Research
I am interested in various cosmological and astrophysical problems. Currently I am interested in investigating the impact of dark matter on binary neutron star mergers, and extracting and analysing GW waveforms from numerical relativity simulations. My research during my master's and post-master's was predominantly in early-universe cosmology. During my bachelor's, my work has been in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Magnetohydrodynamics.
Inflationary Magnetogenesis
Secondary GWs, Reheating, and PBH
Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Universe. They permeate throughout space, including cosmic voids and needless to say galaxies. In spiral galaxies like our own, the fields typically attain several µG in strength and exhibit long-range structure throughout the disk. Yet, the origin of large-scale magnetic fields is an active area of research, since very little is known. Inflation is likely a contender to describe the origin, considering the length (correlation length) of the scales that have been observed. If produced during inflation, this gauge field can have observational consequences, one such which is interest is gravitational waves (GWs). The primary gravitational waves produced during inflation are expected to have a much larger amplitude than the secondary gravitational waves produced during the reheating era or other post-inflationary epochs. The secondary gravitational waves, on the other hand, are produced by the interactions of other fields, such as electromagnetic or scalar fields, during these post-inflationary epochs. The presence of electric and magnetic fields during the reheating phase can affect the evolution of secondary gravitational waves and enhance their strength. We looked at the dynamics of the equation of state during reheating and its effect on the strength of the secondary GWs, we observed that they can be enhanced into the observational range. In the second project, we focused on the correlation between PBH formation and magnetic fields generated as both could be produced during inflation by large curvature perturbations.
Solar Physics
Hydrodynamic non-equilibrium in Coronal Streamers
Helmet streamers are large cap-like coronal structures
with long pointed peaks that usually overlie sunspots and active regions. You would find a sunspot or a prominence beneath it, deeply seated. Helmet streamers are formed by a network of magnetic loops that connect the sunspots in active regions and help suspend the prominence material above the solar surface. The closed magnetic field lines trap the electrically charged coronal gases to form these relatively dense structures. The streamer structure dynamics is important because of the initiation of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's) at the base of the streamer. Understanding the non-equilibrium conditions would imply a peek into the onset of CME's. I analyzed the flow of the Solar Wind through a Helmet-Streamer (Coronal Streamers), considering a realistic approximation of the area function of the streamer. I modeled and solved for the variation of the Mach-Number in accordance with the area for both steady and time-dependent flows, focusing on the onset of non-equilibrium of the flow in the streamer. I then verified the obtained plots for Parker's case as well as for the modified area case, and they were observed to be physically reasonable solutions.