Professor Chandran received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1997. His research is in the areas of theoretical plasma physics and theoretical astrophysics, particularly problems at the interface between these two fields. His main interests are plasma turbulence, the role of turbulence in the solar corona and other astrophysical settings, and the evolution of baryonic matter in clusters of galaxies. He has also worked on cosmic-ray propagation, particle acceleration at shocks, and the origin of astrophysical magnetic fields. His research program is supported by grants from NASA, NSF, and DOE, and offers research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars.
Courses Taught
- PHYS 407J: General Physics Review I
- PHYS 408: General Physics II Recitation
- PHYS 944: Quantum Mechanics II
- PHYS 999: Doctoral Research
Selected Publications
Bowen, T. A., Vasko, I. Y., Bale, S. D., Chandran, B. D. G., Chasapis, A., Dudok de Wit, T., . . . Squire, J. (2024). Extended Cyclotron Resonant Heating of the Turbulent Solar Wind. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 972(1), L8. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad6b2e
Bourouaine, S., Perez, J. C., Chandran, B. D. G., Jagarlamudi, V. K., Raouafi, N. E., & Halekas, J. S. (2024). On the Heating of the Slow Solar Wind by Imbalanced Alfvén-wave Turbulence from 0.06 to 1 au: Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter Observations. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 967(2), L19. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad3805
Chandran, B. D. G., & Schekochihin, A. A. (2024). The gyrokinetic dispersion relation of microtearing modes in collisionless toroidal plasmas. Journal of Plasma Physics, 90(2). doi:10.1017/s0022377824000175
Klein, K. G., Spence, H., Alexandrova, O., Argall, M., Arzamasskiy, L., Bookbinder, J., . . . Zweibel, E. (2023). HelioSwarm: A Multipoint, Multiscale Mission to Characterize Turbulence. Space Science Reviews, 219(8). doi:10.1007/s11214-023-01019-0
Walters, J., Klein, K. G., Lichko, E., Stevens, M. L., Verscharen, D., & Chandran, B. D. G. (2023). The Effects of Nonequilibrium Velocity Distributions on Alfvén Ion-cyclotron Waves in the Solar Wind. The Astrophysical Journal, 955(2), 97. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acf1fa
Kasper, J. C., Bale, S. D., Belcher, J. W., Berthomier, M., Case, A. W., Chandran, B. D. G., . . . Schwadron, N. A. (2019). Alfvenic velocity spikes and rotational flows in the near-Sun solar wind. NATURE, 576(7786), 228-+. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1813-z
Bale, S. D., Goetz, K., Harvey, P. R., Turin, P., Bonnell, J. W., Dudok de Wit, T., . . . Wygant, J. R. (2016). The FIELDS Instrument Suite for Solar Probe Plus. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS, 204(1-4), 49-82. doi:10.1007/s11214-016-0244-5
Kasper, J. C., Abiad, R., Austin, G., Balat-Pichelin, M., Bale, S. D., Belcher, J. W., . . . Zank, G. (2016). Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) Investigation: Design of the Solar Wind and Coronal Plasma Instrument Suite for Solar Probe Plus. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS, 204(1-4), 131-186. doi:10.1007/s11214-015-0206-3
Chandran, B. D. G., Li, B., Rogers, B. N., Quataert, E., & Germaschewski, K. (2010). PERPENDICULAR ION HEATING BY LOW-FREQUENCY ALFVEN-WAVE TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR WIND. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 720(1), 503-515. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/720/1/503
Chandran, B. D. G., & Cowley, S. C. (1998). Thermal Conduction in a Tangled Magnetic Field. Physical Review Letters, 80(14), 3077-3080. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.80.3077