Matteo Cantiello

I'm a Research Scientist and Group Leader at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Astrophysics, studying stellar astrophysics and evolution. My research focuses on understanding how stars live and die, particularly massive stars and their internal physics.

I previously worked as a KITP fellow at UC Santa Barbara, Argelander Fellow at Bonn University, and did my Ph.D. at Utrecht University. My work combines theoretical modeling with observations to study processes like stellar rotation, magnetic fields, convection and mixing in stars. This helps us understand phenomena like stellar pulsations, mass loss, and the final fate of massive stars as supernovae and gravitational wave sources.

I'm particularly interested in using computational tools and numerical simulations to probe stellar interiors. I'm a developer of MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics), which is an open-source stellar evolution code. My research has helped reveal the presence of previously unknown convection zones near the surface of massive stars and demonstrated how internal magnetic fields can be detected through asteroseismology - the study of stellar pulsations.

Publications

Modelling Time-dependent Convective Penetration in 1D Stellar Evolution

Cole Johnston, M. Michielsen, E. H. Anders, Mathieu Renzo, M. Cantiello, P. Marchant, J. A. Goldberg, Richard H. D. Townsend, G. Sabhahit, A. Jermyn

Astrophysical Journal 2023

ABS HTML PDF

The photometric variability of massive stars due to gravity waves excited by core convection

E. H. Anders, D. Lecoanet, M. Cantiello, K. Burns, B. A. Hyatt, Emma Kaufman, R. Townsend, B. Brown, G. Vasil, J. Oishi, A. Jermyn

Nature Astronomy 2023

ABS HTML PDF

Many Roads Lead to Lithium: Formation Pathways For Lithium-rich Red Giants

M. Sayeed, M. Ness, B. Montet, M. Cantiello, A. Casey, S. Buder, M. Bedell, K. Breivik, B. Metzger, S. Martell, Leah McGee-Gold

Astrophysical Journal 2023

Matteo Cantiello

Publications

Modelling Time-dependent Convective Penetration in 1D Stellar Evolution

The photometric variability of massive stars due to gravity waves excited by core convection

Many Roads Lead to Lithium: Formation Pathways For Lithium-rich Red Giants

Giant Planet Engulfment by Evolved Giant Stars: Light Curves, Asteroseismology, and Survivability

Rotational modulation in A and F stars: Magnetic stellar spots or convective core rotation?

A closer look at supernovae as seeds for galactic magnetization

Hot Jupiter engulfment by a red giant in 3D hydrodynamics

The Initial Magnetic Field Distribution in AB Stars

The Influence of Disk Composition on the Evolution of Stars in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei

Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Time-dependent Convection, Energy Conservation, Automatic Differentiation, and Infrastructure

From Data to Software to Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST

Rejuvenated Accretors Have Less Bound Envelopes: Impact of Roche Lobe Overflow on Subsequent Common Envelope Events

An Atlas of Convection in Main-sequence Stars

Characterizing Observed Extra Mixing Trends in Red Giants using the Reduced Density Ratio from Thermohaline Models

Convective Penetration in Early-type Stars

Effects of an Immortal Stellar Population in AGN Disks

Measures of Efficiency of Convection

A Transparent Window into Early-type Stellar Variability

Notes on Mixing Length Theory

Moonlight Shadow

Magnetic Archaeology of Early-type Stellar Dynamos

Surface manifestation of stochastically excited internal gravity waves

Stellar Evolution in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei Produces Rapidly Rotating Massive Stars

Accretion onto Stars in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei

On the Origin of Stochastic, Low-Frequency Photometric Variability in Massive Stars

A measurement of stellar surface gravity hidden in radial velocity differences of co-moving stars

Prospects of Gravitational Wave Detections from Common Envelope Evolution with LISA

Electromagnetic Signatures of Relativistic Explosions in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei

Electromagnetic Signatures of Relativistic Explosions in AGN Disks

The Stellar Merger Scenario for Black Holes in the Pair-instability Gap

Stellar Evolution in AGN Disks

The Origin of the Bimodal Distribution of Magnetic Fields in Early-type Stars

Scientific collaboration in the era of COVID-19

Lithium Enrichment Signatures of Planetary Engulfment Events in Evolved Stars

Using Engulfment Events to Probe Planetary Interiors

Low-frequency Variability in Massive Stars: Core Generation or Surface Phenomenon?

How To Write Mathematical Equations, Expressions, and Symbols with LaTeX: A cheatsheet.

Envelope Convection, Surface Magnetism, and Spots in A and Late B-type Stars

Astro2020 Science White Paper: Stellar Physics and Galactic Archeology using Asteroseismology in the 2020's

Gravity and Light: Combining Gravitational Wave and Electromagnetic Observations in the 2020s

Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Pulsating Variable Stars, Rotation, Convective Boundaries, and Energy Conservation

Rotational modulation in TESS B stars

Diverse Variability of O and B Stars Revealed from 2-minute Cadence Light Curves in Sectors 1 and 2 of the TESS Mission: Selection of an Asteroseismic Sample

Constraining the Black Hole Initial Mass Function with LIGO/Virgo Observations

On the Apparent Dichotomy Between the Masses of Black Holes Inferred via X-rays and via Gravitational Waves

SPIRITS discovery of 4 Infrared Transients and Variables with Spitzer/IRAC

Outbursts of luminous blue variable stars from variations in the helium opacity

Inference of Stellar Parameters from Brightness Variations

Recent SPIRITS discoveries of Infrared Transients and Variables with Spitzer/IRAC

Ultra-long Gamma-Ray Bursts from the Collapse of Blue Supergiant Stars: An End-to-end Simulation

Planetary Engulfment in the Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram

Late Time Afterglow Observations Reveal a Collimated Relativistic Jet in the Ejecta of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817.

Conversion of Internal Waves into Non-Dispersive Waves: Part I Background & Theory

New SPIRITS discoveries of Infrared Transients and Variables

Unbelievable Power: The Physics of Nuclear Blast Waves

Off-axis Prompt X-Ray Transients from the Cocoon of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

The arXiv of the future will not look like the arXiv

Recent Discoveries of Infrared Transients and Variables by SPIRITS

Public-Friendly Open Science

SPIRITS: Uncovering Unusual Infrared Transients with Spitzer

The Effects of Magnetic Fields on the Dynamics of Radiation Pressure–dominated Massive Star Envelopes

ON VARIATIONS OF PRE-SUPERNOVA MODEL PROPERTIES

Conversion of internal gravity waves into magnetic waves

MESA ISOCHRONES AND STELLAR TRACKS (MIST). I. SOLAR-SCALED MODELS

SPIRITS Discoveries of New Infrared Transients and Variables

ERRATUM: “MODULES FOR EXPERIMENTS IN STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS (MESA): BINARIES, PULSATIONS, AND EXPLOSIONS” (2015, ApJS, 220, 15)

Suppression of Quadrupole and Octupole Modes in Red Giants Observed by Kepler *

ASTEROSEISMIC SIGNATURES OF EVOLVING INTERNAL STELLAR MAGNETIC FIELDS

Ejection of the Massive Hydrogen-rich Envelope Timed with the Collapse of the Stripped SN 2014C

A prevalence of dynamo-generated magnetic fields in the cores of intermediate-mass stars

ERRATUM: “THE SPIN RATE OF PRE-COLLAPSE STELLAR CORES: WAVE-DRIVEN ANGULAR MOMENTUM TRANSPORT IN MASSIVE STARS” (2015, ApJ, 810, 101)

Asteroseismology can reveal strong internal magnetic fields in red giant stars

Limits On The Spin Up Of Stellar-Mass Black Holes Through A Spiral Stationary Accretion Shock Instability

DISCOVERY OF THE MASSIVE OVERCONTACT BINARY VFTS 352: EVIDENCE FOR ENHANCED INTERNAL MIXING

LOCAL RADIATION HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF MASSIVE STAR ENVELOPES AT THE IRON OPACITY PEAK

Global-scale 3-D RMHD Simulations of Red-Supergiant Convective Envelopes

SPIRITS Discoveries of Recent Infrared Transients with Spitzer Early Release Data

MODULES FOR EXPERIMENTS IN STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS (MESA): BINARIES, PULSATIONS, AND EXPLOSIONS