I work as an Astrophysicist (Principal Investigator) at Eureka Scientific, Inc. from 2022. Before, I worked as a Research Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Michigan (2019–2021) and as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (2015–2018). For my PhD research, I investigated the physical and kinematic properties of planetary nebulae around WR stars at Macquarie University (2010–2014). For my MSc research, I also studied the thermal effects of suprethermal electrons on electron-acoustic waves using numerical methods at Queen’s University Belfast (2008-2009). I worked as an early-stage researcher at the University of Craiova in 2008, where I mathematically studied BRST coupling between a dual formulation of linearized gravity and a topological background field.
2452 Delmer St Suite 100
Oakland, CA 94602
2022 - present
Astrophysicist, Eureka Scientific
• Performed X-ray spectral analysis of black hole spins in radio-quiet AGN.
• Wrote programs in CIAO/Sherpa to fit relativistic reflection models.
• Employed Bayesian MCMC-based statistic methods in Python to perform spectral model fitting.
2019 - 2021
Research Fellow, University of Michigan
• Performed hydrodynamic simulations of superwinds in starbursts using the FLASH hydrodynamics code.
• Performed photoionization modeling with CLOUDY and synthesis modeling with Starburst99.
2015 - 2018
Postdoc Fellow, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
• Performed X-ray spectral analysis of warm absorbers in AGN.
• Developed S-Lang codes for X-ray data analysis in the Interactive Spectral Interpretation System.
• Developed C++ codes for MPI-based parallelization of multiple runs of XSTAR program.
• Developed Python codes in CIAO/Sherpa to reproduce X-ray spectra of a hard X-ray emitting symbiotic star.
• Used the Bayesian Low-Count X-ray Spectral Analysis in Python to conduct MCMC-based Bayesian analysis.
2010 - 2014
PhD Student, Macquarie University
• Performed observations and theoretical studies of ionized nebulae around WR-type central stars.
• Developed IDL and Python codes for plasma diagnostics and abundance analysis.
• Performed astronomical data reduction using IRAF.
• Constructed 3D kinematic models using the interactive morpho-kinematic modeling tool SHAPE.
2014
Macquarie University
Conducted research on physical and chemical properties of ionized nebulae through plasma diagnostics, abundance analysis, 3D photoionization, and 3D morpho-kinematic modeling.
2009
Queen's University Belfast
Studied theoretical and computational plasma physics, and conducted research on electron-acoustic waves in suprathermal plasmas using numerical methods.
2007
University of Rostock
Studied computational electromagnetics, data science, applied mathematics, software engineering, parallel computing, integrated circuit design, controller design, and microcontrollers.
Publications
31. Nebular C IV λ1550 Imaging of the Metal-poor Starburst Mrk 71: Direct Evidence of Catastrophic Cooling
M. S. Oey, A. N. Sawant, A. Danehkar, S. Silich, L. J. Smith, et al., 2023,
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 958, Issue 1, id.L10, 10 pp.
30. Catastrophic Cooling in Superwinds. III. Nonequilibrium Photoionization
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2022,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 937, Issue 2, id.68, 12 pp.
29. Physical Conditions and Chemical Abundances of the Variable Planetary Nebula IC 4997
A. Danehkar, M. Parthasarathy, 2022,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 514, Issue 1, pp.1217-1230.
28. Covariant Evolution of Gravitoelectromagnetism
A. Danehkar, 2022,
Universe, Volume 8, Issue 6, id.318.
27. Morpho-kinematic properties of Wolf-Rayet planetary nebulae
A. Danehkar, 2022,
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Volume 260, Issue 1, id.58, 14 pp.
26. Morphologies of Wolf-Rayet Planetary Nebulae Based on IFU Observations
A. Danehkar, 2022,
Galaxies, Volume 10, Issue 2, id.45.
25. 3D spatio-kinematic modeling of Abell 48, a planetary nebula around a Wolf-Rayet [WN] star
A. Danehkar, 2022,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 511, Issue 1, pp.1022-1028
24. Physical and Chemical Properties of Wolf-Rayet Planetary Nebulae
A. Danehkar, 2021,
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Volume 257, Issue 2, id.58, 23 pp.
23. Catastrophic Cooling in Superwinds. II. Exploring the Parameter Space
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2021,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 921, Issue 1, id.91, 24 pp.
22. Dual Fields of Massive/Massless Gravitons in IR/UV Completions
A. Danehkar, H. Alshal, T. L. Curtright, 2021,
International Journal of Modern Physics D, Volume 30, id. 2142021
21. Long-term X-ray variability of the symbiotic system RT Cru based on Chandra spectroscopy
A. Danehkar, M. Karovska, J. J. Drake, V. L. Kashyap, 2021,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 500, Issue 4, pp.4801-4817
20. Gravitational fields of the magnetic-type
A. Danehkar, 2020,
International Journal of Modern Physics D, Volume 29, Issue 14, id. 2043001
19. Relativistic Components of the Ultra-fast Outflow in the Quasar PDS 456 from Chandra/HETGS, NuSTAR, and XMM-Newton Observations
R. Boissay-Malaquin, A. Danehkar, H. L. Marshall, M. A. Nowak, 2019,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 873, Issue 1, article id. 29, 23 pp. (2019).
18. Electric-magnetic duality in gravity and higher-spin fields
A. Danehkar, 2019,
Frontiers in Physics, Volume 6, id.146 (2018)
17. Electron beam-plasma interaction and electron-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with suprathermal electrons
A. Danehkar, 2018,
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Volume 60, Issue 6, article id. 065010 (2018).
16. A Search for H I Lyα Counterparts to Ultrafast X-Ray Outflows
G. A. Kriss, J. C. Lee, A. Danehkar, 2018,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 859, Issue 2, article id. 94, 17 pp. (2018).
15. MPI_XSTAR: MPI-based Parallelization of the XSTAR Photoionization Program
A. Danehkar, M. A. Nowak, J. C. Lee, R. K. Smith, 2018,
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 130, Issue 984, pp. 024501 (2018).
14. Discovery of an Ultraviolet Counterpart to an Ultrafast X-Ray Outflow in the Quasar PG 1211+143
G. A. Kriss, J. C. Lee, A. Danehkar, M. A. Nowak, T. Fang, et al., 2018,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 853, Issue 2, article id. 166, 7 pp. (2018).
13. The Ultra-fast Outflow of the Quasar PG 1211+143 as Viewed by Time-averaged Chandra Grating Spectroscopy
A. Danehkar, M. A. Nowak, J. C. Lee, G. A. Kriss, A. J. Young, et al., 2018,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 853, Issue 2, article id. 165, 16 pp. (2018).
12. Bi-Abundance Ionisation Structure of the Wolf-Rayet Planetary Nebula PB 8
A. Danehkar, 2018,
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, Volume 35, id.e005 18 pp.
11. Mapping Excitation in the Inner Regions of the Planetary Nebula NGC 5189 Using HST WFC3 Imaging
A. Danehkar, M. Karovska, W. Peter Maksym, R. Montez, 2018,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 852, Issue 2, article id. 87, 8 pp. (2018).
10. Electrostatic solitary waves in an electron-positron pair plasma with suprathermal electrons
A. Danehkar, 2017,
Physics of Plasmas, Volume 24, Issue 10, id.102905
9. Fast, Low-ionization Emission Regions of the Planetary Nebula M2-42
A. Danehkar, Q. A. Parker, W. Steffen, 2016,
The Astronomical Journal, Volume 151, Issue 2, article id. 38, 6 pp. (2016).
8. Discovery of Collimated Bipolar Outflows in the Planetary Nebula TH 2-A
A. Danehkar, 2015,
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 815, Issue 1, article id. 35, 6 pp. (2015).
7. Spatially resolved kinematic observations of the planetary nebulae Hen 3-1333 and Hen 2-113.
A. Danehkar, Q. A. Parker, 2015,
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., Vol. 449, p. L56-L59 (2015)
6. The planetary nebula Abell 48 and its [WN] nucleus
D. J. Frew, I. S. Bojičić, Q. A. Parker, M. Stupar, S. Wachter, ..., A. Danehkar, et al., 2014,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 440, Issue 2, p.1345-1364
5. Observations and three-dimensional photoionization modelling of the Wolf-Rayet planetary nebula Abell 48
A. Danehkar, H. Todt, B. Ercolano, A. Y. Kniazev, 2014,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 439, Issue 4, p.3605-3615
4. Observations and three-dimensional ionization structure of the planetary nebula SuWt 2
A. Danehkar, Q. A. Parker, B. Ercolano, 2013,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 434, Issue 2, p.1513-1530
3. Electron-acoustic solitary waves in the presence of a suprathermal electron component
A. Danehkar, N. S. Saini, M. A. Hellberg, I. Kourakis, 2011,
Physics of Plasmas, Volume 18, Issue 7, pp. 072902-072902-10 (2011).
2. On the Significance of the Weyl Curvature in a Relativistic Cosmological Model
A. Danehkar, 2009,
Modern Physics Letters A, Volume 24, Issue 38, pp. 3113-3127 (2009).
1. Consistent interactions of dual linearized gravity in D=5: couplings with a topological BF model
C. Bizdadea, E. M. Cioroianu, A. Danehkar, M. Iordache, S. O. Saliu, et al., 2009,
The European Physical Journal C, Volume 63, Issue 3, pp.491-519
Scientific Codes (Refereed):
4. pyEQUIB Python Package, an addendum to proEQUIB: IDL Library for Plasma Diagnostics and Abundance Analysis
A. Danehkar, 2020,
Journal of Open Source Software, vol. 5, issue 55, id. 2798
3. AtomNeb Python Package, an addendum to AtomNeb: IDL Library for Atomic Data of Ionized Nebulae
A. Danehkar, 2020,
Journal of Open Source Software, vol. 5, issue 55, id. 2797
2. AtomNeb: IDL Library for Atomic Data of Ionized Nebulae
A. Danehkar, 2019,
Journal of Open Source Software, vol. 4, issue 35, id. 898
1. proEQUIB: IDL Library for Plasma Diagnostics and Abundance Analysis
A. Danehkar, 2018,
Journal of Open Source Software, vol. 3, issue 32, p. 899
Book Reviews (Refereed):
2. Book Review: Holographic Entanglement Entropy
A. Danehkar, 2019,
Frontiers in Physics, Volume 7, id.121 (2019)
1. Book Review: Gauge/Gravity Duality
A. Danehkar, 2018,
Frontiers in Physics, Volume 6, id.82 (2018)
Proceedings
Conference Proceedings:
17. Radiatively Cooling Superwinds in Ultracompact HII Regions
A. Danehkar, 2023,
Resolving the Rise and Fall of Star Formation in Galaxies. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Volume 373, pp. 25-27
16. Numerical Modeling of Galactic Superwinds with Time-evolving Stellar Feedback
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2023,
Winds of Stars and Exoplanets. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Volume 370, pp. 217-222
15. Silicon K-edge Dust Properties of Neutron Star Low-mass X-ray Binaries
A. Danehkar, 2023,
Neutron Star Astrophysics at the Crossroads: Magnetars and the Multimessenger Revolution. Proceedings of the virtual meeting held 29 November - 1 December, 2021. Edited by Eleonora Troja and Matthew G. Baring. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Volume 363, pp. 342-344
14. Hydrodynamic Simulations and Time-dependent Photoionization Modeling of Starburst-driven Superwinds
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2023,
The Predictive Power of Computational Astrophysics as a Discovery Tool. Proceedings of the Virtual Meeting held 8-12 November 2021, originally planned for Chamonix, France. Edited by Dmitry Bisikalo, Dmitri Wiebe and Christian Boily. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Volume 362, pp. 64-69
13. Non-equilibrium Photoionization and Hydrodynamic Simulations of Starburst-driven Outflows
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2021,
J. Phys.: Conf. Ser., 2028, 012013
12. Conditions for Superwind Classes of Super Star Clusters
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2021,
Research Notes of the AAS, Volume 5, Issue 4, id.82
11. Orientation of galactic bulge planetary nebulae toward the Galactic center
A. Danehkar, Q. A. Parker, 2016,
Star Clusters and Black Holes in Galaxies across Cosmic Time, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium, Volume 312, pp. 128-130
10. Physical and Chemical Properties of Planetary Nebulae with WR-type Nuclei
A. Danehkar, R. Wesson, A. I. Karakas, Q. A. Parker, 2015,
Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society, vol. 30, issue 2, pp. 159-161
9. Evolution of Planetary Nebulae with WR-type Central Stars
A. Danehkar, 2015,
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 127, Issue 951, pp. 499 (2015).
8. Electron-acoustic solitons in an electron-beam plasma system with kappa-distributed electrons
A. Danehkar, I. Kourakis, M. A. Hellberg, 2014,
Plasma Sciences (ICOPS), IEEE International Conference on High-Power Particle Beams (BEAMS), IEEE 41st International Conference on, pp. 1-6 (2014)
7. A Search for Type Ia Supernova Progenitors: the Central Stars of the Planetary Nebulae NGC 2392 and NGC 6026
A. Danehkar, D. J. Frew, O. De Marco, Q. A. Parker, 2013,
Binary Paths to Type Ia Supernovae Explosions, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium, Volume 281, p. 221-222
6. Photoionization modeling of the Galactic planetary nebulae Abell 39 and NGC 7027
A. Danehkar, D. J. Frew, Q. A. Parker, O. De Marco, 2012,
Planetary Nebulae: An Eye to the Future, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium, Volume 283, p. 340-341
5. Photoionization Models of the Eskimo Nebula: Evidence for a Binary Central Star?
A. Danehkar, D. J. Frew, Q. A. Parker, O. De Marco, 2012,
From Interacting Binaries to Exoplanets: Essential Modeling Tools, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. Edited by M. T. Richards and I. Hubeny, IAU Symposium, Volume 282, p. 470-471
4. Large-amplitude electron-acoustic solitons in a dusty plasma with kappa-distributed electrons
N. S. Saini, A. Danehkar, M. A. Hellberg, I. Kourakis, 2011,
DUSTY/COMPLEX PLASMAS: BASIC AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH: Sixth International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1397, pp. 357-358 (2011).
3. Electron beam--plasma interaction in a dusty plasma with excess suprathermal electrons
A. Danehkar, N. S. Saini, M. A. Hellberg, I. Kourakis, 2011,
DUSTY/COMPLEX PLASMAS: BASIC AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH: Sixth International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1397, pp. 305-306 (2011).
2. Effect of superthermality on nonlinear electrostatic modes in plasmas
S. Sultana, A. Danehkar, N. S. Saini, M. A. Hellberg, I. Kourakis, 2010,
37th European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics. EPS Conference Proceedings, Volume 34A, pp. P2.410-P2.410-4 (2010).
1. BF Models in Dual Formulations of Linearized Gravity
C. Bizdadea, E. M. Cioroianu, A. Danehkar, M. Iordache, S. O. Saliu, et al., 2009,
Proceedings of the Physics Conference: TIM-08. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1131. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1131, Issue 1, p.29-35
Meeting Abstracts:
13. Chemical abundances of Planetary Nebulae around Hydrogen-deficient Stars
A. Danehkar, 2022,
EAS Annual Meeting, Special Session SS16: Connecting stellar sources and the ionised ISM. 1 July 2022. ePoster Abstract, id. 1270
12. Probing Supermassive Black Hole Spins through Reflection Modeling of Accretion Disks
A. Danehkar, 2022,
EAS Annual Meeting, Special Session SS12: The inner parsec of AGN: accretion, winds & clouds. 30 June 2022. ePoster Abstract, id. 1264
11. Hydrodynamic Simulations of Large-scale AGN-driven Outflows
A. Danehkar, 2022,
EAS Annual Meeting, Symposium S6: Properties and impact of large-scale multiphase AGN outflows. 27 June 2022. Talk Abstract, id. 1258
10. Bayesian X-ray Spectral Analysis of Black Hole Spins in Seyfert I AGN
A. Danehkar, 2022,
American Astronomical Society Meeting #240, id. 230.02. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 54, No. 6 e-id 2022n6i230p02
9. Black hole spins in radio-quiet type I active galaxies: Markov chain Monte Carlo based analysis
A. Danehkar, 2022,
APS April Meeting 2022, abstract id.S17.045
8. Positron-acoustic solitons in an electron-positron plasma with beam electrons and kappa-distributed electrons
A. Danehkar, 2021,
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting 2021, abstract id.JP11.003
7. Electron Beam-Plasma Interaction in an Electron-Positron Plasma System with Kappa-Distributed Electrons
A. Danehkar, 2021,
2021 IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS)
6. Chandra/HETG And NuSTAR Observations Of The Quasar PDS 456 And Its Ultra-fast Outflow Components
R. Boissay-Malaquin, A. Danehkar, H. Marshall, M. Nowak, 2021,
American Astronomical Society meeting #238, id. 224.02. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 53, No. 6 e-id 2021n6i224p02
5. Hard X-ray emitting symbiotics: candidates for type Ia supernova progenitors
A. Danehkar, 2021,
APS April Meeting 2021, abstract id.Z09.006
4. Emission Lines from Superwinds of Super Star Clusters
A. Danehkar, M. S. Oey, W. J. Gray, 2021,
American Astronomical Society meeting #237, id. 228.04. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 53, No. 1 e-id 2021n1i228p04
3. The extreme velocities of the Ultra-fast Outflow components in the Quasar PDS 456
R. Boissay Malaquin, A. Danehkar, H. Marshall, M. Nowak, 2019,
American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #17, id.301.03
2. Discovery of Low-ionization Envelopes in the Planetary Nebula NGC 5189: Spatially-resolved Diagnostics from HST Observations
A. Danehkar, M. Karovska, W. P. Maksym, R. Montez, 2018,
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #231, id. 241.12
1. The Ultra-fast Outflows of PG 1211+143
M. Nowak, A. Danehkar, G. A. Kriss, J. C. Lee, R. K. Smith, et al., 2017,
American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #16, id.200.03<
Talks
Talk at IAUS370, Busan, Korea, August 11, 2022
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25029785
Talk at IAUS373, Busan, Korea, August 10, 2022
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25029482
Talk at AAS Summer 240th Meeting, Pasadena, CA, June 14, 2022
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25024931
Talk at Evolved Stars and their Circumstellar Environments, December 15, 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.17700830
Talk at IAUS362: Predictive Power of Computational Astrophysics, November 8, 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.17125607
Talk at 4th Workshop on Numerical Modeling in MHD and Plasma Physics, 13 October 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.16820926
Talk at Asymmetrical Post-Main-Sequence Nebulae 8 (APN8), October 8, 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.16850317
Talk at Chandra Data Science, Virtual Meeting, Chandra X-ray Center, USA, August 18, 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.15241914
Talk at Challenges and Innovations in Computational Astrophysics - III (ChaICA-III; Virtual), 21 June 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14820438
Talk at American Physical Society (APS) April Meeting, Virtual Meeting, USA, April 20, 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14669499
Talk at American Astronomical Society (AAS) Winter 237st Virtual Meeting, USA, January 12, 2021
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13720114
Talk at Challenges and Innovations in Computational Astrophysics - II (Virtual), November 20, 2020
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699591
Talk at 30th Midwest Relativity Meeting (Virtual), University of Notre Dame, IN, October 23, 2020
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699531
Talk at Galaxy Group Meeting, University of Michigan, MA, USA, November 25, 2019
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699429
Talk at Extreme Astrophysics Group, University of Michigan, Michigan, MA, USA, October 31, 2019
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699300
Talk at 29th Midwest Relativity Meeting, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, October 4, 2019
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699240
Talk at Post-Doc Colloquium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, September 5, 2019
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699186
Talk at Galaxy Group Meeting, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, March 11, 2019
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699114
Talk at CfA Postdoc Symposium, Harvard/CfA, Cambridge, USA, October 20, 2017
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699090
Talk at New England Regional Quasar and AGN Meeting (NERQUAM), Boston University, May 12, 2017
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699078
Talk at CfA Postdoc Symposium, Harvard CfA, Cambridge, USA, October 7, 2016
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699069
High Energy Phenomena Seminar (lunch talk), Harvard CfA, Cambridge, USA, September 7, 2016
[embedyt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q_wv61ou1E&width=600&height=375[/embedyt]
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699048
Talk at CfA Postdoc Symposium, Harvard CfA, Cambridge, USA, November 20, 2015
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13699018
Talk at 12th Asia-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting (APRIM), Daejeon, Korea, August 20, 2014
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13698868
Talk at CPP Project Seminar, Queen’s University Belfast, UK, September 30, 2009
doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13698991
Address
Eureka Scientific
2452 Delmer St Suite 100
Oakland, CA 94602
Phone
+1-617-955-0606
ashkbiz [at] gmail [dot] com