SCIENCE

From young stars to molecular disks.

I combine observations and physical modeling to understand how gas, dust, and chemistry evolve during star and planet formation.

01 / COSMIC RAYS & MOLECULAR HYDROGEN

What powers H₂ emission in cold disks?

Ro-vibrational H₂ emission can reveal excitation processes in molecular gas. In the edge-on disk Oph 163131, I investigate how ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays contribute to a vibrationally excited but rotationally cold population.

The line pattern and spatial distribution offer a way to explore ionization in disk gas, while testing alternative excitation mechanisms.

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UV and cosmic-ray excitation in a molecular disk — Assani et al. (2026), Figure 4 · Click to enlarge

02 / DUST & EXTINCTION

Using jets to probe the dust around them.

Iron emission lines from the embedded TMC1A jet provide diagnostics of gas density and infrared extinction. Comparing observed and modeled line ratios lets us investigate the wavelength dependence of attenuation through the protostellar envelope.

This connects the physics of outflows to the properties of the dust that surrounds a forming star.

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Extinction geometry in clouds and protostellar envelopes — Assani et al. (2025), Figure 6 · Click to enlarge

Near- and mid-infrared extinction curves toward TMC1A — Assani et al. (2025), Figure 4, lower panels · Click to enlarge

03 / PROTOSTELLAR JETS & OUTFLOWS

Resolving an asymmetric stellar nursery.

JWST’s NIRSpec integral-field spectroscopy resolves the atomic jet and molecular outflow of TMC1A. Velocity channel maps help separate their structure and motion, including the fainter redshifted side of the bipolar jet.

I use these observations to study how young stars eject material and interact with their surroundings.

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Velocity channel maps of the asymmetric iron jet in TMC1A — Assani et al. (2024), Figure 6 · Click to enlarge

CONNECTED QUESTIONS

The chemistry of forming planetary systems

My current interests also include complex organic molecules in star-forming environments and the role of energetic processes in shaping molecular chemistry. Earlier work includes infrared variability and accretion in young stars, alongside computational studies of planet formation.