projects
Fast Calculation of Effective Number of Cosmological Neutrinos in Comoving Variables
Institute Nazionale De Fisica Nucleare - Sezione Di Torino
Pi: Dr. Stefano Gariazzo
Jun. 2022 - Present
• Numerically computing number of effective relativistic neutrino species in comoving variables after non-instantaneous neutrino decoupling.
• Developing a fast code with 10e-2 accuracy to the full calculations, but reducing computation time from days to a few seconds.
• Considering effects of neutrino oscillations, electron mass suppression, finite temperature QED corrections, etc. on the Neff.
• Calculating in a model-independent manner to analyze the impact of stellar neutrino species, WIMPs, thermal dark matter, etc.
Astronomical data-processing pipeline creation for the Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope
Aryabhatta Research Institute Of Observational Sciences (ARIES Observatory, Nainital)
May. 2022
• Created an open online data archive for wide-field photometry observations from DFOT.
• An automated computational pipeline was developed to convert raw FITS astronomical data from each observation to processed images.
• Pre-processing, astrometry and photometry was done using Python (Astropy, Photoutils, Astroalign, CCDProc) to make the process easily modifiable for monitoring of transients, variability of stars, AGNs, etc.
Thermalization of Neutrinos in the Early Universe (Master’s thesis)
Institute Nazionale De Fisica Nucleare - Sezione Di Torino
Pi: Dr. Stefano Gariazzo
Jan. 2022 - May. 2022
• Understood neutrino decoupling in standard cosmology in both instantaneous and non-instantaneous case.
• Solved the relativistic Boltzmann equations in comoving variables to see effects on photon and neutrino temperature evolution.
• Calculated distortions in the neutrino distributions due to electron-positron annihilation by computing the collision terms for each interaction.
Study on the Modern Cosmological Model (Bachelor’s Thesis)
Institute Nazionale De Fisica Nucleare - Sezione Di Torino
Pi: Dr. Stefano Gariazzo
Aug. 2021 - Dec. 2021
• Understood geometry of curved spacetime, Equivalence principle, Einstein and Friedmann equations in Lambda-CDM model.
• Studied statistical mechanics, thermodynamics and the dynamics of an expanding universe, and constructed the Boltzmann equations.
• Studied dynamics of the early universe, including inflation, species decoupling and transitions of epochs.
Study on Weak Interactions and Neutrinos
Nuclear And Particle Physics Group, Dept. Of Physics, BITS Pilani
Pi: Prof. Rishikesh Vaidya
Jan. 2021 - May. 2021
• Understood weak gauge interactions and the family structure of leptons to appreciate masslessness of neutrinos within the standard model.
• Understood the experimental background, solar and atmospheric neutrino anomalies as well as accelerator experiments.
• Understood the Dirac and Majorana nature of neutrinos and Neutrino oscillations as a solution to these problems.
Experimental and Computational Analysis of Droplet Dynamics on Superhydrophobic Surfaces
Department Of Mechanical Engineering, BITS Pilani
Pi: Prof. A.R. Harikrishnan
Aug. 2020 - May. 2021
• Setup and conducted the experiment using a high-speed camera for water droplets impacting syperhydrophobic acrylic surfaces.
• Developed computational fluid dynamic simulations for varying multiphase cases and compared with the experimental data.
Optimization of Large Rotating Plug of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR, Kalpakkam)
Indira Gandhi Centre For Atomic Research (IGCAR)
Pi: Mr. S.r. Aithal
May. 2019 - Jul. 2019
• Optimized components of the top shield of the new 500MWe fast breeder nuclear reactor being constructed in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
• Designed Large Diameter Bearings to handle the extreme temperature gradient in the top shield using spacer balls for high reliability.
Image Sensing by Hypersprectal Camera and Sun-Sensor Optimization on Nanosatellite
Team Anant - Nanosatellite Team, BITS Pilani
May - July 2020
• Worked in the Payload subsystem on image sensing through a hyperspectral camera to detect algal bloom patterns in the Indian Ocean.
• Worked in Attitude Determination and Control subsystem (ADCS) on Sun Sensors Placement and Optimization for the nanosatellite.