Valentin Skoutnev
Affiliated Scientist
I am currently a THEA postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University specializing in astrophysical fluid dynamics, including turbulence, waves, instabilities, and dynamos. One of my major goals within the SCEECS collaborator is to establish constraints on the origins of the ultra-strong magnetic fields found in magnetar interiors. These fields can be traced either from their stellar progenitors, or from dynamo processes operating during binary neutron star mergers. I am also interested in the variety of stable equilibria that these magnetic fields can relax into, as well as their subsequent long-term evolution, which drives observable magnetar activity. My research combines theoretical analysis and direct numerical simulations, often using spectral methods.