Prof. Siddhartha Gupta

Research

Current Research Areas  I explore the frontier of high-energy astrophysics, investigating how plasma processes shape the evolution of astrophysical systems. My current research topics are: Astrophysical plasma: kinetic theory, particle acceleration, shock, reconnection, turbulence, and plasma processes. Galaxy evolution: star clusters, supernovae, galactic outflows, and cosmic ray feedback. Computational astrophysics: numerical techniques, hydro/MHD simulation, and kinetic particle-in-cell simulation.  Theme  We are living in an exciting era of space and astrophysical research, where multi-messenger approaches---using cosmic rays, electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, and neutrinos---are reshaping our understanding of the universe. However, discoveries such as black holes, fast radio bursts, and gamma-ray bursts continue to challenge existing theories, highlighting that many fundamental questions remain unanswered. This applies to most astrophysical systems, including our sun, supernovae, jets in active galactic nuclei, galaxies, and galaxy clusters. To unravel any phenomenon, one must probe the key underlying principles. Although astrophysical objects differ significantly in size, they are all shaped by similar processes, such as magnetic reconnection, shocks, and turbulence that operate on microscopic scales but have macroscopic consequences. These processes often boost the energy of thermal particles (whose distributions follow Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics), transforming them into nonthermal particles (known as cosmic rays) which follow a power-law distribution in energy. Nonthermal particles account for a significant fraction of the total energy content of the universe, affecting star formation to galaxy evolution. Understanding such large-scale systems therefore requires connecting small-scale plasma physics with astrophysical observations. My research addresses these fundamental problems.