Jorge Cuadra

JILA, Univ. of Colorado
Boulder CO 80309-0440
USA

E-mail: jcuadra(at)jilau1.colorado.edu
Phone: +1-303-492-5599
+1-303-492-1798
Skype: jorge_cuadra
Fax: +1-303-492-5235

Current Research

• Gas dynamics and black hole binaries
  Numerical simulations of self-gravitating circumbinary disks, focusing on their influence on the orbit of the super-massive black hole binary before it merges. Effect of a "merger kick" on an accretion disk.
• Star formation in AGN accretion disks
  Analytical estimates and numerical simulations of star formation and evolution within a gravitationally unstable accretion disk. Comparison to Galactic center observations.
• Accretion of stellar winds
  Numerical models of stellar winds in the Galactic center, studying the accretion flow and the observational signatures of the gas. Extension of these models to other galactic nuclei.
• Stellar dynamics in galactic nuclei
  Analytical and N-body studies of the evolution of flat stellar systems orbiting a super-massive black hole. Fit the observed Galactic center star dynamics with flat and warped disks.

Selected Publications

• Stellar dynamical evidence against a cold disc origin for stars in the Galactic Centre. (MNRAS 2008)
• Variable accretion and emission from the stellar winds in the Galactic centre. (MNRAS 2008)
• Simulations of star formation in a gaseous disc around Sgr A* - a failed AGN. (MNRAS 2007)
• Galactic Centre stellar winds and Sgr A* accretion. (MNRAS 2006)
• Accretion of cool stellar winds on Sgr A*: another puzzle of the Galactic Centre? (MNRAS 2005)
• A self-gravitating accretion disk in Sgr A* a few million years ago: is Sgr A* a failed quasar? (A&A 2005)
• Bright stars and an optically thick inactive disk in Sgr A* and other dormant galaxy centers. (A&A 2003)

Curriculum Vitae

• 2006-...: Research Associate at JILA, working in P Armitage and M Begelman's group.
• 2002-2006: PhD at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astrophysik (MPA) in Garching, Germany. Thesis supervised by S Nayakshin and R Sunyaev.
• 1998-2001: Degree in Astronomy (Licenciatura) at the P. Universidad Católica (PUC), Santiago, Chile.
• 1996-2000: Studies in Engineering and Computer Science at PUC.

Online material

• "Star formation and stellar winds around the Galactic super-massive black hole".
  Invited talk at the conference on Astrophysics of Compact Objects, Huang Shan, July 2007.
  • Slides from my presentation.
  • The animations I showed can be found here and here.
  

• "Variable accretion of stellar winds onto Sagittarius A*".
  Talk at the IAU Symposium on Black Holes, Prague, Aug 2006.
  • Video of my presentation.
  • Slides.

• "Variable accretion of stellar winds onto Sgr A*".
  Talk at the Galactic Center Workshop 2006, Bad Honnef, Apr 2006.
  • Animations from my presentation.
  • Article from the conference proceedings.

• "Feeding the Milky Way Central Black Hole with Stellar Winds", or, "Wie das Schwarze Loch im Zentrum unserer Galaxis gefuettert wird".
  MPA Research Highlight, Jan 2006.

• "Accretion of Stellar Winds in the Galactic Centre".
  Poster presented at the KITP Conference on The Paradoxes of Massive Black Holes, Santa Barbara, Apr 2005.

• "Stars in the Galactic Centre: Sources and Probes of the Accretion on to Sgr A*".
  Poster presented at the IMPRS evaluation, Garching, Apr 2005.