Hi, my name is Jaeden and I'm a first-year physics graduate student at Caltech. I did my BSc in physics at Bishop's University in Québec, Canada with a minor in math. I like to spend my free time hiking, powerlifting and playing music.
I am broadly interested in theoretical astrophysics with an emphasis on supermassive black holes and their connection to galaxies and gravitational waves. I also have a passion for teaching and enjoy volunteer tutoring, in addition to helping out as a teaching assistant.
Recent "super-zoom-in" simulations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) have allowed for the study of physics continuously from cosmological scales down to a few hundred Schwarzschild radii. Such a simulation allows me to investigate the dust torus and broad line region of AGN without assuming a predetermined structure or composition.
Mergers of supermassive black holes (SMBH) produce gravitational waves detectable by future experiments such as LISA or pulsar timing arrays. However, finding the host galaxy of a detected SMBH merger is not trivial. In Bardati et al. (2024), we find that the presence of permanent morphological features such as a prominent bulge may be indications of SMBH merger hosts.
Continuing on previous work, we investigate the line-of-sight velocity and velocity dispersion maps of SMBH merger host galaxies. In Bardati et al. (in prep), we find that SMBH merger hosts are characterized by a more prominent bulge, slower rotation, and stronger kinematic misalignments.
The ultimate goal of science is to pass it on to others. I've found that teaching not only rewards the student, but the educator too.
The universe's beauty has long been a cryptic source of inspiration for people across the world. It's the astronomer's privilege to translate.
Programming has been a long-time passion of mine. Originally just a pastime, I've since made something of a career out of it.
If you aren't an astrophysist but are nevertheless interested in the cool science I do, I've included a little webpage to make it more accessible!
You can best reach me at my email jbardati@caltech.edu, but you can also find me on my social media at the bottom of the page.