Chris Matzner
Associate Undergraduate Chair, Professor
Research:
Star formation: Protostellar disks, molecular clouds, energy feedback Stellar explosions: Supernovae, gamma ray bursts
Education:
Ph.D. 1999, Berkeley
I study astrophysical fluid dynamics with an emphasis on star formation, stellar feedback in the interstellar medium, accretion, and explosive transients, using analytical studies, numerical simulations, and observations. Recent projects include ways to constrain the interactions between star clusters and galaxies, models for star cluster feedback in starburst galaxies, a catalog of young giant star clusters, long-duration modeling of stellar tidal disruptions, new models for supernova shocks and the dynamics of gamma-ray bursts, simulations of massive black hole accretion, fragmentation criteria in star and planet formation, models for protostellar outflows and their interaction with molecular clouds, and models for giant molecular cloud evolution.
