Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Sciences Sept. 2024 – Present
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA
- Advisor: Prof. Robert T. Fisher
Vrutant Mehta
PhD Candidate · Computational Astrophysicist
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Research Interests
My research spans the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae and the numerical methods needed to model them. I primarily use the FLASH hydrodynamics code to study how white dwarf stars evolve and give rise to their violent deaths, forging heavier elements in the process. On the numerical side, I develop higher-order implicit solvers for stiff systems of ordinary differential equations and study methods for hyperbolic and elliptic partial differential equations. I also explore ways to combine the robustness of these classical methods with the efficiency of machine-learning approaches to solve the nonlinear differential equations that arise in physical modeling.
Current Positions
- PhD Candidate, Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- Student Research Computing Facilitator, Center for Scientific Computing and Data Research
Education
M.S. in Physics Jan. 2021 – Aug. 2023
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA
- Thesis: “Simulations of Highly Neutronized Ejecta in the Supernova Remnant 3C 397”
- Advisor: Prof. Robert T. Fisher
B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering Aug. 2015 – May 2019
Indus University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Publications
Published & Submitted
- V. Mehta, V. Tiwari, R. Pakmor, D. Singh, & R. Fisher “Hydrodynamical Simulations of Helium-Ignited Binary White Dwarf Mergers.” ApJ 1007, 129, 2026. ApJarXiv:2602.23414
- V. Mehta, J. Sullivan, R. Fisher, Y. Ohshiro, H. Yamaguchi, K. Bhargava, & S. Neopane “Hydrodynamical Simulations Reveal a Pure Deflagration Origin of the Near-Chandrasekhar Mass Supernova Remnant 3C 397.” MNRAS 532, 1087–1098, 2024. MNRASarXiv:2404.04330
In Preparation
- M. Jones, V. Mehta, R. Fisher, & A. Bobrick “Simulations of Oxygen-Neon and Carbon-Oxygen White Dwarf Mergers in the Double-Degenerate Channel of Type Ia Supernovae,” In preparation.
Presentations & Invited Talks
- 1. New England SIAM Section Annual Meeting Aug. 2026Discretized Angular-Momentum Conservation for Self-Gravitating Hydrodynamics on an Eulerian Grid with Adaptive Mesh · Dartmouth, MA
- 2. AthenaK Summer School — Student Talk Session Jul. 20263D Hydrodynamical Simulations of Helium-Ignited Binary White Dwarf Type Ia Supernovae · University Park, PA
- 3. Connecticut Meeting on the Physics of Type Ia Supernovae May 2026Implementation of a Modified Version of the Barnes–Hut Tree-Gravity Solver in the FLASH-X Framework · Storrs, CT
- 4. 247th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society Jan. 2026Hydrodynamical Simulations of Helium-Ignited Binary White Dwarf Merger · Phoenix, AZ
- 5. University of Connecticut — Astrophysics Seminar Apr. 2025Type Ia Supernovae from Helium-Ignited White Dwarf Mergers Invited · Storrs, CT
- 6. American Physical Society — New England Section Fall Meeting Oct. 2023Hydrodynamical Simulations of Highly-Neutronized Ejecta in the Near-Chandrasekhar Mass Supernova Remnant 3C 397 · Kingston, RI
- 7. 242nd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society June 2023Simulations of Neutron-Rich Ejecta of Supernova Remnant 3C 397 Poster · Albuquerque, NM
Schools & Workshops
- AthenaK Summer School Jul. 2026Penn State University · University Park, PA
- Connecticut Meeting on the Physics of Type Ia Supernovae May 2026University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT
- TARDIS Summer School Jul.–Aug. 2025Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI
Honors & Awards
- Dissertation Research Award — Department of Physics, UMass Dartmouth · Apr. 2026
- Image Competition Winner — APS Division of Computational Physics — “Unseen Structures” · Feb. 2026
- Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award — Honorable Mention, AAS 242 · June 2023
- Graduate Research Award — Department of Physics, UMass Dartmouth · Apr. 2023
Research & Professional Experience
Fisher Computational Astrophysics Group, UMass DartmouthJune 2021 – Present
Graduate Research Assistant — Advisor: Prof. Robert T. Fisher
- Performed 3D hydrodynamical simulations of helium-ignited binary white dwarf mergers using FLASH with adaptive mesh refinement, mapping merger-phase initial conditions from the moving-mesh code AREPO; developed a custom refinement strategy reducing computational cost by ~4–5×.
- Demonstrated two distinct detonation outcomes — a double detonation (D6), in which the secondary white dwarf survives, and a quadruple detonation, in which both white dwarfs are destroyed — and computed nucleosynthetic yields for both models (first-authored paper submitted to ApJ, arXiv:2602.23414).
- Developed 2D FLASH models of the near-Chandrasekhar mass supernova remnant 3C 397, showing that a pure deflagration best reproduces the observed neutron-rich X-ray abundances from Suzaku (published in MNRAS, 2024).
Student Research Computing Facilitator
- Manage workloads on the CARNiE HPC cluster and support users in optimizing and troubleshooting their codes.
- Install libraries, create versioned modules, and maintain documentation and wiki pages.
- Provide onboarding demos (SSH, Slurm, Open OnDemand) for new HPC users.
Teaching Experience
Department of Physics, UMass DartmouthJan. 2021 – Aug. 2023
Teaching Fellow
- Prepared and delivered lectures for introductory physics classes of 55+ students.
- Designed midterm and final exams, homework sets, and quizzes.
Department of Physics, UMass DartmouthJune 2021 – Aug. 2023
Teaching Assistant
- Conducted entry-level physics laboratories for undergraduate students.
- Managed lab equipment, graded assignments, and maintained grade records.
Technical Skills
Programming
Python · Fortran · MATLAB · Linux shell scripting · Slurm
HPC Systems
CARNiE (CSCDR, UMass Dartmouth) · Stampede3 (TACC, UT Austin) · Unity (MGHPCC, UMass Amherst)
Libraries
Tools & Software
Open OnDemand · Slurm Workload Manager · LaTeX · Git · AutoCAD · SolidWorks
Selected Coursework
Stellar AstrophysicsHigh-Energy AstrophysicsStatistical ThermodynamicsComputational PhysicsRelativity, Black Holes & GravityQuantum Mechanics I & IIAdvanced Numerical Methods for PDEsHigh-Performance Scientific ComputingAdvanced Linear AlgebraScientific Machine Learning
References
- Prof. Robert T. Fisher — Department of Physics, UMass Dartmouth
- Prof. Sigal Gottlieb — Department of Mathematics, UMass Dartmouth
Contact details available in the PDF or on request.