Professor Tim Harries
Associate Professor in Astronomy
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Extension: 4158
Telephone: 01392 724158
My research concerns the formation of stars from molecular clouds to protoplanetary discs. I employ observational techniques such as spectroscopy and polarimetry using large telescopes to probe the density and thermal structure of gas and dust as it collapses to form protostars and discs. I am interested in how material is transported through discs onto protostars, a process that happens on spatial scales that are far too small to be resolved by direct imaging. I, along with my postdocs and students, have developed a sophisticated numerical code that synthetises the interaction between light and matter, and enables a comparison between models of star formation and the various observational diagnostics. Much of my research therefore lies at the interface between numerical models and observations.
