About Me
My name is Daniel Paradiso (usually just go by Dan) and I am a third-year graduate student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Physics at Syracuse University working with Dr. Eric Coughlin. My research is focused on understanding the deaths of stars in our universe through both self-induced and external mechanisms.
Research
Core-Collapse Supernovae:
My primary research focus revolves around the spectacular, explosive deaths of massive stars which are known as core-collapse supernovae. In particular, I study the characteristics and dynamics of shockwaves – which are the byproducts of the formation and “bounce” of a neutron star during core-collapse – using a combination of analytical and numerical methods. In a typical core-collapse supernova, the shockwave propagates through and inevitably unbinds the overlying stellar envelope. However, decades of observation and theoretical/computational research has shown that not all stars that undergo core-collapse generate successful explosions. I am extremely interested in trying to gain a better understanding of both failed and low-energy core-collapse supernovae, and I hope that my research will provide a better understanding of the deaths of massive stars in addition to lending insight into the formation of compact objects (neutron stars and solar-mass black holes). You can check out my papers related to this topic here!
Tidal Disruption Events:
Tidal disruption events (TDEs) occur when stars much like our sun wander too close to supermassive (> 1 million solar masses!) black holes that lurk in the centers of most galaxies. The tidal force imparted on the star overwhelms the gravitational force that is holding the star together and can rip the star apart into a stream of debris which, as it returns to the black hole, heats up and is emits observable radiation. TDEs therefore provide a way to probe the inner regions of otherwise quiescent galaxies!
Although this is not the main focus of my research, I have dabbled a bit in TDE research as a mentor for the SURPh program the past three summers which recently resulted in a publication. If you would like to learn more about TDE research, you should check out Eric’s website and the work of my collegue Ananya Bandopadhyay!
Recent Activities
September 2024: Passed Research Oral Qualifying Exam
April 2024: Awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!
January 2024: My first, first-author paper just got published in the Astrophysical Journal!
January 2024: The TDEs paper with all four SURPh students was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters!
January 2024: I attended AAS where I gave a poster presentation on my supernova research!
October 2023: Visited my high school alma mater and gave a talk to the physics class about my research
August 2023: Passed PhD Qualifying Exam