Research Interests:

WhiskyMHD

Exact Riemann Solver for Relativistic MHD

Scientific Visualization

Publications

My main field of research consists in the numerical solution of the full set of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic equations governing the evolution of compact objects in presence of magnetic fields. I am particularly interested in the numerical simulation of single and binary magnetized neutron stars and for this purpose, together with Luciano Rezzolla, I have developed a full GRMHD code named WhiskyMHD.

During my PhD (SISSA 2002-2006) under the supervision of Luciano Rezzolla I developed the first general exact solution of the Riemann problem in special relativistic MHD. This exact solver, which is public available for download, has been used by several groups in the world to test numerical codes and to study the physics of jets.

I am also interested in scientific visualization both as a tool to analyze data produced by numerical simulations and as an instrument to present to colleagues and/or to a more general public the results of my work.

The list of my collaborators include at the moment the following persons:
Luca Baiotti (Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Japan), Joan Centrella (GSFC/NASA, USA), Thibault Damour (IHES, France), Rony Keppens (University of Leuven, Belgium), Zakaria Meliani (University of Leuven, Belgium), Cole Miller (University of Maryland, USA), Yosuke Mizuno (NSSTC/UAH, USA), Alessandro Nagar (IHES, France), Ken-Ichi Nishikawa (NSSTC/UAH, USA), Chris Reynolds (University of Maryland, USA), Luciano Rezzolla (AEI, Germany), Nikolaos Stergioulas (University of Thessaloniki, Greece), James VanMeter (GSFC/NASA, USA), Shin'ichiorou Yoshida (University of Tokyo, Japan).