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Dr Jordan Barber
MPhys
Teams and roles for Jordan Barber
Research student
PhD Researcher
PhD Researcher
Overview
I am a final year PhD student in the School of Physics and Astronomy under the supervision of Dr Fabio Antonini and Prof Stephen Fairhurst. Currently, I am investigating binary black hole (BBH) formation channels inside dense stellar environments such as star clusters; focusing on how these different channels affect the sub-population of merging BBHs. From this work, we hope to provide some insight into the implication of the BBH formation channel on the gravitational wave detections made by the LVK colloboration.
Publication
2025
- Barber, J. and Antonini, F. 2025. Formation and evolution of binary black holes in N-body simulations of star clusters with up to two million stars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 538(2), pp. 639-658. (10.1093/mnras/staf279)
- Barber, J. 2025. Dynamics of compact objects in dense stellar clusters and the implications for gravitational wave detections. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
- Fantoccoli, F., Barber, J., Dosopoulou, F., Chattopadhyay, D. and Antonini, F. 2025. Properties of black hole-star binaries formed in N-body simulations of massive star clusters: implications for Gaia black holes. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (10.1093/mnras/staf303)
2024
- Abac, A. G. et al. 2024. Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo. The Astrophysical Journal 973(2), article number: 132. (10.3847/1538-4357/ad65ce)
- Barber, J., Chattopadhyay, D. and Antonini, F. 2024. Black hole binary mergers in dense star clusters: the importance of primordial binaries. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 527(3), pp. 7363–7381. (10.1093/mnras/stad3600)
2023
- Chattopadhyay, D., Stegmann, J., Antonini, F., Barber, J. and Romero-Shaw, I. M. 2023. Double black hole mergers in nuclear star clusters: eccentricities, spins, masses, and the growth of massive seeds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 526(4), pp. 4908–4928. (10.1093/mnras/stad3048)
Articles
- Barber, J. and Antonini, F. 2025. Formation and evolution of binary black holes in N-body simulations of star clusters with up to two million stars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 538(2), pp. 639-658. (10.1093/mnras/staf279)
- Fantoccoli, F., Barber, J., Dosopoulou, F., Chattopadhyay, D. and Antonini, F. 2025. Properties of black hole-star binaries formed in N-body simulations of massive star clusters: implications for Gaia black holes. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (10.1093/mnras/staf303)
- Abac, A. G. et al. 2024. Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo. The Astrophysical Journal 973(2), article number: 132. (10.3847/1538-4357/ad65ce)
- Barber, J., Chattopadhyay, D. and Antonini, F. 2024. Black hole binary mergers in dense star clusters: the importance of primordial binaries. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 527(3), pp. 7363–7381. (10.1093/mnras/stad3600)
- Chattopadhyay, D., Stegmann, J., Antonini, F., Barber, J. and Romero-Shaw, I. M. 2023. Double black hole mergers in nuclear star clusters: eccentricities, spins, masses, and the growth of massive seeds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 526(4), pp. 4908–4928. (10.1093/mnras/stad3048)
Thesis
- Barber, J. 2025. Dynamics of compact objects in dense stellar clusters and the implications for gravitational wave detections. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Interests: Black hole physics, gravitational wave physics, stellar dynamics.
I am a final year PhD student using numerical models to study the evolution of compact object binaries within globular clusters. Specifically, I am investigating the effect of dynamical interactions and hierarchical mergers on black hole populations, and merger rates which can be compared against observed merger rates from LIGO.
Thesis
Understanding the dynamics of compact objects in dense stellar clusters and their implications for gravitational wave astronomy
Teaching
- Marker/Demonstrator: Introduction to General Relativity (2023-Present)
- Marker/Demonstrator: Gravitational Wave Astrophysics (2023-Present)
- Marker: Special Relativity and Particle Physics (2021-2023)
- Demonstrator/Marker: Structured Programming. (2021-Present)
Supervisors
Fabio Antonini
Senior Lecturer
Gravity Exploration Institute
Astronomy Group
Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology
Contact Details
Queen's Buildings, Room Room N/2.14, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA
Research themes
Specialisms
- General relativity and gravitational waves
- Black Holes
- N-Body Simulations