Dr Luca Matra

PhD, B.A. (Hons.)

Contact Details

Lecturer
E: luca.matra@nuigalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Hello! I am an astronomer working as Lecturer at the School of Physics. I graduated from a BA in Physics with Astrophysics from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), and later from my PhD at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge (UK). At that time, I was also fortunate to spend a year as a European Southern Observatory (ESO) student in Santiago (Chile), working on data from the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. Finally, I was a Fellow at the Submillimeter Array (SMA) telescope project, part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge (MA). There, I got to operate and use the SMA (situated on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i) for science and teaching.

Research Interests

Exocomets, Debris disks
Planet Formation, Exoplanets
Millimeter-radio Interferometry
Line and Continuum Radiative Transfer

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2020) 'Spiral arms in the protoplanetary disc HD100453 detected with ALMA: evidence for binary-disc interaction and a vertical temperature gradient'
Rosotti (2020) 'Spiral arms in the protoplanetary disc HD100453 detected with ALMA: evidence for binary-disc interaction and a vertical temperature gradient'. \mnras, 491 (1):1335-1347 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Searching for a dusty cometary belt around TRAPPIST-1 with ALMA'
Marino (2020) 'Searching for a dusty cometary belt around TRAPPIST-1 with ALMA'. \mnras, 492 (4):6067-6073 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Insights into the planetary dynamics of HD 206893 with ALMA'
Marino (2020) 'Insights into the planetary dynamics of HD 206893 with ALMA'. \mnras, 498 (1):1319-1334 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Survey of planetesimal belts with ALMA: gas detected around the Sun-like star HD 129590'
Kral (2020) 'Survey of planetesimal belts with ALMA: gas detected around the Sun-like star HD 129590'. \mnras, 497 (3):2811-2830 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Population synthesis of exocometary gas around A stars'
Marino (2020) 'Population synthesis of exocometary gas around A stars'. \mnras, 492 (3):4409-4429 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Dust Populations in the Iconic Vega Planetary System Resolved by ALMA'
Matr\`a (2020) 'Dust Populations in the Iconic Vega Planetary System Resolved by ALMA'. \apj, 898 (2) [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Herschel Observations of Disks around Late-type Stars'
Tanner (2020) 'Herschel Observations of Disks around Late-type Stars'. \pasp, 132 (1014) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'The REASONS Survey: Resolved Millimeter Observations of a Large Debris Disk around the Nearby F Star HD 170773'
Sepulveda (2019) 'The REASONS Survey: Resolved Millimeter Observations of a Large Debris Disk around the Nearby F Star HD 170773'. \apj, 881 (1) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Spiral arms in the protoplanetary disc HD100453 detected with ALMA: evidence for binary-disc interaction and a vertical temperature gradient'
Rosotti (2019) 'Spiral arms in the protoplanetary disc HD100453 detected with ALMA: evidence for binary-disc interaction and a vertical temperature gradient'. \mnras, 491 (1):1335-1347 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'On the Ubiquity and Stellar Luminosity Dependence of Exocometary CO Gas: Detection around M Dwarf TWA 7'
Matr\`a (2019) 'On the Ubiquity and Stellar Luminosity Dependence of Exocometary CO Gas: Detection around M Dwarf TWA 7'. \aj, 157 (3) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Modeling Debris Disk Evolution'
Gaspar (2019) 'Modeling Debris Disk Evolution'. \baas, 51 (3) [Details]
(2019) 'A gap in HD 92945's broad planetesimal disc revealed by ALMA'
Marino (2019) 'A gap in HD 92945's broad planetesimal disc revealed by ALMA'. \mnras, 484 (1):1257-1269 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Imaging [CI] around HD 131835: reinterpreting young debris discs with protoplanetary disc levels of CO gas as shielded secondary discs'
Kral (2019) 'Imaging [CI] around HD 131835: reinterpreting young debris discs with protoplanetary disc levels of CO gas as shielded secondary discs'. \mnras, 489 (4):3670-3691 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'A circumbinary protoplanetary disk in a polar configuration'
Kennedy (2019) 'A circumbinary protoplanetary disk in a polar configuration'. Nature Astronomy, 3 :230-235 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Exocometary Science'
Matra (2019) 'Exocometary Science'. \baas, 51 (3) [Details]
(2019) 'From Scattered-light to Millimeter Emission: A Comprehensive View of the Gigayear-old System of HD 202628 and its Eccentric Debris Ring'
Faramaz (2019) 'From Scattered-light to Millimeter Emission: A Comprehensive View of the Gigayear-old System of HD 202628 and its Eccentric Debris Ring'. \aj, 158 (4) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Deep ALMA search for CO gas in the HD 95086 debris disc'
Booth (2019) 'Deep ALMA search for CO gas in the HD 95086 debris disc'. \mnras, 482 (3):3443-3452 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Publisher Correction: A circumbinary protoplanetary disk in a polar configuration'
Kennedy (2019) 'Publisher Correction: A circumbinary protoplanetary disk in a polar configuration'. Nature Astronomy, 3 :278-278 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Sub-millimetre non-contaminated detection of the disc around TWA 7 by ALMA'
Bayo (2019) 'Sub-millimetre non-contaminated detection of the disc around TWA 7 by ALMA'. \mnras, 486 (4):5552-5557 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Kuiper Belt-like Hot and Cold Populations of Planetesimal Inclinations in the \ensuremath\beta Pictoris Belt Revealed by ALMA'
Matr\`a (2019) 'Kuiper Belt-like Hot and Cold Populations of Planetesimal Inclinations in the \ensuremath\beta Pictoris Belt Revealed by ALMA'. \aj, 157 (4) [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'A gap in the planetesimal disc around HD 107146 and asymmetric warm dust emission revealed by ALMA'
Marino (2018) 'A gap in the planetesimal disc around HD 107146 and asymmetric warm dust emission revealed by ALMA'. \mnras, 479 (4):5423-5439 [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'ALMA observations of the narrow HR 4796A debris ring'
Kennedy (2018) 'ALMA observations of the narrow HR 4796A debris ring'. \mnras, 475 (4):4924-4938 [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'An Empirical Planetesimal Belt Radius-Stellar Luminosity Relation'
Matr\`a (2018) 'An Empirical Planetesimal Belt Radius-Stellar Luminosity Relation'. \apj, 859 (1) [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'Comprehensive Analysis of HD 105, A Young Solar System Analog'
Marshall (2018) 'Comprehensive Analysis of HD 105, A Young Solar System Analog'. \apj, 869 (1) [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'Molecular Reconnaissance of the \ensuremath\beta Pictoris Gas Disk with the SMA: A Low HCN/(CO+CO$_2$) Outgassing Ratio and Predictions for Future Surveys'
Matr\`a (2018) 'Molecular Reconnaissance of the \ensuremath\beta Pictoris Gas Disk with the SMA: A Low HCN/(CO+CO$_2$) Outgassing Ratio and Predictions for Future Surveys'. \apj, 853 (2) [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'ALMA observations of the multiplanet system 61 Vir: what lies outside super-Earth systems?'
Marino (2017) 'ALMA observations of the multiplanet system 61 Vir: what lies outside super-Earth systems?'. \mnras, 469 (3):3518-3531 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Discovery of a low-mass companion inside the debris ring surrounding the F5V star HD 206893'
Milli (2017) 'Discovery of a low-mass companion inside the debris ring surrounding the F5V star HD 206893'. \aap, 597 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Predictions for the secondary CO, C and O gas content of debris discs from the destruction of volatile-rich planetesimals'
Kral (2017) 'Predictions for the secondary CO, C and O gas content of debris discs from the destruction of volatile-rich planetesimals'. \mnras, 469 (1):521-550 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Near-infrared scattered light properties of the HR 4796 A dust ring. A measured scattering phase function from 13.6\textdegree to 166.6\textdegree'
Milli (2017) 'Near-infrared scattered light properties of the HR 4796 A dust ring. A measured scattering phase function from 13.6\textdegree to 166.6\textdegree'. \aap, 599 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Exocometary gas structure, origin and physical properties around \ensuremath\beta Pictoris through ALMA CO multitransition observations'
Matr\`a (2017) 'Exocometary gas structure, origin and physical properties around \ensuremath\beta Pictoris through ALMA CO multitransition observations'. \mnras, 464 (2):1415-1433 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'ALMA observations of the \ensuremath\eta Corvi debris disc: inward scattering of CO-rich exocomets by a chain of 3-30 M$_\ensuremath\oplus$ planets?'
Marino (2017) 'ALMA observations of the \ensuremath\eta Corvi debris disc: inward scattering of CO-rich exocomets by a chain of 3-30 M$_\ensuremath\oplus$ planets?'. \mnras, 465 (3):2595-2615 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'The Northern arc of \ensuremath\in Eridani's Debris Ring as seen by ALMA'
Booth (2017) 'The Northern arc of \ensuremath\in Eridani's Debris Ring as seen by ALMA'. \mnras, 469 (3):3200-3212 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'A Complete ALMA Map of the Fomalhaut Debris Disk'
MacGregor (2017) 'A Complete ALMA Map of the Fomalhaut Debris Disk'. \apj, 842 (1) [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Detection of Exocometary CO within the 440 Myr Old Fomalhaut Belt: A Similar CO+CO$_2$ Ice Abundance in Exocomets and Solar System Comets'
Matr\`a (2017) 'Detection of Exocometary CO within the 440 Myr Old Fomalhaut Belt: A Similar CO+CO$_2$ Ice Abundance in Exocomets and Solar System Comets'. \apj, 842 (1) [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'First Scattered-light Images of the Gas-rich Debris Disk around 49 Ceti'
Choquet (2017) 'First Scattered-light Images of the Gas-rich Debris Disk around 49 Ceti'. \apjl, 834 (2) [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'The SHARDDS survey: First resolved image of the HD 114082 debris disk in the Lower Centaurus Crux with SPHERE'
Wahhaj (2016) 'The SHARDDS survey: First resolved image of the HD 114082 debris disk in the Lower Centaurus Crux with SPHERE'. \aap, 596 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'A self-consistent model for the evolution of the gas produced in the debris disc of \ensuremath\beta Pictoris'
Kral (2016) 'A self-consistent model for the evolution of the gas produced in the debris disc of \ensuremath\beta Pictoris'. \mnras, 461 (1):845-858 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Exocometary gas in the HD 181327 debris ring'
Marino (2016) 'Exocometary gas in the HD 181327 debris ring'. \mnras, 460 (3):2933-2944 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Gas and dust around A-type stars at tens of Myr: signatures of cometary breakup'
Greaves (2016) 'Gas and dust around A-type stars at tens of Myr: signatures of cometary breakup'. \mnras, 461 (4):3910-3917 [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Five steps in the evolution from protoplanetary to debris disk'
Wyatt (2015) 'Five steps in the evolution from protoplanetary to debris disk'. \apss, 357 (2) [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'CO mass upper limits in the Fomalhaut ring - the importance of NLTE excitation in debris discs and future prospects with ALMA'
Matr\`a (2015) 'CO mass upper limits in the Fomalhaut ring - the importance of NLTE excitation in debris discs and future prospects with ALMA'. \mnras, 447 (4):3936-3947 [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Kuiper belt structure around nearby super-Earth host stars'
Kennedy (2015) 'Kuiper belt structure around nearby super-Earth host stars'. \mnras, 449 (3):3121-3136 [DOI] [Details]
(2013) 'Identification of transitional disks in Chamaeleon with Herschel'
Ribas (2013) 'Identification of transitional disks in Chamaeleon with Herschel'. \aap, 552 [DOI] [Details]
(2012) 'A new Herschel view of the young star T54: not a transitional disk?'
Matr\`a (2012) 'A new Herschel view of the young star T54: not a transitional disk?'. \aap, 548 [DOI] [Details]

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2020/2021 Experimental and Computational Physics Lab PH3101, PH3102
2020/2021 Physics Special Topics PH109