Profile

Neutron stars are highly dense objects. They are the equivalent of squashing 2 Suns into a ball the size of a small city (like Southampton). They have an incredibly strong gravitational pull, they are very very hot, they have the strongest magnetic field strength known in the universe and they spin incredibly fast. All of these features arise from their extreme density, which makes them excellent laboratories for testing the laws of physics in extreme conditions.

I’m interested in how their strong gravitational field can cause them to emit gravitational waves. For this to be possible, they can’t be perfectly spherical (because if they were, nothing would appear to change). One way they can change from being a perfect sphere is by growing mountains. Because they are so dense, even a relatively small mountain will make the spherical star a bit lumpy. This change is something we can measure from earth using gravitational wave detectors.

My job is to see how these mountains might be able to grow, how big they can get and how long they live for. I do this using computers and traditional pen and paper maths.

When I’m not doing science I like to spend my time making clothes, creating unusual jewellery, cooking international foods and walking my puppy, Rudy.

I’m a new PhD student, so that means I have a lot to learn. Most of my day is spent learning about new physical processes. This involves taking all of the physics I learnt at university and putting it all together to describe what is happening on a neutron star. Some of the things I am learning are completely new to me too. I read both textbooks and research papers. Research papers are ‘updates’ written by scientists. It’s a way people around the world can share information on what they are working on. This allows scientists to help each other and even work together. When I am reading, I follow the maths as I go along. This really helps to test my understanding of what is being explained to me. It’s great practise, as the maths can get quite tricky!

I also regularly attend seminars. Seminars are a place that people in the university, who are doing similar research, can meet up and discuss their work. These meetings are really interesting, as you find out what everyone is up to and it’s a great opportunity to ask lots of questions!