On the Dynamics of Noncircular Accretion Discs

Elliot Lynch will carry out research towards a PhD degree in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. His research will be on the fluid dynamics of eccentric astrophysical discs composed of variably elliptical orbits.
He will use innovative Hamiltonian methods and numerical techniques to understand the nonlinear behaviour of eccentric discs, including their non-hydrostatic vertical structure. He will also investigate dissipative processes in these systems and will make applications of the theory to binary stars and black holes, as well as tidal disruption events in which stars are shredded around black holes at the centres of galaxies.