Physics Colloquium – Tony Rodriguez

From Extreme Binary Stars to Self-Driving Cars

Dr. Tony Rodriguez
Data Scientist, Waymo LLC (formerly Harvard CfA)

Compact objects — white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars, and black holes — are laboratories for studying extreme physics under conditions unable to be replicated on Earth. When located in binaries, it becomes possible to measure properties of compact objects such as magnetic field strength, temperature, and the effects of mass transfer from a companion. In this talk, I will describe recent advancements in our understanding of WD magnetism. I will outline how this was done by searching for binary systems in short-lived evolutionary phases using the largest optical and X-ray telescope surveys to date. I will describe the recent discovery of the slowest-pulsing radio sources in the night sky, long period radio transients, and how they may connect to the story of WD magnetism. I will also discuss results from the first controlled survey of mass-transferring, helium-rich WD binary systems that orbit each other every twenty minutes. Space-based interferometers like LISA will detect these systems as millihertz gravitational wave (GW) sources, and current electromagnetic surveys will be vital to compare to future GW results. Finally, I will outline my transition to industry research in autonomous vehicles and how skills from a Physics/Astrophysics degree can transfer to the growing world of artificial intelligence (AI).