If you're generally interested in asteroseismology, you might enjoy the review I wrote for Astronomy & Geophysics, magazine of the Royal Astronomical Society, in 2023.
If you'd like an introduction the asteroseismic surface effect, have a look at the proceedings of a review talk I gave in 2017.
Contact
- W.H.Ball '@' bham.ac.uk
CV
| 2023 — | Research Software Engineer, University of Birmingham, Advanced Research Computing |
| 2017 — 2022 | Postdoc, University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy Group: Solar and Stellar Physics |
| 2012 — 2016 | Postdoc, Institut für Astrophysik Göttingen Group: Physics of the interior of the Sun and Sun-like stars |
| 2008 — 2012 | PhD in Astronomy, University of Cambridge
Thesis: Quasi-stars and the Schönberg—Chandrasekhar limit |
| 2007 — 2008 | MSc in Astrophysics, University College London |
| 2003 — 2006 | BSc (Hons) in Theoretical Physics, University of Cape Town |
Publications
Code
I lead and contribute to various open source projects. Here are some highlights. You can find more of my projects and contributions on GitLab or GitHub.
As lead
- tomso
- is a set of Python modules for reading (and sometimes writing) input and output from a number of stellar evolution and oscillation codes.
- AADG3
- simulates light curves of solar-like oscillators.
- mistery
- is a Python module for retrieving data from the MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST) database of stellar models.
- AIMS3
- is a (partial) re-implementation of AIMS, which interpolates in a grid of stellar model data (including mode frequencies) to determine stars' properties.
- allium
- is a Python module that computes eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies for spheres assuming the sound speed is a piecewise constant function.
As contributor
- MESA
- is a widely-used stellar evolution
codesoftware instrument. I was invited to join the development team in 2017. Most of my contributions are to the asteroseismology module. - GYRE
- is a widely-used stellar oscillation code.
Side projects
I have a few experimental projects that I chip away at when I find time.
- An Atlas of TESS Light Curves
- shows example TESS light curves of many classes of variable stars.
- A Tufte-like Book with Quarto
- is an experiment in using Quarto to create a Tufte-like open education resource that renders both as a webpage with animated and interactive elements and as a static PDF.