Kai Cai

Ph.D. in Astrophysics , August 2006, Dept. of Astronomy, Indiana University Bloomington
Advisor: Dr. Richard H. Durisen
Dissertation Title: 3D Hydrodynamics Simulations of Gravitational Instabilities in Young Protoplanetary Disks

M. A. in Astronomy, May 2002, Indiana University

B. Sc. in Astrophysics, July 1999, Peking University Beijing, China

• Astrophysical fluid dynamics, more specifically:
  • Circumstellar disk;
  • Formation and evolution of planetary systems;
  • Protostellar jets and outflows (see a review I wrote for graduate course ISM)
• Young open clusters.

Research Experience

• Statistics of Herbig-Haro objects and molecular outflows with Prof. Y. Wu at PKU: Spring 1999
• Research Assistant for Dr. Richard H. Durisen since Summer 2003, working on protoplanetary disk simulations
• Binary Mass Ratios in Young Open Clusters: with Dr. R. H. Durisen and Dr. C. P. Deliyannis

Teaching Experience

• Instructor for A105 in IU Astronomy Department: Summer 2002
• Assistant instructor for
  • A201 (General Astronomy I) Fall 1999
  • A202 (General Astronomy II) Spring 2000
  • A451 (Stellar Astrophysics) Fall 2000
  • A202 Spring 2001
  • A201 Fall 2001
  • A100 (The Solar System) and A105 (Stars and Galaxies) Spring 2002
  • A451 (Stellar Astrophysics) Fall 2002
  • A100 and A105 Spring 2003

• Cai, K., Durisen, R.H., Mejía, A.C., & Pickett, M.K., The Thermal Regulation of Gravitational Instabilities in Protoplanetary Disks IV: Simulations with Envelope Irradiation. ApJ, in prep. (2/3 drafted)
• Cai, K., Durisen, R. H., & Deliyannis, C. P., Photometric Determination of Binary Mass Ratios in the WIYN Open Cluster Study (WOCS) Using Theoretical Isochrones, ApJ, in prep. (2/3 drafted)
• Cai, K., Durisen, R.H., Michael, S., Boley, A.C., Mejía, A.C., Pickett, M.K., & D'Alessio, P., The Effects of Metallicity and Grain Size on Gravitational Instabilities in Protoplanetary Disks, (2005) ApJL, 636, L149 (astro-ph/0508354)
• Boley, A.C., Mejía, A.C., Durisen, R. H., Cai, K., Pickett, M.K. & D'Alessio, P., The Thermal Regulation of Gravitational Instabilities in Protoplanetary Disks III: Simulations with Radiative Cooling and Flux-Limited Diffusion (2006) ApJ, 651, 517
• Mejía, A.C., Durisen, R.H., Pickett, M.K., Cai, K. The Thermal Regulation of Gravitational Instabilities in Protoplanetary Disks II. Extended Simulations With Varied Cooling Rates (2005) ApJ, 619, 1098
• Durisen, R.H., Cai, K., Mejía, A.C., & Pickett, M.K. A Possible Hybrid Scenario for Gas Giant Planet Formation in Rings. (2005) Icarus, 173, 417
• Wu, J-W., Wu, Y-F, Wang, J-Z, Cai, Kai A Study of the Energy Sources of Herbig-Haro Objects (2002) ChJAA, 2, p33