Narsireddy Anugu, PhD University of Porto, 2017

He currently works at the CHARA Array as the Optical Systems Scientist. He is expert in building astronomical interferometry and adaptive optics instrumentals and applying them for  imaging stars and protoplanetary disks around them. He has 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, Anugu pursued Postdoc fellowships at the University of Arizona and the University Exeter/Michigan. While workin in Tucson, he participated in building the MAPS instrument for the MMT.


While working in Michigan, Anugu built sensitive beam combiners MIRC-X (J+H-bands) and MYSTIC (K-band) for the CHARA Array. 


He earned his Ph.D. from University of Porto by involving in the successful development of VLTI/GRAVITY in 2017 working. GRAVITY has contributed several interesting science results including 2020 Nobel Prize Physics. 

Email: nanugu@gsu.edu             Last updated May 17 2023

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.