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  • 2:14 AM, Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Department of Earth and Space Sciences
     
Anand Narayanan, Ph.D.
Professor
 
Office
Tel:+91-471-2568518
Fax:+91-471-2568462
Email:anand@iist.ac.in













Education

Course Offered
The following are some of the courses which I have taught multiple times over the years
  • Introduction to Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • Astrophysical Concepts
  • Astronomical Techniques
  • General Physics - II (Astronomy Module)
  • Galaxies (Structure, Dynamics & Evolution)
  • Cosmology & Astrobiology
  • The Universe in a Nutshell (Inst. Elective)
  • Research Methodology (for Ph.D. students)
  • Basics of Astrobiology
  • Planetary Sciences

Experience

 


Research Work / Area

My research, over the years, has involved studying the physical properties of gas outside  of galaxies, in the circumgalactic medium and intergalactic space, from the  distant universe to the present. Throughout cosmic history, more than 90% of the cosmic  budget of baryons in the universe have resided outside of galaxies. Compared to the more  distant and early universe, the distribution of the baryonic matter relative to galaxies in the last  few billion year history of the universe has been complex and less understood. The formation  of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and large scale structures has redistributed the baryons into gas  phases extending over a wide range of densities and temperatures.  In my work, I have tried to discover reservoirs of such baryons in the CGM & IGM environments in the low redshift universe, explore in detail their properties and association with  galaxies, and explain their astrophysical importance in the larger context of the co-evolution  of galaxies and the intergalactic medium. The work of our group has added significant amount  of detail to the ongoing global research efforts in this particular field of extragalactic astronomy. For our work, we have used spectroscopic and imaging data from a  wide array of ground-based and space-based observatories including the European Southern  Observatory’s VLT, the Keck Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite.


Publications
  • Sameer, Charlton, Jane C. ; Kacprzak, Glenn G. ; Narayanan, Anand ; Sankar, Sriram, Richter, Philipp ; Wakker, Bart P. ; Nielsen, Nikole M., Churchill, Christopher W.; Probing the physicochemical properties of the Leo Ring and the Leo I group, 2022, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 510, Issue 4, pp 5896-5820
  • Dorigo Jones, J; Johnson Sean D.; Muzahid, Sowgat; Charlton, Jane C.; Chen Hsiao-Wen; Narayanan, Anand; Sameer, Schaye, Joop; Wijers Natasha A.; Improving blazar redshift constraints with the edge of the Ly-alpha forest: 1ES 1553+113 and implications for observations of the WHIM, 2021, Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society (accepted), arXiV: 2111.06927
  • Narayanan, Anand ; Sameer ; Muzahid, Sowgat ; Johnson, Sean D.; Udhwani, Purvi ; Charlton, Jane C. ; Mauerhofer, Valentin; Schaye, Joop; Yadav, Mathin, A partial Lyman limit system tracing intragroup gas at z = 0.8 towards HE 1003 + 0149, 2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 505, Issue 1, pp.738-754. 
  • Manuwal, Aditya; Narayanan, Anand,  Udhwani, Purvi ; Srianand, Raghunathan ; Savage, Blair D. ; Charlton, Jane C. ; Misawa, Toru; The COS-legacy survey of C IV absorbers, 2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 505, Issue 3, pp.3635-3654. 
  • Anshul, Pratyush; Narayanan, Anand; Muzahid, Sowgat; Beckett, Alexander; Morris,  Simon L.; Pair Lines of Sight Observations of Multiphase Gas Bearing O VI in a Galaxy  Environment, 2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 503, Issue 3, pp.3243-3261.
  • Sameer; J. C. Charlton; J. M. Norris; M. Gebhardt; C. W. Churchill; G. G. Kacprzak; S.  Muzahid, A. Narayanan; N. M. Nielsen; P. Richter, and B. P. Wakker; Cloud-by-cloud,  multiphase, Bayesian modeling: Application to four weak, low ionization absorbers,  2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 501, Issue 2, 2112.
  • Sankar, Sriram; Narayanan, Anand; Savage, Blair D.; Khaire, Vikram; Rosenwasser, Benjamin E.; Charlton, Jane; Wakker, Bart P, Physical Conditions of Five O VI Absorption Systems Towards PG 1522+101, 2020, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,  Volume 498, Issue 4, 4864.
  • Pradeep, Jayadev; Sankar, Sriram; Umasree, T. M.; Narayanan, Anand; Khaire, Vikram;  Gebhardt, Matthew; Sameer, Charlton, Jane C., Solar-metallicity gas in the extended halo  of a galaxy at z ∼ 0.12, 2020, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 493, Issue 1, 250. 
  • Pradeep, Jayadev; Narayanan, Anand; Muzahid, Sowgat; Nagai, Daisuke; Charlton, Jane  C.; Srianand, Raghunathan. Detection of metal-rich, cool-warm gas in the outskirts of  galaxy clusters, 2019, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 488, Issue 4, 5327. 
  • Manuwal, Aditya; Narayanan, Anand; Muzahid, Sowgat; Charlton, Jane. C.; Khaire,  Vikram; Chand, Hum. C IV absorbers tracing cool gas in dense galaxy group/cluster  environments, 2019, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 485,  Issue 1, 30. 
  • Muzahid, Sowgat.; Fonseca, G.; Roberts, A.; Rosenwasser, B.; Richter, P.; Narayanan, A.;  Churchill, C.; Charlton, J., COS-Weak: probing the CGM using analogues of weak Mg II  absorbers at z < 0.3, 2018, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume  476, Issue 4, 4965. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Savage, Blair D.; Mishra, Preetish K.; Wakker, Bart P.; Khaire, Vikram;  Wadadekar, Yogesh, Detection of low-metallicity warm plasma in a galaxy overdensity  environment at z ∼ 0.2, 2018, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 475, Issue 3, 3529. 
  • Pachat, Sachin; Narayanan, Anand; Khaire, Vikram; Savage, Blair, D.; Muzahid, Sowgat;  Wakker, Bart. P.; Detection of two intervening Ne VIII absorbers probing warm gas at z  = 0.6, 2017, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 471, Issue 1, 792. 
  • Pachat, Sachin; Narayanan, Anand; Muzahid, Sowgat; Khaire, Viram; Srianand, Raghunathan; Wakker, Bart, P; Savage, Blair, D.; A pair of O VI and broad Ly-alpha absorbers  probing warm gas in a galaxy group environment at z 0.4, 2016, Monthly Notices of  the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 458, Issue 1, 733. 
  • Hussain, Tanvir.; Muzahid, Sowgat; Narayanan, Anand; Srianand, Raghunathan; Wakker,  Bart P.; Charlton, Jane C.; Pathak, Amit, HST/COS detection of a Ne VIII absorber towards  PG 1407+265: an unambiguous tracer of collisionally ionized hot gas?, 2015, Monthly  Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 446, Issue 3, 2444. 
  • Muzahid, Sowgat, Srianand, Raghunathan, Arav, Nahum, Savage, Blair D., Narayanan,  Anand, HST/COS Observations of a New Population of Associated QSO Absorbers, 2013,  Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 431, Issue 3, 2885. 
  • Rodriguez Hidalgo, Paola; Wessels, Kaylan; Charlton, Jane C.; Narayanan, Anand; Mshar,  Andrew; Cucchiara, Antonino; Jones, Therese., Evolution of the Population of Very Strong  Mg II Absorbers, 2012, Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 427, Issue  3, 1801. 
  • Muzahid, Sowgat; Srianand, Raghunathan; Savage, Blair D.; Narayanan, Anand; Mohan,  Vishnu; Dewangan, Gulab C.; Highly Ionized Collimated Outflow from HE 0238-1904,  2012, Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society Letters, Volume 424, Issue 1, L59. 
  • Savage, Blair D.; Kim, Tae-Sun; Keeney, Brian; Narayanan, Anand; Stocke, John; Wakker,  Bart P., The Properties of Two Low Redshift O VI Absorbers and Their Associated Galaxies  Toward 3C 263, 2012, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 753, Issue 1, 80. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Savage, Blair D.; Wakker, Bart P., Cosmic Origins Spectrograph Observations of Warm Intervening Gas at z = 0.325 towards 3C263, 2012, Astrophysical Journal,  Volume 752, Issue 1, 65. 
  • Savage, Blair D., Lehner, Nicholas, Narayanan, Anand, COS Observations of Metal Line  and Broad Lyman-alpha Absorption in the Multi-phase O VI and Ne VIII System at z =  0.20701 toward HE 0226-4110, 2011, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 743, Issue 2, 180.
  • Savage, Blair D.; Narayanan, Anand; Lehner, Nicholas; Wakker, Bart P., A Multiphase  Absorber Containing O VI and Broad H I Directly Tracing Million Kelvin Plasma at Low  Redshift Toward HE 0153-4520, 2011, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 731, Issue 1
  • Narayanan, Anand; Savage, Blair D.; Wakker, Bart P.; Danforth, Charles W.; Yao, Yangsen;  Keeney, Brian. A.; Shull, Michael J.; Sembach, Kenneth R., Froning, Cynthia S., Green,  James C., 2011, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 730, Issue 1, 15. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Wakker, Bart P.; Savage, Blair D.; Keeney, Brian A.; Shull, Michael  J.; Stocke, John T.; Sembach, Kenneth R; Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and FUSE Observations of T ∼ 100,000 K Gas In A Nearby Galaxy Filament, 2010, Astrophysical Journal,  Volume 721, Issue 2, 960. 
  • Savage, Blair D.; Narayanan, Anand; Wakker, Bart P.; Stocke, John T.; Keeney, Brian A.,  Shull, Michael J.; Sembach, Kenneth R.; Yao, Yangsen; Green, James C., O VI Absorbers  Tracing Hot Gas Associated with a Pair of Galaxies at z = 0.167, 2010, Astrophysical Journal,  Volume 719, Issue 2, 1526. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Savage, Blair D.; Wakker, Bart P.; Highly Ionized Plasma in the Halo  of a Luminous Spiral Galaxy Near z = 0.225, 2010, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 712, Issue  2, 1443. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Wakker, Bart P., Savage, Blair D., Detection of Ne VIII in a Multi-phase  Intergalactic System Towards 3c 263, 2009, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 703, Issue 1, 74. 
  • Cucchiara, Antonino; Jones, Therese; Charlton, Jane C.; Fox, Derek B.; Einsig, Derek;  Narayanan, Anand, Testing the Possible Intrinsic Origin of the Excess Very Strong Mg II  Absorbers Along Gamma-Ray Burst Lines-of-Sight, 2009, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 697, Issue 1, 345. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Charlton, Jane C.; Misawa, Toru; Green, Rebecca E.; Kim, Tae-Sun.,The Chemical and Ionization Conditions in Weak Mg II Absorbers, 2008, Astrophysical  Journal, Volume 689, Issue 2, 782. 
  • Misawa, Toru; Charlton, Jane C.; Narayanan, Anand, Supersolar Metallicity in Weak Mg  II Absorption Systems at z ∼ 1.7, 2008, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 679, Issue 1, 220. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Misawa, Toru; Charlton, Jane C.; Kim, Tae-Sun., A Survey of Weak  Mg II Absorbers at 0.4 < z < 2.4, 2007, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 660, Issue 2, 1093. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Misawa, Toru; Charlton, Jane C.; Ganguly, Rajib, The Advantage of  Increased Resolution in the Study of Quasar Absorption Systems, 2006, Astrophysical  Journal, Volume 132, Issue 5, 2099. 
  • Narayanan, Anand; Charlton, Jane C.; Masiero, Joe R.; Lynch, Ryan, A Survey of Analogs to Weak Mg II Absorbers in the Present, 2005, Astrophysical Journal, Volume 632, Issue  1, 92. 

The names highlighted are of students who have worked in our research group at the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology.

 

Over the years, I have been a part of various astronomy education and public outreach activities. The following is a list of such outreach programs :

During 2014 - 2015, scripted, and anchored an astronomy documentary series for an educational television channel. This seven-episode series won the 2014 State Government Award for the best educational program on television. The print media ran an article on the same - read here.

Akalangalile Prapancham

 

 In 2019, scripted and directed a 30-minute documentary film in English on the history of the Travancore Observatory, which is a 180-year-old astronomy and meteorology facility in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, in South India. This is the second oldest astronomical observatory in India dating back to the early 19th century. The documentary film bagged two awards, for the best-researched film, and the best technically visualized film, in the 10th National Science Film Festival of India held in November 2020

Travancore Observatory

 

The film can be viewed here

An article that appeared in The Hindu about the film can be read here.

Since 2013, I have been writing articles for one of the major English-language daily newspapers in India on topics related to science, science heritage, and scientists. Here are some of them :

 

Scripted and directed short documentary films on the history of mathematics and astronomy in India. Click on the images below to view the short films:

KATAPAYADI

 

Bhaskaracharya

 

Equinox at Padmanabhaswamy Temple

 

Padmanabhaswamy Temple: Where Art Blends With Science - an essay published in INDIC TODAY that looks at how the architects of the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram would have established the east-west orientation of the tower structure in the temple. 

Katapayadi - An Ancient Practice of Encryption - an essay published in INDIC TODAY that explains an ancient Indian art of encoding numbers to letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. The technique was used in many fields including mathematics, astronomy, and music. 

Scripted and narrated programs in astronomy for the All India Radio.

Member of the editorial board of a science magazine for middle and high school teachers  ’I Wonder’, brought out by the Azim Premji Foundation. The online versions can be accessed from this URL :
https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/SitePages/resources-iwonder.aspx


Part of a team that designed and created a fully web-based introductory astronomy course taught through a science fiction narrative involving characters, animations and multimedia material. This course is being offered to non-science majors at the Pennsylvania State University for several years now.

Penn State Online Course

 

Have taught open course on introductory astronomy at the Kerala Science and Technology Museum and Planetarium. The participants of these free open course included  students of science, and engineering, and also high school teachers.

Introductory Astrophysics

 

With students of the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology, have organized a  few “universe in the park” outreach events. As part of this program, portable telescopes  were taken to parks and open spaces in the city for the public to experience star-gazing.

 

In 2018, was a TEDx speaker. The presentation can be viewed here:  https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_anand_narayanan_cosmic_perspective


Been a part of the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology’s school outreach program IIST@Schools which has a reach-out to over 500 high school and higher secondary school students. Have given astronomy research lectures, and popularization talks at colleges, schools, non-governmental organizations, and collectives supporting school students in their learning.