My research is concerned with theoretical fluid dynamics (hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and extensions of these concepts). Fluid models can be applied to physics on a huge range of spatial and temporal scales, and is the cornerstone of theoretical astrophysics.

My work examines (1) the fluid dynamics (convection, waves, mixing) of the stellar interior, and (2) the plasma dynamics (turbulence, shocks, waves, diffusion) of the interstellar and interplanetary media. I am deeply interested in the interaction of particles (cosmic rays, dust) and fluids, and I often study properties of diffusion and dispersion.

My work in this area involves fundamental questions:

What are the motions in the deep interior of a star like? How are the fluid motions different for different stellar structures?

How do we quantify mixing between different layers, deep within a star?

Some things to check out:

Poster: Pratt, Jane, Baraffe, Isabelle, Dethero, Mary Geer, et. al. (2021). Deep mixing due to convective penetration during the red giant branch luminosity bump. Presented at the The 20.5 Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun (CS20.5), virtually anywhere: Zenodo.

Kavli Program on Transport in Stellar Interiors (2021), Panel Discussion on Chemical Mixing.

My work in this area involves using, and developing further, open-source stellar structure and evolution codes like MESA and ESTER to answer questions like:

How do stellar structures change when they are not spherically symmetric?

How does their internal structure evolve as they age?

My work in this area involves fundamental questions:

How does turbulence change when a magnetic field is present?

How do dust particles and cosmic rays move through a turbulent plasma?

How do magnetic fields and compressibility change diffusion and dispersion in a turbulent plasma?

Can we develop new statistical tools to help quantify and predict properties of turbulence?