • Light curve modeling • Disk variability studies • Python scripting