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School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences |
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Research Interests:
Astronomy and Astrophysics - High-energy astrophysics
Biography
Ravi Sood obtained his PhD in Astrophysics from the Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London. He studies the emission of high energy gamma rays from the Sun and from the Milky Way galaxy using instruments flown from high altitude balloons from locations in four continents. In 1979, he took up a lecturing position at Melbourne University (RAAF Academy) where he carried out investigations into ultra-high energy iron nuclei in cosmic radiation using stratospheric balloons. He joined UNSW@ADFA in 1986 as a Senior Lecturer and established the High Energy Astrophysics Research Group in the School of Physics. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1992, and was the Head of the School of Physics from 1995 to 2002.
Ravi Sood is the leading expert in stratospheric scientific ballooning in Australia.
Teaching
I have taught Physics at all levels of the undergraduate degree in Australia for 26 years. In addition, I have supervised several PhD and MSc students. I was awarded the UNSW@ADFA Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in 2000. Currently, I teach the following courses:
- Astrophysics (Honours, Level IV)
- Cosmology and Relativistic Astrophysics (Level III)
- Navigation and Guidance Physics (Level III)
- Space Physics and Astrodynamics (Level I)
I led the development and delivery of a highly successful course on ionising radiation safety for the Australian Defence Force (DIRPO). This course has been delivered at UNSW@ADFA since 1999. I led the complete updating of the Physics Curriculum at UNSW@ADFA to provide a degree, enthusiastically approved by the Australian Institute of Physics that is relevant to the officer cadets of the Australian Defence Force.
Currently, I am leading the development of a postgraduate course in "CBRNE – Fundamentals and Management" which deals with the foundation science and management of incidents involving weapons of mass destruction (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear & Explosives). Details of this course can be accessed by going to http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/pems/student/cbrne/index.html
Research Activities
My research interests are in the field of high energy astrophysics, and scientific stratospheric ballooning. I have co-authored over 110 research papers in international refereed journals and refereed conference proceedings. I lead the High Energy Astrophysics Group in the School of PEMS , UNSW@ADFA, where current activities include:
- The development of instrumentation for hard X-ray astronomy, for use on space-borne and
stratospheric balloon payloads. We are studying the behaviour of proportional counters at very
high gas pressures, to produce instruments with high energy resolution and high sensitivity.
We have also developed a low background imaging X-ray device using scintillation counters.
- The multi-wavelength study of selected neutron star and black-hole X-ray binaries in our
Galaxy. These studies are carried out using radio, millimeter, and optical telescopes in
Australian, Chile , India and Korea , and via spacecraft-borne and balloon-borne X-ray
telescopes.
- I have participated in over 100 stratospheric balloon flights for scientific research from sites in the UK , Zambia , Uganda , Maldive Islands and Australia . For many of these flights, I have taken on various roles such as principle scientific investigator, launch director, campaign manager, and station director. Since 1984, I have provided support to NASA for their Southern Hemisphere scientific balloon campaigns in Australia . Such recent activities include the development of super-pressure balloons for long duration flights lasting up to three months.
Recent Professional Activities
- Director of the Balloon Launching Station, Alice Springs , 1984 to present.
- Member of COSPAR International Panel on Scientific Ballooning
- Guest Editor for Journal of Advances in Space Research
- Expert witness for Joint Parliamentary Committee on Treaty between USA and Australia on Scientific Ballooning.
- Member of the Australian Defence Force Radiation Safety Council.
- Member of the International Astronomical Union .
- Fellow of the Astronomical Society of Australia .
- Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics.
- Member of the Australian Defence Ionising Radiation Safety Committee.
- Examiner for several MSc and PhD theses in Astronomy.
- Member for Australian Academy of Science National Committee for Space Science, 1992 - 2003.
Recent Publications
- Grey, D.J., Sood, R.K., Manchanda, R.K., 2004, Resolution and spectral characteristics of ultra high pressure proportional counters using various quench gases, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A, 527 (3), 493
- Nozawa, H., Misawa, H., Takahashi, S., Morioka , A. Okano, S., Sood, R., 2004, Long-term variability of [SII] emissions from the Io plasma torus between 1997 and 2000, Journal of Geophysical Research, 109, A7, 7209
- Dieters, S., O'Neill, P., Farrell, S., Sood, R., 2005, Long-term periodicities in the flux from low mass X-ray binaries, Advances in Space Research, 35 (6), 1185
- Nozawa, H., Misawa, H., Takahashi, S., Morioka , A., Okano, S., Sood, R., 2005, Relationship between the Jovian magnetospheric plasma density and Io torus emission, Geophysical Research Letters, 32 (11), L11101
- Farrell , S.A. , O'Neill, P.M., Sood, R.K., 2005, Recurrent ~24h Periods in RXTE ASM Data, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 22 (3), 267
- Takahashi, S., Misawa, H., Nozawa, H., Morioka , A., Okano, S., Sood, R., 2005, Dynamic features of Io's extended sodium distributions, Icarus, 178 (2), 346
- Ashok , N.M. , Manchanda, R.K., Banerjee, D.P.K., Farrell, S., Sood R.K., 2006, Near infrared studies of the massive X-ray binary 2S 0114+65, Advances in Space Research, 38 (12), 2777
- Sood, R., Farrell, S., O'Neill, P., Manchanda, R., Ashok , N.M. , 2006, Evolution of the periodicities in 2S 0114+650, Advances in Space Research, 38 (12), 2779
- Farrell , S.A. , Sood, R.K., O'Neill, P.M., 2006, Super-orbital period in the high-mass X-ray binary 2S 0114+650, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 367 (4), 1457
- Nozawa, H., Misawa, H., Kagitani, M., Tsuchiya, F., Takahashi, S., Morioka , A., Kimura, T., Okano, S., Yamamoto, H., Sood, R., 2006, Implication for the solar wind effect on the Io plasma torus, Geophysical Research Letters, 33 (16), L16103
- Sood, R., Farrell, S., O'Neill, P., Dieters, S., 2007, Super-orbital periods in X-ray binaries, Journal of Advances in Space Research, in press.
- Farrell , S.A. , O'Neill, P.M., Sood, R.K., Dieters, S., Manchanda, R.K., 2007, A Multicoloured View of 2S 0114+650, in "The multicoloured landscape of compact objects and their explosive progenitors", Cefalu , Sicily , 2006 June 11-24, AIP, in press.