Laura A. Lopez | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California Santa Cruz Ph.D. |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | Ohio State University |
| Thesis | The tumultuous lives and deaths of stars (2011) |
| Doctoral advisor | Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz |
| Other academic advisors | Mark R. Krumholz |
Laura A. Lopez is a multiwavelength observer who is broadly interested in topics related to stellar feedback, supernovae (SNe), galactic winds, and the interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies. Prof. Lopez aims to bridge the gap between observations and theory by developing meaningful ways to compare theoretical predictions to observational results. Prof. Lopez uses observational facilities which cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum - radio, mm, infrared, optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray - to have a complete view of the relevant processes in galaxies and the ISM. In addition to her research, Prof. Lopez is also deeply committed to enhancing the participation and retention of students in the sciences.
Prof. Lopez was awarded the Annie Jump Cannon Award of the American Astronomical Society in 2016, a Cottrell Scholar Award in 2019, the AAS High-Energy Astrophysics Division Early Career Prize in 2022, the OSU College of Arts & Sciences Diversity Enhancement Faculty Award in 2022, and the OSU College of Arts & Sciences Mid-Career Faculty Excellence Award in 2025. She has been a professor at OSU since 2015.
Lopez received her undergraduate degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004. Lopez earned her PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2011. After completing her PhD she was an Einstein Fellow and Pappalardo Fellow in Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2011–2014). Following that, she was a Hubble Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (2014–2015). [1]
Lopez has contributed to the field of the life cycle of stars. She has used the NuSTAR X-ray satellite to study Tycho's Supernova remnant. [2] Using optical, infrared, radio, and X-ray images, she measured the pressures exerted on the remnant shells from direct stellar radiation, dust-processed radiation, warm ionized gas, and hot X-ray-emitting gas. [3]
Lopez has used data acquired from various observatories to show that Supernova Remnant (SNR) 0104–72.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud arose from a jet-driven bipolar core-collapse supernova. [4]
Using the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer on board the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Lopez observed the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) W49B to understand the thermodynamic properties and explosive origin of the SNR. The observed electron temperature and absorbing column toward W49B suggest that the mean metal abundances are consistent with the predicted yields in models of bipolar/jet-driven core-collapse SNe. W49B is thus likely a bipolar Type Ib/Ic SN, making it the first of its kind to be discovered in the Milky Way. [5]
Lopez is interested in diversity in astronomy and is an advocate of the LGBTQ astronomical community. Additionally, she has previously served on the AAS Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy (CSMA). [6]