Alexander Heger

Affiliate

Monash University

Biography

Current work comprises the study of massive to supermassive stars (10-100,000 solar masses); the first generations of stars in the universe (Pop III stars); evolution of rotating massive stars and the spin of their remnants (including predictions for GW sources); mixing and transport processes in the stellar interior; nucleosynthesis and the origin of elements, including galacto-chemical evolution - which elements are made where and when; supernovae (mechanisms and nucleosynthesis); gamma-ray bursts (collapsars and similar models) and their progenitors; modeling of Type I X-ray bursts and superbursts (thermonuclear explosions on the surface of neutron stars). My interest in collaboration within ASTRO 3D is with more than one stream but drop-down list above only provides one option. My interest is generally with evolution of massive and Pop III stars and their outputs - their nucleosynthesis and other feedback. As such, I am also interested galactic chemical evolution, in particular the first stars and first galaxies, and abundance patterns in ultra-metal poor stars as probe of early stellar generations and their nucleosynthesis. This include the transition from first stars to first galaxies, and the feedback, both chemical as well as radiation, and eventually re-ionisation. I have also recently worked on formation of supermassive black holes through supermassive stars in the early universe as seeds of the supermassive BH for quasars within the first Gyr of the universe (and to the present day). My work is mostly based on numerical simulations of stars and their nucleosynthesis, but I also develop tools to use this data for comparison with observational data (e.g., http://starfit.org). I have supported Galah over the past few years, and through my membership in ASTRO 3D I hope to contribute more to Galah and to other projects within Astro 3D, staring new collaborations and hopefully also help to inspire new projects and ideas.