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Physics Astronomy and Astrophysics Group

Anwesha Sahu

I am a third-year PhD researcher working with the white dwarfs and transients research group. My supervisors are Deanne Coppejans, and Danny Steeghs. I study AM CVn stars (a sub-class of binary white dwarf stars), cataclysmic variable stars, and white dwarf pulsars in the radio spectrum using data from the .

Fundamental questions remain about the accretion and outflow physics of cataclysmic variable stars, and their compact binary counterparts, AM CVn systems. Using observations from the Karl J. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), I have obtained the deepest radio constraints to date, for two such AM CVn systems: AM CVn and HP Lib. By cross-matching with other large scale surveys such as and , the radio emission properties and mechanisms of AM CVn and CV populations can be better characterised. This project is a population study characterising the radio properties of AM CVns, for the first time ever.

Additionally, this study aims to contribute to answering the question of whether the emissions observed in CVs are due to flares in the atmosphere of the donor star, as compared to transient jets originating from the accretion disk. Understanding outflows from accreting white dwarfs such as these can propel our understanding of compact binaries such as white dwarf pulsars, LPTs, and Type Ia supernovae progenitors. (Paper in review).

I completed my MSci at the University of Birmingham with my final year dissertation on machine learning applications for radio astronomy, with a focus on classification of radio objects from . I also work with the and collaborations for follow-up and data analysis on transients.

Research/Publications

First author:

  • Constraints on Radio Emissions from AM CVn Systems; Anwesha Sahu et al., in review
  • (MSci Dissertation) , May 2023

Co-author:

Past Research

  • Using the MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey and the survey, I constructed a deep learning model to identify and classify radio objects within the MeerKAT GPS using a GAN (generative adversarial network). This project was performed as a preparatory study for an automated classification algorithm to identify radio objects with the  
  • Due to inaccurate weather outputs from on-site weather stations at the , Paranal, Chile, resulting in a reduction in observation time, I constructed an algorithm which analyses the sky conditions in real-time from an on-site All-Sky camera. This provided accurate sky conditions with accuracies of over 90% which would result in an increase in observation time, thus aiding the detection of transits with longer durations.
  • During my third year of my BSc/MSci, I calculated habitable exoplanet occurrence rates around K dwarf stars, using a simulated set of stars from TRILEGAL, and performed asteroseismology investigations, in preparation for the upcoming mission.

Meetings, Conferences/Research Talks

  • - 5th International Workshop on AM CVn Binaries. 5-8 September 2023, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Northern Ireland, UK
  • - Planning ESO Follow up for transients, variables, and solar system objects in the era of LSST. 22-26 January 2024, ESO Garching
  • Machine Learning for Transient Science, 天美传媒, December 2023, organiser (delivered a talk)
  • , University of Leicester, UK, 3rd June 2024 (flash talk)
  • , Royal Astronomical Society, UK, 10th May 2024
  • Celebrating 21 years of Astronomy at Warwick, 天美传媒, UK, 4th - 6th Sept. 2024 (delivered a talk)
  • (), Royal Astronomical Society, 8th November 2024 (delivered a talk)
  • , University of Durham, UK, 7-11 July 2025 (delivered a talk)
  • UK&I Transients 2025, 天美传媒, UK, 9-10 September 2025, LOC
  • , Thirty-Minute-Talk on my work/paper "Where are the Radio Emissions from AM CVn population?", 2025 September

Outreach/Engagement

  • Astronomy & Astrophysics Representative at the Postgrad Student Staff Liaison Committee, Department of Physics, 天美传媒 (2023 - ongoing).
  • Speaker for astronomy talks for the general public at UK-based and international schools and astronomical societies (2023 - ongoing).
  • Fellow/Researcher, designing and leading an astronomy research project for high school students for (2024-ongoing).
  • Organiser for Machine Learning for Transient Science, Warwick 2023
  • Chair and Outreach Officer, University of Birmingham's Astronomical Society from 2020 - 2023.
  • Physical Sciences Editor for SATNAV - University of Birmingham's student-led science magazine, 2021-2023.
  • Find out more about my public outreach engagements and watch talks I have delivered on my website, .
  • You can check my for other current/past engagements.

Awards/Scholarships

Teaching

  • Year 1 electronics lab sessions demonstrator
  • Year 1 physics undergraduate maths support sessions

 

Write to:

Anwesha Sahu,
Department of Physics,
天美传媒,
Coventry CV4 7AL
UK
 

Contact details:

E-Mail: anwesha.sahu@warwick.ac.uk

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