Narsireddy Anugu, PhD University of Porto, 2017

I am a staff scientist at the CHARA Array. I work on building long-baseline interferometric and adaptive optics instruments and applying them for  imaging stellar surfaces, and protoplanetary disks and detecting binaries. I worked on every currently operating major optical interferometers in the world, including the CHARA Array, the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), and the Large Binocular Interferometer (LBTI). Before joining the CHARA Array, I pursued Postdoc fellowships at the University of Arizona and the University Exeter/Michigan. While workin in Tucson, I participated in building the MAPS instrument for the MMT observatory. While working in Michigan/Exeter, I built sensitive beam combiners for CHARA, namely, MIRC-X (J+H-bands) and MYSTIC (K-band).  I earned my Ph.D. degree from the University of Porto by involving in the successful development of VLTI/GRAVITY. My PhD thesis is here. 

Email: nanugu@gsu.edu             Last updated Sep 13 2024

Selected cutting edge instrumentation (VLTI/GRAVITY and CHARA/MIRC-X)

GRAVITY interferometer -- black hole and exoplanet characterization machine. I built acquisition and guiding camera for GRAVITY for my thesis with Portugese collaboration. PhD supervisor: Prof. Paulo Garcia

Summary and Relevant papers 1 and 2 (first authored). 

CHARA/MIRC-X interferometer -- protoplanetary disk imaging machine in near-infrared.  I worked as Instrument Scientist in developing MIRC-X. Postdoc advisers Prof. Stefan Kraus and Prof. John Monnier.

Summary and Paper (first authored)

Selected breakthrough science results

First Successful Test of Einstein’s General Relativity Near Supermassive Black Hole (from GRAVITY observations).  Press Release and A&A letter (led by GRAVITY collaboration).  Super  excited our work helped 2021 Nobel Prize Physics (Reinhard Genzel).

GW Ori: Misaligned and warped Protoplanetary Disk around a Triple-Star System (from MIRC-X). Press Release , CNN and Science Journal paper (led by S. Kraus). 

GRAVITY observations show breaking spectrum of exoplanets using better filter of planet signal from host star using interferometry coherence. Press release and A&A letter (led by GRAVITY collaboration).

Our group solved the mystery of Betelgeuse unexpected dimming in 2019/2020.  This ESO/L. Calçada  artist’s animation shows how the dust obscuring the southern region of Betelgeuse at different observational epochs.  This work published in Nature (led by M. Montargès). Press release, CNN, Nytimes and BBC.