Research

These days, I find myself increasingly drawn to multi-messenger astrophysics, particularly in its application to the study of active galactic nuclei. I am intrigued by the potential of computational and statistical techniques in unraveling the mysteries surrounding these fascinating objects.

Master's Thesis

Logo of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree program in Astrophysics and Space Science (MASS), showing the acronym with a stylized galaxy forming the letters.

In my thesis, I investigate how the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) can test competing high-energy emission models for NGC 1068, the first non-blazar AGN linked to neutrino emission. Using Gammapy simulations of 50, 100 and 150 hour CTAO observations, I compare scenarios driven by starburst activity and AGN-powered winds. The results show that most models are detectable within 100 hours of observation, and by 150 hours CTAO marginally distinguish between different emission mechanisms. Whether detected or not, these observations will provide powerful constraints on particle acceleration in obscured AGNs and help clarify the origin of neutrinos and gamma rays in Seyfert galaxies.

Hanrieder Fellowship Max Planck Institute for Physics

Two-panel figure showing an event position with association probability color scale, and its energy posterior distribution with two peaks.

During a three month internship, I studied the association probability between the high-energy neutrino event IC170922A and the blazar TXS 0506+056 using Bayesian statistical techniques. We applied two different spectral models—power-law and pγ—to analyze how varying assumptions about the source spectrum affect the probability of a connection between the neutrino event and the blazar. You can read my internship report "Bayesian ICECAT Analysis". This research contributed to the article "Impact of multi-messenger spectral modelling on blazar-neutrino associations".

Bachelor thesis

Illustration of cosmic rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos from an astrophysical source. Cosmic rays are deflected by magnetic fields, gamma rays can be absorbed, and neutrinos travel straight to Earth carrying information about their source.In my research, I investigated the origins of cosmic rays using a multi-messenger approach. The IceCube neutrino observatory identifies astrophysical neutrino candidates in real-time, prompting follow-up observations by telescopes like MAGIC. Analyzing data from the MAGIC telescopes, I calculated gamma-ray flux upper limits from eight neutrino follow-up events using a new software in development by the MAGIC collaboration.

Central American - Caribbean Bridge in Astrophysics Remote Internship

During my three-month internship, I focused on studying spiral galaxies and investigating why the majority of them exhibit either two or four arms, with three-arm spiral galaxies being less common. We conducted an analysis of the environments where spiral galaxies form based on their arm counts. Utilizing data from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey and Galaxy Zoo projects, we created histograms illustrating galaxy density and neighboring galaxies within a cylinder for various spiral arm counts. Our findings indicated that spiral galaxies, regardless of their arm count, tended to inhabit similarly dense environments. However, there were indications suggesting that galaxies with more arms may reside in less dense surroundings. Notably, four-arm spirals stood out as inhabiting a distinct group environment compared to others. You can read my internship report "Study of spiral galaxies and their environment".