Welcome to Andrew's Homepage!

(Top.) X-ray image of the inner Crab nebula, taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The torus and interior ring lie in the equatorial plane of the relativistic wind of the Crab pulsar. The jet is directed along the poles. The radius of the torus is approximately 0.1 parsecs.
(Bottom.) The Theorist Ignites a Supernova Behind his Whiteboard, or Life Imitates Art. (Click for full sized version.)

Contact details

Curriculum vitae (abridged)

Research interests

• Gravitational waves
  • Theory of new LIGO sources: magnetic mountains on accreting neutron stars
  • Theory of new LIGO sources: superfluid turbulence in neutron stars
  • Theory of new LIGO sources: pulsar glitches
• Isolated neutron stars
  • Theory of wave-like, relativistic pulsar winds (e.g. sigma paradox)
  • Pulsar-powered supernova remnants (e.g. Crab nebula)
  • Electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations of ultra-high-energy particle acceleration in pulsar wind termination shocks
  • Disruptive magnetic storms in ultra-magnetized (1e15 G!) soft gamma-ray repeaters
  • Spin-down physics (e.g. braking index)
  • Precession
• Superfluid dynamics
  • Fundamental physics of bulk matter above nuclear density (e.g. exotic strange-quark phases)
  • Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and vorticity transfer in helium 3
  • Global, time-dependent flow of superfluid in a neutron star (e.g. first-ever 3D simulations of spherical Couette superflow)
  • Superfluid turbulence
  • Dynamics of quantum vortices in superfluids and Bose-Einstein condensates
  • Pulsar glitches and timing noise
• Accreting neutron stars
  • Analytic theory and MHD simulations of polar magnetic burial
  • Instabilities in the disk-magnetosphere boundary layer
  • Physics of time-dependent accretion (e.g. torque flip-flops)
• Galaxy structure
  • Statistical mechanics of cold dark matter haloes
• Pattern formation in far-from-equilibrium systems
  • Cellular automaton models of pulsar glitches
  • Statistical mechanics of biological populations
  • Econophysics: the role of credit in the global stability of financial systems
• Nonlinear plasma physics
  • Numerical simulations of beam-driven, electromagnetic Zakharov turbulence
  • Coherent wave-particle interactions: transit-time scattering and heating
  • Lower-hybrid wave collapse in the Earth's auroras

• Gravitational wave spectrum emitted by (1) an oscillating neutron star magnetic mountain - PDF file, 0.33MB - and (2) Taylor-Gortler vortices in a differentially rotating neutron star - PDF file, 0.50MB
• Two-dimensional oscillations of a magnetic mountain at the poles of an accreting neutron star - magnetic field lines (solid curves) and density contours (dashed curves) - MPG movie, 6.2MB
• Three-dimensional oscillations of a magnetic mountain - magnetic field lines (green tubes) and isodensity surface (red surface) - WMV movie, 1.3MB - and snapshot after 20 Alfven times (magnetic tension = yellow shading) - JPEG image, 0.18MB
• Helical Taylor-Gortler vortices travelling around the equator of a differentially rotating neutron star - surface of constant vorticity - AVI movie, 11MB
• Global meridional circulation of a neutron superfluid inside a differentially rotating neutron star - meridional streamlines - AVI movie, 34MB
• Three-dimensional hydro simulation of the bow shock enclosing a pulsar zooming through the interstellar medium - density colour scale - JPG image, 32kB

Research students

• Postgraduate
  • Andrey Sokolov: PhD on the econophysics of credit (w/ Rachel Webster, U. Melb, 2012) (with a break as a volunteer at the Australian Marine Sciences Institute, Darwin) ->
  • Rhyan Hoey: MSc on superfluid dynamics in neutron stars (U. Melb, 2011)
  • Craig Burnett: MSc on neutron star magnetospheres (U. Melb, 2011) ->
  • Sarah Traine: MSc on neutron star magnetospheres (U. Melb, 2010) -> PhD (at Macq. U.) on planetary and protostellar disks ->
  • Maxim Priymak: PhD on gravitational waves from accreting neutron stars (U. Melb, 2011) ->
  • Mark Bennett: PhD on gravitational and high-energy radiation from magnetars (U. Melb, 2011) ->
  • Letizia Sammut: PhD on gravitational wave data analysis (U. Melb, 2011) ->
  • Lila Warszawski: PhD on turbulence in quantum condensates (U. Melb, 2011) -> postdoctoral fellowship at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany ->
  • Anthony van Eysden: PhD in astroparticle physics studying gravitational waves and dense nuclear matter in compact objects (U. Melb, 2011) ->
  • Karl Wette: PhD on gravitational wave data analysis (w/ Susan Scott and David McClelland, ANU, 2009) -> postdoctoral fellowship at the Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), Hannover, Germany ->
  • Christine Chung: PhD on accreting neutron stars (Honourable Mention, 2010 GWIC Prize) (U. Melb, 2010) -> data visualization at the Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne ->
  • Matthias Vigelius: PhD on gravitational waves from accreting neutron stars (U. Melb, 2008) -> postdoctoral fellowship in theoretical astrophysics and numerical relativity at Cornell University, USA (declined) -> postdoctoral fellowship in computational biology (decision making in self-organising systems like ant colonies) at Monash University, Australia ->
  • Alpha Mastrano: MSc on superfluid dynamics (U. Melb, 2006) -> PhD on the origin of magnetic fields in relativistic stars (U. Melb, 2010) ->
  • Carlos Peralta: PhD on superfluid dynamics in neutron stars (U. Melb, 2006) -> postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), Potsdam, Germany -> research position in computational fluid dynamics and meteorology at the Deutscher Wetterdienst ->
  • Travis Stenborg: MSc on minor planets (w/ Rachel Webster, U. Melb, 2006) -> software engineer at VicRoads -> solo desert crossing -> MComp(Hons) (ANU, 2009) ->
  • Donald Payne: PhD on accreting neutron stars (U. Melb, 2005) -> scientific advisor for the Highfields sustainable living demonstrator, a project to retrofit a cattle property with geothermal, wind, and solar power -> co-chair of Technical Interest Group 7, Australian Geothermal Energy Group -> scientific and technical director, DirectEnergy (geothermal start-up company)
  • Cathy Trott: PhD on gravitational lensing and dark matter (w/ Rachel Webster, U. Melb, 2004) -> business analyst at McKinsey -> research fellow in nuclear medicine physics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, USA -> postdoctoral research in radio astronomy, ICRA (Curtin U.) ->
  
  
• Undergraduate
  • Matthew Young: honours project on oscillation modes and stability of strongly magnetized stellar atmospheres (U. Melb, 2008) -> research assistant in bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research -> world travel -> PhD (at Cambridge, UK) in theoretical astrophysics ->
  • Alex Lee: honours project on gravitational waves from precessing neutron stars (U. Melb, 2008) -> world travel -> PhD on loop models in random geometries (U. Melb, 2013)
  • Maxim Priymak: honours project on the structure of accreting neutron star crusts (U. Melb, 2007) -> PhD on gravitational waves from neutron stars (see above)
  • Mark Bennett: honours project on gravitational waves from glitches (U. Melb, 2007) -> PhD on gravitational waves from supernovae (see above)
  • Sebastian Saliba: honours project on hydromagnetic stability of accreting neutron stars (U. Melb, 2006) -> PhD on ultracold plasmas (U. Melb, 2010) ->
  • Anthony van Eysden: honours project on gravitational waves from pulsar glitches (U. Melb, 2006) -> vacation project on fluid flow around cantilevers -> PhD in astroparticle physics (see above)
  • John Haasz: honours project on texture-driven superfluid instabilities (U. Melb, 2006) -> world travel -> further university studies in politics and philosophy ->
  • Andre Trosky: honours project on superfluid dynamics and neutron star glitches (U. Melb, 2005) -> final year of BE degree (U. Melb, 2006) -> recording engineer and performing artist at Spinning Half Studios ->
  • Christine Chung: honours project on time-dependent black hole accretion (w/ Rachel Webster, U. Melb, 2005) -> PhD on accreting neutron stars (see above)
  • Melissa Wals: honours project on accretion disk dynamos (U. Melb, 2004) -> MSc on random matrix theory (U. Melb, 2007) -> PhD in quantum computing (U. Melb, 2010) ->
  • Caley Finn: part-time research on pulsar winds (U. Melb, 2003) -> honours project in experimental particle physics (Belle) (U. Melb, 2004) -> associate software engineer in signal processing at Canon Research Labs -> world travel -> Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing web developer -> PhD in mathematical physics (statistical mechanics) (U. Melb, 2014) ->
  • Tobias Locsei: honours project on accreting neutron stars (U. Melb, 2003, Laby Medal) -> PhD (DAMTP, Cambridge) in biophysics studying the locomotion of plankton -> innovation consultant, Innovia, UK ->
  • Caroline Andrzejewski: part-time research on fluid turbulence (U. Melb, 2002) -> honours project on glitches (U. Melb, 2003) -> production assistant at Blackwell Publishing -> production editor at Blackwell Publishing -> concurrent Graduate Diploma in Editing and Publishing at RMIT University (Society of Editors Award, Australian Publishers Association Award) -> assistant production manager and new journal coordinator at Wiley-Blackwell ->
  • Tom Faulkner: part-time research on pulsar winds (U. Melb, 2002) -> honours project in particle theory (U. Melb, 2003) -> PhD (at MIT) in elementary particle physics and cosmology -> postdoctoral fellow in string theory, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara ->
  • Alpha Mastrano: part-time research on pulsar winds (U. Melb, 2002) -> honours project in particle theory (U. Melb, 2003) -> MSc on superfluid dynamics (see above)
  • Grant Schuster: part-time research on nonlinear dynamics (U. Melb, 2002) -> honours project in X-ray spectroscopy (U. Melb, 2003) -> business consultant at Ernst & Young -> manager in the sustainability auditing group at Ernst & Young ->
  • Dione Scheltus: honours project on pulsar winds (U. Melb, 2002) -> internship in optical data analysis (Gemini North Telescope, 2003) -> world travel -> DipEd (UMelb, 2004) in physics teaching and part-time teaching assistant at Scotch College secondary school -> graduate traineeship at the Australian Department of Defence ->
  • Petra Majewski: honours project on high-energy emission from AGN (w/ Rachel Webster, U. Melb, 2001) -> PhD (Technical University of Munich) in low-temperature physics ->
  • Ronak Bhatt: SURF summer project on pulsar winds (Caltech, 1997) -> PhD (MIT) in plasma and beam physics ->
  • Paul Withers: SURF summer project on pulsar winds (Caltech, 1997) -> PhD (U. Arizona) in lunar and planetary science -> senior research associate (Boston U.) in space physics ->

Resources for Lecture Courses