skip to content
Home

Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

Professor Roman Rafikov

 

Career

  • 2021-present: Professor of Astrophysics, DAMTP, University of Cambridge
  • 2018-2021: Reader in Astrophysics, DAMTP, University of Cambridge
  • 2016-2018: University Lecturer in Astrophysics, DAMTP, University of Cambridge
  • 2015-2016: Visiting Faculty Member, Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, USA)
  • 2007-2015: Assistant Professor, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University (USA)
  • 2005-2007: Assistant Professor, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto (Canada) 

Research

Roman Rafikov is a member of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics research group. His current research interests include (but are not limited to) the following areas:

  • exoplanets (around single and binary stars; young, main sequence, and evolved stars)  
  • planet formation and dynamics
  • astrophysical fluid dynamics
  • accretion disks (protoplanetary, disks in binaries, quasars, etc.)
  • N-body and galactic dynamics
  • high-energy astrophysics

Selected Publications

  • Vartanyan, D., Garmilla, J. A., & Rafikov, R. R. (2016) "Tatooine Nurseries: Structure and Evolution of Circumbinary Protoplanetary Disks", The Astrophysical Journal, 816, id. 94
  • Philippov, A. A., Rafikov, R. R., & Stone, J. M. (2016) "Spreading Layers in Accreting Objects: Role of Acoustic Waves for Angular Momentum Transport, Mixing, and Thermodynamics", The Astrophysical Journal, 817, id. 62
  • Macintosh, B., ..., Rafikov, R. R., et al (2015), "Discovery and spectroscopy of the young jovian planet 51 Eri b with the Gemini Planet Imager", Science, 350, Issue 6256, 64
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2015) "Viscosity Prescription for Gravitationally Unstable Accretion Disks", The Astrophysical Journal, 804, id. 62
  • Silsbee, K. & Rafikov, R. R. (2015) "Birth Locations of the Kepler Circumbinary Planets", The Astrophysical Journal, 808, id. 58
  • Silsbee, K. & Rafikov, R. R. (2015) "Planet Formation in Binaries: Dynamics of Planetesimals Perturbed by the Eccentric Protoplanetary Disk and the Secondary", The Astrophysical Journal, 798, id. 71
  • Dong, R., Zhu, Z., Rafikov, R. R., & Stone, J. M. (2015) "Observational Signatures of Planets in Protoplanetary Disks: Spiral Arms Observed in Scattered Light Imaging Can be Induced by Planets", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 809, id. L5
  • Chabrier, G., Johansen, A., Janson, M., & Rafikov, R. (2014) "Giant Planet and Brown Dwarf Formation", Protostars and Planets VI, 619
  • Zhu, Z., Stone, J. M., Rafikov, R. R., & Bai, X. (2014), "Particle Concentration at Planet-induced Gap Edges and Vortices. I. Inviscid Three-dimensional Hydro Disks", The Astrophysical Journal, 785, id. 122
  • Ju, W., Greene, J. E., Rafikov, R. R., et al (2013) "Search for Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectroscopic Sample", The Astrophysical Journal, 777, id. 44
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2013) "Structure and Evolution of Circumbinary Disks around Supermassive Black Hole Binaries", The Astrophysical Journal, 774, id. 144
  • Belyaev, M. A., Rafikov, R. R. & Stone, J. M. (2013) "Angular Momentum Transport by Acoustic Modes Generated in the Boundary Layer. II. Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations", The Astrophysical Journal, 770, id. 68
  • Belyaev, M. A., Rafikov, R. R. & Stone, J. M. (2013) "Angular Momentum Transport by Acoustic Modes Generated in the Boundary Layer. I. Hydrodynamical Theory and Simulations", The Astrophysical Journal, 770, id. 67
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2013) "Building Tatooine: Suppression of the Direct Secular Excitation in Kepler Circumbinary Planet Formation", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 764, id. L16
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2013) "Planet Formation in Small Separation Binaries: Not so Secularly Excited by the Companion", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 765, id. L8
  • Belyaev, M. A., Rafikov, R. R., & Stone, J.M. (2012) "Angular Momentum Transport and Variability in Boundary Layers of Accretion Disks Driven by Global Acoustic Modes", The Astrophysical Journal, 760, id. 22
  • Metzger, B. D., Rafikov, R. R., & Bochkarev, K. V. (2012) "Global models of runaway accretion in white dwarf debris discs", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 423, 505
  • Rafikov, R. R. & Petrovich, C. (2012) "The Origin of the Negative Torque Density in Disk-Satellite Interaction", The Astrophysical Journal, 747, id. 24
  • Dong, R., Rafikov, R., Zhu, Z., et al (2012), "The Missing Cavities in the SEEDS Polarized Scattered Light Images of Transitional Protoplanetary Disks: A Generic Disk Model", The Astrophysical Journal, 750, id. 161
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2011) "Runaway accretion of metals from compact discs of debris on to white dwarfs", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 416, L55
  • "Metal Accretion onto White Dwarfs Caused by Poynting-Robertson Drag on their Debris Disks", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 732, id. L3
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2011) "Constraint on the Giant Planet Production by Core Accretion", The Astrophysical Journal, 727, id. 86
  • Belyaev, M. A. & Rafikov, R. R. (2010) "The Dynamics of Dust Grains in the Outer Solar System", The Astrophysical Journal, 723, 1718
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2009) "Properties of Gravitoturbulent Accretion Disks", The Astrophysical Journal, 704, 281
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2007) "Convective Cooling and Fragmentation of Gravitationally Unstable Disks", The Astrophysical Journal, 662, 642
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2006) "Atmospheres of Protoplanetary Cores: Critical Mass for Nucleated Instability", The Astrophysical Journal, 648, 666
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2005) "Can Giant Planets Form by Direct Gravitational Instability?", The Astrophysical Journal, 621, L69
  • Rafikov, R. R. & Goldreich, P. (2005) "Magnetospheric Eclipses in the Double-Pulsar System PSR J0737-3039", The Astrophysical Journal, 631, 488
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2004) "Fast Accretion of Small Planetesimals by Protoplanetary Cores", The Astronomical Journal, 128, 1348
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2003), "The Growth of Planetary Embryos: Orderly, Runaway, or Oligarchic?",
    The Astronomical Journal, 125, 942
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2002) "Planet Migration and Gap Formation by Tidally Induced Shocks", The Astrophysical Journal, 572, 566
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2002) "Nonlinear Propagation of Planet-generated Tidal Waves", The Astrophysical Journal, 569, 997
  • Goodman, J. & Rafikov, R. R. (2001) "Planetary Torques as the Viscosity of Protoplanetary Disks", The Astrophysical Journal, 552, 793
  • Rafikov, R. R. (2001) "The local axisymmetric instability criterion in a thin, rotating, multicomponent disc", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 323, 445

 

Publications

Protoplanetary disk heating and evolution driven by spiral density waves
RR Rafikov
– The Astrophysical Journal
(2016)
831,
122
(doi: 10.3847/0004-637x/831/2/122)
GENERALIZED SIMILARITY for ACCRETION/DECRETION DISKS
RR Rafikov
– Astrophysical Journal
(2016)
830,
7
(doi: 10.3847/0004-637x/830/1/7)
ON the ECCENTRICITY EXCITATION in POST-MAIN-SEQUENCE BINARIES
RR Rafikov
– The Astrophysical Journal
(2016)
830,
8
(doi: 10.3847/0004-637x/830/1/8)
DISCOVERY of A SUBSTELLAR COMPANION to the NEARBY DEBRIS DISK HOST HR 2562
QM Konopacky, J Rameau, G Duchêne, JC Filippazzo, PAG Godfrey, C Marois, EL Nielsen, L Pueyo, RR Rafikov, EL Rice, JJ Wang, SM Ammons, VP Bailey, TS Barman, J Bulger, S Bruzzone, JK Chilcote, T Cotten, RI Dawson, RJD Rosa, R Doyon, TM Esposito, MP Fitzgerald, KB Follette, S Goodsell, JR Graham, AZ Greenbaum, P Hibon, LW Hung, P Ingraham, P Kalas, D Lafrenière, JE Larkin, BA Macintosh, J Maire, F Marchis, MS Marley, BC Matthews, S Metchev, MA Millar-Blanchaer, R Oppenheimer, DW Palmer, J Patience, MD Perrin, LA Poyneer, A Rajan, FT Rantakyrö, D Savransky, AC Schneider, A Sivaramakrishnan, I Song, R Soummer, S Thomas, JK Wallace, K Ward-Duong, SJ Wiktorowicz, SG Wolff
– The Astrophysical Journal Letters
(2016)
829,
l4
(doi: 10.3847/2041-8205/829/1/l4)
ACCRETION and ORBITAL INSPIRAL in GAS-ASSISTED SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARY MERGERS
RR Rafikov
– The Astrophysical Journal
(2016)
827,
111
(doi: 10.3847/0004-637x/827/2/111)
SPREADING LAYERS in ACCRETING OBJECTS: ROLE of ACOUSTIC WAVES for ANGULAR MOMENTUM TRANSPORT, MIXING, and THERMODYNAMICS
AA Philippov, RR Rafikov, JM Stone
– The Astrophysical Journal
(2016)
817,
62
(doi: 10.3847/0004-637x/817/1/62)
TATOOINE NURSERIES: STRUCTURE and EVOLUTION of CIRCUMBINARY PROTOPLANETARY DISKS
D Vartanyan, JA Garmilla, RR Rafikov
– Astrophysical Journal
(2016)
816,
94
(doi: 10.3847/0004-637X/816/2/94)
AN M DWARF COMPANION AND ITS INDUCED SPIRAL ARMS IN THE HD 100453 PROTOPLANETARY DISK
R Dong, Z Zhu, J Fung, E Chiang, R Rafikov, K Wagner
– The Astrophysical Journal Letters
(2015)
816,
l12
(doi: 10.3847/2041-8205/816/1/L12)
THE STRUCTURE of SPIRAL SHOCKS EXCITED by PLANETARY-MASS COMPANIONS
Z Zhu, R Dong, JM Stone, RR Rafikov
– The Astrophysical Journal
(2015)
813,
88
(doi: 10.1088/0004-637x/813/2/88)
Discovery and spectroscopy of the young jovian planet 51 Eri b with the Gemini Planet Imager
B Macintosh, JR Graham, T Barman, RJ De Rosa, Q Konopacky, MS Marley, C Marois, EL Nielsen, L Pueyo, A Rajan, J Rameau, D Saumon, JJ Wang, J Patience, M Ammons, P Arriaga, E Artigau, S Beckwith, J Brewster, S Bruzzone, J Bulger, B Burningham, AS Burrows, C Chen, E Chiang, JK Chilcote, RI Dawson, R Dong, R Doyon, ZH Draper, G Duchêne, TM Esposito, D Fabrycky, MP Fitzgerald, KB Follette, JJ Fortney, B Gerard, S Goodsell, AZ Greenbaum, P Hibon, S Hinkley, TH Cotten, L-W Hung, P Ingraham, M Johnson-Groh, P Kalas, D Lafreniere, JE Larkin, J Lee, M Line, D Long, J Maire, F Marchis, BC Matthews, CE Max, S Metchev, MA Millar-Blanchaer, T Mittal, CV Morley, KM Morzinski, R Murray-Clay, R Oppenheimer, DW Palmer, R Patel, MD Perrin, LA Poyneer, RR Rafikov, FT Rantakyrö, EL Rice, P Rojo, AR Rudy, J-B Ruffio, MT Ruiz, N Sadakuni, L Saddlemyer, M Salama, D Savransky, AC Schneider, A Sivaramakrishnan, I Song, R Soummer, S Thomas, G Vasisht, JK Wallace, K Ward-Duong, SJ Wiktorowicz, SG Wolff, B Zuckerman
– Science (New York, N.Y.)
(2015)
350,
64
(doi: 10.1126/science.aac5891)
  • <
  • 5 of 14
  • >

Research Groups

Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics and Nonlinear Dynamics
Astrophysics

Email

rrr@damtp.cam.ac.uk

Room

F1.10

Telephone

01223 764254

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge