Massimo Ricotti's Astronomy Department Home Page


Massimo Ricotti Name:Massimo Ricotti
Title:Professor
Room:PSC 1156
Phone:(301) 405-5097
E-mail:ricotti@umd.edu



My main interest is in theoretical cosmology. Currently I am studying the first epochs of galaxy and star formation in the Universe. A part of my work is numerical and involves the use of supercomputers. Using large simulations I try to understand which physical processes and feedbacks are important for the formation of the first galaxies and how it proceeds.

The formation of the first galaxies is tightly linked to the evolution of the intergalactic medium (IGM) from which they form. For this reason my work includes studies of the thermal and reionization history of the IGM and of the Lyman-alpha forest.

I am also interested in the physics of the interstellar medium, focusing on galaxies with nearly primordial composition and damped Lyman-alpha systems. So far my investigations have lead me to use a variety of observations from the nearest galaxies in the Local Group to the most distant objects in the Universe.

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