anisotropela
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It's not exactly rocket science…

(but it's close enough)

I am an astrophysicist, interested in galaxies and the rest of the Universe.

I'm particularly curious about the early Universe, how galaxies formed, and which physical properties governed the galaxies at that time. Why? Because galaxies are the magnificent and beautiful building blocks of our Universe. Understanding these guys helps us comprehending the cosmos around us and our place in it.

You can read more about my research here

Research is only part of my job, though; I also communicate our science to the public and the press, organize astro-workshops, maintain DAWN's website, and carry out various other administrative tasks.

All pages on this site are available in Danish by clicking the flag in the top.

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News

A carousel of my most recent activities.

Latest tweets

Latest scientific paper

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Latest answers on StackExchange

My SE profile

Latest award

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Astronomy picture of the day

Seeing an image here requires internet

Latest popsci article

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Latest press release

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Music I'm currently listening to

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Latest media

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Astronomical observations

Pretty images I took while observing in Chile, La Palma, and other places.

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Selected Publications

As described in the research section, most of my work has been devoted to Lyman α radiative transfer in galaxies and the intergalactic medium.

See full list of publications

Intergalactic transmission and its impact on the Lyα line

  • Assessing how the circum- and intergalactic gas affects the Lyα spectral line.
  • Awarded Sweden's most cited astrophysical paper 2011.
    • Laursen et al. 2011, ApJ, 728, 52

    On the (non-)enhancement of the Lyα equivalent width by a multiphase interstellar medium

  • A systematic study of whether or not a clumpy interstellar medium can boost the Lyα-to-continuum ratio significantly, as has been previously assumed.
  • It can't.
    • Laursen et al. 2013, ApJ, 766, 124

    Lyman α-emitting galaxies in the epoch of reionization

  • Predictions of the expected detectability and physical properties of the most distant galaxies.
  • Analytical evaluation of the amount of cooling radiation from forming galaxies.
  • A mathematical tool for adding numbers with asymmetrical uncertainties.
    • Laursen et al. 2019, A&A, 627, 84

    For non-astronomers

    (also for astronomers, actually)
    • Are you a non-astronomer and want to read a bit about astronomy? See my encyclopedia for non-astronomers.
    • Or do you have a question about astrophysics? Ask it at my Q&A column.
    • Maybe you're a coder and just want to hack away? Check out the codes I've published on my GitHub repository.
    • So you are an astronomer or some other sort of researcher, and don't want to make the same stupid mistakes as I did? Have a look at my 100+ notes on everything from galaxies and extinction laws, to Python cheat sheets and LaTeX tips, and what not.
      There's even some non-science stuff like guitar chords and food recipes.
    • Not interested in astronomy at all? No offense taken — why not just sit back then and listen to my band Ampel on Spotify or Bandcamp.
    • No way?! You like both music and astronomy? Will you marry me? While you think about it, listen to my astrosong playlist (or check out my other Spotify playlists).
    • Ha ha listen so when I said "Will you marry me?" I was only kidding because I'm married to this hot mama.
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    A galaxy

    A simulated galaxy perhaps, but a galaxy nonetheless.