About Me

I am PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh studying supernova remnants using a Cosmic Ray, Hydrodynamic, Non-Equilibrium Ionization code, ChN, and X-ray spectroscopy under the supervision of Dr. Carles Badenes. My research focus is on studying Type Ia supernovae progenitor scenarios by simulating supernova remnants in different circumstellar environments and comparing their spectra to observed Chandra spectra. Outside of science, I love to cook, camp, and brew beer.

Education:

2021-Present: PhD in Physics from University of Pittsburgh
2019-2021: MS in Physics from University of Pittsburgh
2014-2018: BS in Physics from Allegheny College, Minor in Psychology

Publications:

ADS link

Research

Modeling the X-Ray Emission of Type Ia Supernova Remnants in Different Circumstellar Environments
I simulate supernova remnants while varying the circumstellar structure to create a grid of models. Shown above are simulations varying the mass loss rate and wind velocity for steady isotropic winds. The Type Ia explosion models are propagated through the wind blown bubbles for our remnant simulations. After simulating the hydrodynamics, we create synthetic spectra for comparison to observations.

Do Type Ia Supernovae Explode Inside Planetary Nebulae?
We simulate supernova remnants within common envelope cocoons consistent with bipolar planetary nebulae. Comparing the bulk properties of the remnant simulations with uniform ambient medium simulations, we find there must be a significant delay time on the order of 10,000 years between a common envelope ejection and supernova. Court, et al. 2024

Multiplicity Statistics of Stars in the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy: Comparison to the Milky Way
We compare the statistics of stars in the Sgr dSph to analogs from the MW by creating analog samples using a k-d tree selecting for relevant stellar properties. We find that the Sgr dwarf spheroidal has systematically higher multiplicity than similar stars in the Milky Way. Bonidie, Court, et al. 2022

Community

Selected Academic Service & Outreach:

Astronomy on Tap: Coordinator 2022-Present
Writing Fridays Workshops: Co-Lead 2023-Present
AstroSnacks Journal Club: Organizer 2022-2023
Association for Physics and Astronomy Graduate Students (APAGS): Co-President 2021-2023
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Council: Graduate Student Representative 2021-2023
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Council: Graduate Student Representative 2020-2021

Teaching:

Physics 174 Basic Physics, Science, and Engineering 1 Summer Engineering Academy Instructor 2024
Physics 110 Introduction to Physics I Instructor of Record Summer 2023
Astronomy 089 Stars, Galaxies, and the Cosmos: TA Summer 2021, Summer 2020
Physics 219 Basic Laboratory Physics for Science and Engineering: TA Fall 2020