I got my dream postdoc fellowship at MIT!!!

Gamma-ray emission from different cosmic ray interactions: neutral pion decay, relativistic non-thermal Bremsstrahlung, and inverse Compton scattering. The inverse Compton clearly forms a pair of bubbles above/ below the plane of the galactic disk.

In our simulations, all cosmic rays (which produce gamma rays by interacting with gas and radiation) are sourced by supernovae and stellar winds. There are NO black holes/AGN in the simulation. We’re also able to show that inverse Compton scattering of cosmic ray electrons is what makes bubbles.

A graphic of the Fermi bubbles’ size and position in the Milky Way. Credit: NASA Goddard.

The Fermi bubbles were discovered in 2010 with observations from the Fermi gamma-ray telescope. Since then, their origins have been an open question. They have to have been formed by an energetic event, like clusters of supernovae or past activity of the black hole at the MW’s center.

🔭🧪 Paper day! I’m really excited about this one. We used simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies simulated with full cosmic ray spectra to model gamma-ray emission. The simulated galaxies form large gamma-ray bubbles with remarkable similarities to the Fermi bubbles observed in the Milky Way.

Gamma-ray flux from neutral pion decay, relativistic Bremsstrahlung, and inverse Compton scattering for two different simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies simulated with resolved, multi-species cosmic ray spectra. The pionic and Brensstrahlung emission traces the galactic disk, while the inverse Compton produces bi-lobed clouds above and below the plane of the disk, hinting at a potential formation mechanism for Fermi bubbles.

🔭🧪
Paper day! We used MHD galaxy formation simulations with multi-species cosmic ray spectra to model diffuse gamma-ray emission in Milky Way analogs. This allows us to see how gamma-ray flux changes due to star formation, ISM structure, B fields, etc. over time. arxiv.org/pdf/2509.18351

This is what amounts to an ILLEGAL & indiscriminate funding cut for research centers everywhere. It will mean shuttering labs across the country, layoffs in red & blue states, and derailing lifesaving research on everything from cancer to opioid addiction.

We all need to speak out to save lives.

Excited and honored to have the opportunity to share the recent work I led at #dwarfgalaxies2024 !