UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Physics and Astronomy
Theoretical Cosmology Group | Institute for Cosmology, Subatomic Matter, and Symmetries
August 2024 – Present
I am currently working on probing the robustness of cosmologically obtained bounds on the neutrino mass. Observational data from Planck and SDSS, combined with important tenets of ΛCDM cosmology, allow us to place a strict upper limit on the sum of the masses of the three neutrino species. However, as this final result inherently relies on a specific cosmological model, tensions in ΛCDM can extend to skepticism for the corresponding bounds on neutrinos. My current work invokes an alternate cosmology to help determine how much our current limit depends on the underlying cosmological theory.
Brown Department of Physics
Astroparticle Physics and Cosmology Group | Brown Theoretical Physics Center
January 2023 – May 2024
I investigated how a theory of ultralight bosonic dark matter would effect the Jeans length, particularly with the inclusion of quantum effects. I examined the viability of this "fuzzy dark matter" as a phenomenological alternative to standard cold dark matter, utilizing the framework of dark matter halos. In support of these inquiries, I engaged in extensive theoretical study of galactic dynamics, with a focus on tidal disruption and dynamical friction. I implemented both analytical and computational techniques to probe these various cosmological and astrophysical concepts.
UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy
Plasma Diagnostics Group | Plasma Science and Technology Institute
September 2019 – June 2022
I innovated new hardware methods of utilizing interferometry to measure plasma density. In order to obtain interferometry-based measurements in plasma diagnostics, the majority of contemporaneous solutions require expensive and purpose-built equipment, which has necessitated more general and economical approaches to the task. I successfully configured a rudimentary, automobile-grade microwave radar to accurately measure the phase shift of its transmitted radiation, which I directly used to determine the line-averaged density of a plasma.