Dr. Andrew Swan

Biography

Andrew Swan is a postdoctoral researcher in the Astronomy & Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on studying white dwarf planetary systems using optical and infrared telescopes. His work involves investigating how stars, including our sun, evolve into white dwarfs and the subsequent interactions with surrounding asteroids and planets. He studies the intense gravitational effects of white dwarfs that can disrupt close-passing objects, causing them to be torn apart and form debris discs around the stars. This debris can generate large quantities of detectable dust in the infrared spectrum. He utilizes spectroscopic observations of metal-polluted white dwarfs to infer the compositions of the materials swallowed by these stars, which can provide insights into the bulk compositions of exoplanetary objects. Andrew's research has revealed a population of white dwarfs that host detectable debris discs, demonstrating significant variations in their infrared emissions over various timescales. His studies have included the use of the Spitzer Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope to conduct follow-up observations of these systems, aiming to build detailed light curves and learn about the composition of the disc material.

Research Interests