David R. Ardila
 
Assistant Research Scientist
NASA Herschel Science Center
California Institute of Technology
1200 E. California Blvd
Mail Stop 220-6
Pasadena, CA 91125
 
Office:     KS-285
Phone:    626-395-1945
Fax:         626-583-9046
Email:     ardila AT ipac.caltech.edu
 
Research Interests:
Planet Formation: Observations and modeling of debris disks, timescales of planet formation. Coronagraphic observations of circumstellar disks. Hydrodynamical simulations of dust-gas interactions.
Star Formation: Observations and modeling of the accretion process in T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars. Angular momentum evolution. Extension of the accretion paradigm to lower stellar masses. Line emission in high temperature plasmas.
 
Publications:
 
 
Current Projects:
  1. • The Spitzer Atlas of Stellar Spectra: The HR diagram as seen by Spitzer
  2. • The Accretion Shock in Classical T Tauri Stars: How to explain those pesky UV lines
  3. • A Search for Debris Disks in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group: Looking for extrasolar Kuiper Belts in all the right places
  4. • Gas in protoplanetary Systems (GASPs): A Herschel key project
  5. • Cold Disks around Nearby Stars. A Search for Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt analogues (DUNES: DUst disks around NEarby Stars): Another Herschel key project
About me:
I am an astronomer (Ph.D. Physics, UC Berkeley, 2002) at the NASA Herschel Science Center (NHSC), which supports the U.S. astronomical community in the use of the Herschel Space Telescope
 
At NHSC, I am the liaison with the Herschel Science Center (HSC) at the European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC) located just outside Madrid, Spain. After the launch of Herschel (May 14th, 2009) I will be relocating to Spain. My job is to insure clear communication between the HSC and the NHSC, and to advocate for the interests of the US astronomical community regarding Herschel.