Welcome!

I am a postdoctoral research associate and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I work primarily on core-collapse supernova theory, nuclear and general relativistic astrophysics, numerical relativity, and gravitational wave physics.

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New Stuff

• I am currently in Berlin. If you need to reach me, please try e-mail or my cell phone (please inquire # via e-mail).
• APS April Meeting 08: If you are interested, please download the talk I presented at the APS meeting in St. Louis -- Core-Collapse Supernova Mechanisms and their Signature in Gravitational Waves.
• New Paper:
  On March 31, 2008 we finally submitted to ApJ our Ott, Burrows, Dessart, Livne study on angle-dependent multi-group neutrino radiation hydrodynamics in the postbounce core-collapse supernova context. The paper is available on arXiv.org [arXiv:0804.0239] and a version with high-resolution figures can be downloaded here.
  Here are some Hammer-type map projections of the neutrino specific intensity shown for electron neutrinos at 12.6 MeV and at equatorial radii of 30, 60, 120, and 240 km:
  
  Besides looking at the momentum-space angular distributions, we also carried out long-term postbounce calculations with both angle-dependent transport and multi-group flux-limited diffusion and compared the two schemes in the core-collapse SN context.
  For details, please take a look at the paper!
• Exciting News:
  

  I have won the Postdamer Nachwuchs-Wissenschaftspreis (Young Scientist Prize of the City of Potsdam). I received the prize at the Einsteintag of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (the former Prussian Academy) on December 14, 2007. Read the entire story in German on the City of Potsdam Website.

• The European Union FP7 Marie Curie Intra-European Career Development Fellowship proposal that I have jointly submitted with the School of Mathematics (Applied Math / GR Group) of the University of Southampton, UK was rated at 93/100 and was graded A (very likely to receive funding) in the preliminary EU commission report (12/07/2007).
• I have recently had the pleasure of participating in the Trento ECT* workshop on "Matter at Extreme Densities and Gravitational Waves from Compact Objects". A pdf-variant of my talk can be downloaded from here (6 MB).
• Gravitational Waves from Stellar Core Collapse and Core-Collapse Supernovae. Two new gravitational waveform catalogs are online.
  
  
  • MPA Garching catalog, put together by Harry Dimmelmeier, based on general relativistic simulations by Dimmelmeier et al., PRL in press (2007), Ott et al., CQG 24, S139 (2007), and Ott et al., PRL in press (2007).
  • Arizona Catalog, put together by myself and based on the Newtonian radiation-hydrodynamics core-collapse supernova calculations of Burrows et al., ApJ 655, 416 (2007), Burrows et al., ApJ 640, 878 (2006), Ott et al., PRL 96, 201102 (2006), Dessart et al., ApJ 644, 1063 (2006), and on the Newtonian core-collapse study of Ott et al., ApJ 600, 834 (2004).
• The gravitational wave signature of rotating stellar iron core collapse is generic! For details, read Dimmelmeier et al., PRL 98,251101 (2007), Ott et al., CQG 24, S139 (2007), and Ott et al., PRL 98, 261101 (2007).
• On March 30, 2007, I defended my PhD thesis entitled Stellar Iron Core Collapse in 3+1 General Relativity and The Gravitational Wave Signature of Core-Collapse Supernovae and by that obtained the degree of Dr. rer. nat. (Dr. of Science / PhD equivalent) from the University of Potsdam. If you are interested, please download a copy of my thesis (beware: 310 pages; ~45 MB in pdf; does not print well on Windows machines).
• A New Mechanism for Gravitational-Wave Emission in Core-Collapse Supernovae:
  Ott, Burrows, Dessart, Livne, PRL 96, 201102 (2006; we made the cover!)
  

  Abstract We present a new theory for the gravitational-wave signatures of core-collapse supernovae. Previous studies identified axisymmetric rotating core collapse, core bounce, postbounce convection, and anisotropic neutrino emission as the primary processes and phases for the radiation of gravitational waves. Our results, which are based on axisymmetric Newtonian supernova simulations, indicate that the dominant emission process of gravitational waves in core-collapse supernovae may be the oscillations of the protoneutron star core. The oscillations are predominantly of g mode character, are excited hundreds of milliseconds after bounce, and typically last for several hundred milliseconds. Our results suggest that even nonrotating core-collapse supernovae should be visible to current LIGO-class detectors throughout the Galaxy, and depending on progenitor structure, possibly out to megaparsec distances.

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Current Projects and Collaborations

• I am working with the Arizona supernova group (led by Adam Burrows) on various topics in core-collapse supernova theory. The current focus is on magneto-hydrodynamics and the effects of various approximations to neutrino radiation transport in the core-collapse supernova phenomenon. My direct collaborators on this project are Adam Burrows (Arizona), Luc Dessart (Arizona), Eli Livne (Jerusalem), Ivan Hubeny (Arizona), and Jeremiah Murphy (Arizona).
• I am working with Harald Dimmelmeier (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) on general relativistic calculations of rotating iron core collapse and postbounce supernova evolution (in 2D [axisymmetry] and 3D) and the corresponding gravitational wave signal. Additional collaborators are Thomas Janka (Max Planck Institute for Astrophyics, MPA), Andreas Marek (MPA), and Ewald Müller (MPA).
• I am working with the numerical relativity group at the Center for Computation and Technology at Louisana State University on a multi-block approach to general-relativistic hydrodynamics and core-collapse supernova calculations. My collaborators are Ed Seidel (CCT/LSU), Manuel Tiglio (CCT/LSU), Erik Schnetter (CCT/LSU), Burkhard Zink (CCT/LSU), Joel Tohline (LSU), Shangli Ou (LSU), Ian Hawke (University of Southampton), Harald Dimmelmeier, and Nikolaos Stergioulas (both Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).
• I am a co-developer of the mesh-refinement package Carpet for the Cactus computational infrastructure. My principal collaborators are Erik Schnetter (Louisiana State University), Thomas Radke (Albert-Einstein-Institut), and Ian Hawke (University of Southampton).
• I am a co-developer of the Whisky code, a general-relativistic hydrodynamics code within the Cactus infrastructure. My principal collaborators are Ian Hawke (University of Southampton), Luciano Rezzolla (Albert-Einstein-Institut, AEI), Luca Baiotti (AEI), Bruno Giacomazzo (AEI), Thorsten Kellermann (AEI), and Burkhard Zink (Louisiana State University).
• I am working on various spherically-symmetric (1D) toy codes for educational and technology-test purposes with Rolf Walder (ETH Zürich), Erik Schnetter (Louisiana State University), and Casey Meakin (University of Chicago).

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Recent refereed Publications

(Complete ADS list), (only refereed ADS publications).

• L. Dessart, A. Burrows, E. Livne, and C. D. Ott, "The Proto-Neutron Star Phase of the Collapsar Model and the Route to Long-Soft Gamma-Ray Bursts and Hypernovae," ApJ L673, 585, 2008 (ads)
• L. Dessart, A. Burrows, C. D. Ott, and E. Livne, "Magnetically-driven explosions of rapidly-rotating white dwarfs following Accretion-Induced Collapse," ApJ 669, 585, 2007 (ads)
• C. D. Ott, H. Dimmelmeier, A. Marek, H.-T. Janka, I. Hawke, B. Zink, and E. Schnetter, "3D Collapse of Rotating Stellar Iron Cores in General Relativity Including Deleptonization and a Nuclear Equation of State," PRL 98, 261101, 2007. (ads)
• A. Burrows, E. Livne, L. Dessart, C. D. Ott, and J. Murphy, "Simulations of Magnetically-Driven Supernova and Hypernova Explosions in the Context of Rapid Rotation," ApJ 664, 416, 2007. (ads)
• H. Dimmelmeier, C. D. Ott, A. Marek, H.-T. Janka, and E. Müller, "Gravitational-Wave Signals from the Collapse of Rotating Stellar Cores," PRL 98, 251101, 2007. (ads)
• C. D. Ott, H. Dimmelmeier, A. Marek, H.-T. Janka, I. Hawke, B. Zink, and E. Schnetter, "Rotating Collapse of Stellar Iron Cores in General Relativity," refereed proceedings of the New Frontiers in Numerical Relativity Conference, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Potsdam. CQG 24, S139, 2007. (ads)
• B. Zink, N. Stergioulas, I. Hawke, C. D. Ott, E. Schnetter, E. Müller, "Non-axisymmetric instability and fragmentation of general relativistic quasi-toroidal stars," PRD 76, 204019, 2007. (ads)
• A. Burrows, E. Livne, L. Dessart, C. D. Ott, and J. Murphy, "Features of the Acoustic Mechanism of Core-Collapse Supernova Explosions," ApJ 655, 416, 2007. (ads)
• C. D. Ott, A. Burrows, L. Dessart, and E. Livne, "A New Mechanism for the Gravitational Wave Emission in Core-Collapse Supernovae," PRL 96, 201102, 2006. (ads)
• A. Burrows, E. Livne, L. Dessart, C. D. Ott, and J. Murphy, "A New Mechanism for Core-Collapse Supernova Explosions,", ApJ 640, 878, 2006. (ads)
• L. Dessart, A. Burrows, E. Livne, and C. D. Ott, "Multi-Dimensional Radiation/Hydrodynamic Simulations of Protoneutron Star Convection," ApJ 645, 534, 2006. (ads)
• C. D. Ott, A. Burrows, T. Thompson, E. Livne, and R. Walder, "The Spin Periods and Rotational Profiles of Neutron Stars at Birth," ApJS 164, 130, 2006. (ads)
• L. Dessart, A. Burrows, C. D. Ott, and E. Livne, "Multi-Dimensional Simulations of the Accretion-Induced Collapse of White Dwarfs to Neutron Stars," ApJ 644, 1063, 2006 (ads)
• B. Zink, N. Stergioulas, I. Hawke, C. D. Ott, E. Schnetter, E. Müller, "Black hole formation through fragmentation of toroidal polytropes", PRL 96, 161101, 2006. (ads)
• R. Walder, A. Burrows, C. D. Ott, E. Livne, M. Jarrah, "Anisotropies in the Neutrino Fluxes and Heating Profiles in Two-dimensional, Time-dependent, Multi-group Radiation Hydrodynamics Simulations of Rotating Core-Collapse Supernovae," ApJ 626, 317, 2005. (ads)
• C. D. Ott, S. Ou, J. E. Tohline, A. Burrows, "One-armed Spiral Instability in a Slowly Rotating, Post-Bounce Supernova Core", ApJ 625, L119, 2005. (ads)
• C. D. Ott, A. Burrows, E. Livne, and R. Walder, "Gravitational Waves from Axisymmetric, Rotational Stellar Core Collapse," ApJ 600, 834, 2004. (ads)

Preprints

• C. D. Ott, A. Burrows, L. Dessart, and E. Livne, "2D Multi-Angle, Multi-Group Neutrino Radiation-Hydrodynamic Simulations of Postbounce Supernova Cores," submitted to ApJ. (ads/preprint)
• T. Z. Summerscales, A. Burrows, C. D. Ott, and L. S. Finn, "Maximum Entropy for Gravitational Wave Data Analysis: Inferring the Physical Parameters of Core-Collapse Supernovae," accepted to ApJ. (ads/preprint)