Philipp's primary research focus is on the physics of relativistic cosmic rays, their transport and how they affect galaxies and galaxy clusters. While cosmic rays comprise a small fraction of the total number of particles in galaxies, they are energetically important and can significantly affect galaxy evolution by driving galactic winds and heating diffuse gas. The impact that cosmic rays have is a strong function of how they are transported in the galaxy, which remains uncertain. As a result, how cosmic rays affect galaxies is one of the biggest unsolved puzzles in galaxy evolution. In his research, he uses a combination of analytical and numerical work to study the physics of cosmic ray transport and how plausible cosmic ray transport models affect galactic halos and galaxy clusters.
Mentor
Lorenzo Sironi