Phil Arras

Email: arras@virginia.edu
Phone: (434) 924-4888
Fax: (434) 924-3104
Office: 217 Astronomy Building
Address:
   Department of Astronomy
   PO Box 400325
   Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325

Curriculum Vitae: B.S. Physics, B.A. Math, U.C.S.D, 1993; Ph.D. Physics, Cornell University, 1999; Presently:; Assistant Professor, University of Virginia

Research Interests: Theoretical Astrophysics; Stellar and Planetary Physics; Relativistic Astrophysics

Courses Recently Taught: Astronomy 211

I am interested in stellar and planetary physics, and relativistic astrophysics. Recently I've been working on issues related to extrasolar planets (cooling models of gas giants, strongly irradiated atmospheres, ellipsoidal variability in solar-type stars, tidal heating), pulsation of white dwarfs (seismology and mode driving for accreting, pulsating white dwarfs in Cataclysmic Variables), and quasi-periodic oscillations from the accretion disks in black hole binaries (seismology of accretion tori, and wave excitation by MHD turbulence).

Selected Recent Papers and Preprints
Thermal Structure and Radius Evolution of Irradiated Gas Giant Planets, P. Arras and L. Bildsten 2006, ApJ, 650, p. 394: Abstract
Oscillation modes of relativistic slender tori, O. Blaes, P. Arras, P.C. Fragile, MNRAS, 369, p. 1235-1252: Abstract
Quasi-periodic Oscillations from Magnetorotational Turbulence, P. Arras, O. Blaes, N.J. Turner, ApJL, 645, p. 65-68: Abstract
Pulsational Instabilities in Accreting White Dwarfs , P. Arras, D. Townsley and L. Bildsten, ApJL, 643, p.119: Abstract
M ore publications...