Felipe I. Figueroa-Tapia

Hi! I am Felipe Figueroa-Tapia, a PhD student at the Universidad de Valparaíso and a member of the Massive Stars Group. My work focuses on the physics of the most luminous stars in the universe and how they lose mass through powerful radiation-driven winds.

Research Profile

My research centres on O-type stars and the development of self-consistent hydrodynamic models to describe their stellar winds. Instead of relying on the traditional parametric “β-law”, I work on solving the equations of motion to provide more accurate descriptions of mass-loss rates (Ṁ) and wind parameters using the m-CAK theory. I have specialised in creating theoretical grids that analyse how the chemical composition of the photosphere affects the line-force and the overall evolution of these stellar objects.

Additionally, I investigate different hydrodynamic formalisms, including the study of slow solutions, and I employ state-of-the-art atmosphere codes such as FASTWIND and PoWR to better understand the wind physics. My goal is to bridge the gap between complex hydrodynamics and practical formulae that the wider community can use to understand stellar evolution.

Fun fact: Outside of astrophysics, I am a Fall Guys tryhard and became Superstar across all seasons.