About Me

Hello! I am a 2nd Year PhD student in the Astronomy Department at the University of Maryland, College Park, being advised by Brad Cenko. My research focuses on understanding high-energy astrophysical phenomena from an observational perspective. I utilize ground and space-based telescopes to paint a multi-wavelength, panchromatic picture of some of the most explosive and energetic explosions in the Universe. You can find my recent work on NASA ADS here.

I obtained my B.S. in Astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 2021, where I completed a senior thesis under the supervision of Mansi Kasliwal, titled "Using Palomar Gattini-IR to study Core-collapse Supernovae and Probe their Red Supergiant Progenitors". You can find a copy of my full CV here.

With regards to my future goals, I plan to continue doing research as a post-doctoral scholar after I obtain my PhD (planned for 2026), and then ultimately become a Professor of Astrophysics at a research University. When not doing research, you will probably find me on the basketball court. I played at the collegiate level, and plan to continue being involved in basketball through coaching in the future.

Research

  • Gamma-Ray Bursts

    Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are short-lived flashes of gamma-rays that originate from black holes and neutron stars, that are characterized by jets moving extremely close to the speed of light. These bursts release more energy in a couple of seconds than the Sun will in its entire lifetime, and are playgrounds for physics at the most extreme levels.

  • Core-Collapse Supernovae

    Core-collapse supernovae are explosions (CCSNe) that represent the end of a massive star's life, and end with the creation of a neutron star or black hole. CCSNe enrich the universe with heavy elements, and are prime sites for understanding a plethora of different astrophysical processes.

My current research is on investigating the connection between GRBs and CCSNe. A particular class of GRBs known as Long GRBs are known to originate from the collapse of massive stars, and there have been numerous confirmations of associated CCSNe to Long GRBs that are close enough such that supernova emission is detectable. All of these associated SN have been of the Ic-BL Type, which means that the progenitor star has been stripped of its Hydrogen and Helium envelopes prior to explosion, and their optical spectra display broad lines corresponding to high photospheric expansion velocities. However, the majority of Type Ic-BL SNe do not have GRB emission or relativistic ejecta associated with them. Mapping out the final stages of a massive star's life is a complex process, and understanding why some CCSNe are accompanied by GRBs and relativistic ejecta while others do not can provide important insights into the current landscape of massive stellar explosions. I utilize a multi-wavelength approach and telescope facilities around the world to study Long GRBs and CCSNe both independently and in tandem, in order to provide further insights into their connection and possibly discover new physical processes governing these energetic phenomena. Below is a list of my publications.

First-authored publications

  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., O'Connor, B., Cenko, S.B. et al. (2023) A Sensitive Search for Supernova Emission Associated with the Extremely Energetic and Nearby GRB 221009A, accepted in ApJL, arXiv:2303.12849
  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., Sfaradi, I., Jencson, J., et al. (2022)PGIR 20eid (SN 2020qmp): A Type IIP Supernova at 15.6 Mpc discovered by the Palomar Gattini-IR survey, A&A 660, A, 138, arXiv:2109.02159
  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., Dainotti, M.G., Fraija, N. et al. (2020) On the Investigation of the Closure Relations for Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed by Swift in the Post-plateau Phase and the GRB Fundamental Plane, ApJ, 903.18 arXiv:2009.06740

Co-authored publications

  • Dainotti, M. G., Omodei, N., Srinivasaragavan, G.P. et al. (2020), On the Existence of the Plateau Emission in High-Energy Gamma-Ray Burst Light Curves observed by Fermi-LAT, ApJS, 255.13 arXiv:2105.07357
  • De, K., et al. including Srinivasaragavan, G.P. (2022), “SRGA J181414.6-225604: A New Galactic Symbiotic X-Ray Binary Outburst Triggered by an Intense Mass-loss Episode of a Heavily Obscured Mira Variable, ApJ, 935.36 arXiv:2205.09139
  • Dainotti, M. G., et al. including Srinivasaragavan, G.P. (2021), Closure relations during the plateau emission of Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts and consequences on the fundamental plane relation”, PASJ, 73.4 arXiv:2105.10717
  • De, K., et al. including Srinivasaragavan, G.P. (2021), A Population of Heavily Reddened, Optically Missed Novae from Palomar Gattini-IR: Constraints on the Galactic Nova Rate, ApJ, 912.19 arXiv:2101.04045
  • De, K., et al. including Srinivasaragavan, G.P. (2020), Constraining the X-ray - Infrared spectral index of second-timescale flares from SGR1935+2154 with Palomar Gattini-IR, ApJL, 901.L7 arXiv:2007.02978

Outreach and Service

  • Cosmos Crusaders Podcast

    I am a co-creator of Cosmos Crusaders, a podcast that highlights the stories and achievements of minorities and underrepresented individuals in astrophysics. We have highlighted members in the astrophysics community spanning from graduate students to tenured faculty, from a diverse set of ethnicities, identities, and backgrounds, in hopes of making the astrophysics field a more inclusive and diverse space for future generations. Here is our Youtube link.

  • UMD Astronomy EDI Commitee

    I am an active member of the UMD Astronomy EDI commitee, and implemented the Department's first ever mentoring program between graduate students and senior undergraduate Astronomy majors. The program is in its inagural year, and I hope to lay the infrastructure for the program enough so that it continues after I have left UMD. Here is a link to the EDI commitee's website.

  • AMAZN HQ

    AMAZN is short for "Amazingly Asian", and is an organization that spotlights Asian American athletes, a demographic that is often overlooked, stereotyped, and misrepresented in the mainstream media when it comes to athletics. I volunteer with AMAZN, and am helping them organize future events that will shine the spotlight on the next generation of Asian American hoopers. Here is a link to their website.

Contact Information

If you would like to contact me to give a talk, have any questions about my work or outreach activities, or just want to connect, feel free to reach out to me at my email, gsriniv2@umd.edu. I also am active on Twitter and often highlight my most recent work on there, @gsrinibstar.