Manel Errando

Education

• Ph.D. (2009) • Physics • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
• M.S. (2006) • Physics • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
• B.A. (2004) • Physics • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

Current Position

• Assistant Professor of Physics, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO
• Deformable mirror technologies for high angular resolution X-ray missions.
• Gamma-ray spectrometers for line emission spectroscopy in astrophysics and planetary science missions. Evolution of supermassive black holes and relativistic jets using X-ray and gamma-ray observatories.

_{Top Image: Polymer-based actuators on a 2-inch diameter silicon substrate. Bottom Image: Plastic scintillator block being read out with a silicon photomultiplier array.}

Technology Interests

• Polymer-based actuators for deformable X-ray optics.
• Semiconductor and scintillator gamma-ray detectors for nuclear astrophysics.
• Silicon photomultipliers for astrophysics missions.
• Sub-nanosecond light flashers for calibration of ground-based gamma-ray observatories.
• Readout schemes, signal extraction, analog and digital signal processing.

Goals and Aspirations

• Mature polymer-based actuators to enable the next generation of high effective area X-ray missions with sub-arcsecond angular resolution.
• Design and build gamma-ray spectrometers to study nuclear line gamma-ray emission from kilonovae, supernova remnants, and positron annihilation in our galaxy.
• Inspire and train the next generation of astrophysicists and instrument scientists.
• Provide access to astrophysics research to a diverse population of students.