Helvi Witek

For More Information

• Relativity Group website

Education

• 2012 PhD in Physics, Instituto Superior Tecnico / University of Lisbon, Portugal

Academic Positions

• since 01/2020: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), USA
• 01/2018 - 12/2019: Royal Society University Research Fellow, Department of Physics, King's College London, UK.
• 09/2016 - 12/2017: Marie-Curie Research Fellow, University of Barcelona, Spain.
• 08/2015 - 09/2016: Research Fellow, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK.
• 11/2012 - 07/2015: Research Associate, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP/CMS), University of Cambridge, UK.

Research Interests

• Astrophysics/Gravitation/Cosmology

Monographs

• E. Barausse, E. Berti, T. Hertog, S. A. Hughes, P. Jetzer, P. Pani, T. P. Sotiriou, N. Tamanini, H. Witek and K. Yagi, et al. “Prospects for Fundamental Physics with LISA,” Gen. Rel. Grav. 52 (2020) no.8, 81 [arXiv:2001.09793 [gr-qc]]. (citations: 144)
• E. Berti et al., “Testing General Relativity with Present and Future Astrophysical Observations,” Class. Quant. Grav. 32, 243001 (2015), [arXiv:1501.07274 [gr-qc]]. (citations: 899)

Selected Articles in Journals

• M. Elley, H. O. Silva, H. Witek and N. Yunes, "Spin-induced dynamical scalarization, de-scalarization and stealthness in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity during black hole coalescence," [arXiv:2205.06240 [gr-qc]]. (citations: 1) (under review)
• K. Clough, T. Helfer, H. Witek, and E. Berti, “The problem with Proca: ghost instabilities in self-interacting vector fields,” [arXiv:2204.10868 [gr-qc]]. (citations: 3) (under review)
• A. K. R. Hegade, E. R. Most, J. Noronha, H. Witek and N. Yunes, “How do spherical black holes grow monopole hair?,” Phys. Rev. D 105, 064041 (2022). (citations: 3)
• B. Shiralilou, T. Hinderer, S. M. Nissanke, N. Ortiz and H. Witek, “Post-Newtonian gravitational and scalar waves in scalar-Gauss – Bonnet gravity,” Class. Quant. Grav. 39:3, 035002 (2022). (citations: 22)
• E.R. Most, S.P Harris, C. Plumberg, M.G. Alford, J. Noronha, J. Noronha-Hostler, F. Pretorius, H. Witek, N. Yunes. Projecting the likely importance of weak-interaction-driven bulk viscosity in neutron star mergers. Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 509:1, 1096-1108 (2021). (citations: 18)
• C.B. Owen, N. Yunes, and H. Witek. Petrov type, principal null directions, and Killing tensors of slowly-rotating black holes in quadratic gravity. Phys. Rev. D 103, 124057 (2021). (citations: 4)
• Y. Xie, J. Zhang, H.O. Silva, C. de Rham, H. Witek, N. Yunes. Square Peg in a Circular Hole: Choosing the Right Ansatz for Isolated Black Holes in Generic Gravitational Theories. Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 241104 (2021). (citations: 7)
• H.O. Silva, H. Witek, M. Elley, and N. Yunes. Dynamical descalarization in binary black hole mergers. Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 031101 (2021). (citations: 40)
• G. Ficarra, P. Pani, and H. Witek. Impact of multiple modes on the black-hole superradiant instability. Phys. Rev. D 99, 104019 (2019). (citations: 25)
• M. Bošković, R. Brito, V. Cardoso, T. Ikeda, and H. Witek. Axionic instabilities and new black hole solutions. Phys. Rev. D 99, 035006 (2019). (citations: 57)
• H. Witek, L. Gualtieri, P. Pani, and T.P. Sotiriou. Black holes and binary mergers in scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity: scalar field dynamics. Phys. Rev. D 99, 064035 (2019). (citations: 113)
• R. Benkel, T.P. Sotiriou and H. Witek. Black hole hair formation in shift-symmetric generalised scalar-tensor gravity. Class. Quantum Grav. 34, 064001 (2017). (citations: 65)
• M. Zilhão, H. Witek and V. Cardoso, “Nonlinear interactions between black holes and Proca fields,” Class. Quant. Grav. 32, 234003 (2015). (citations: 59)
• T. Delsate, D. Hilditch and H. Witek, “Initial value formulation of dynamical Chern-Simons gravity,” Phys. Rev. D91, 024027 (2015). (citations: 61)
• H. Okawa, H. Witek and V. Cardoso, “Black holes and fundamental fields in Numerical Relativity: initial data construction and evolution of bound states,” Phys. Rev. D89, 104032 (2014). (citations: 93)
• I. Hinder et al., “Error-analysis and comparison to analytical models of numerical waveforms produced by the NRAR Collaboration,” Class. Quant. Grav. 31, 025012 (2014). (citations: 155)
• H. Witek, V. Cardoso, A. Ishibashi and U. Sperhake, “Superradiant instabilities in astrophysical systems,” Phys. Rev. D87, 043513 (2013). (citations: 177)

Other Publications

• Software: H. Witek, M. Zilhao, G. Bozzola, M. Elley, G. Ficarra, T. Ikeda, N. Sanchis-Gual, H. O. Silva, “Canuda: a public numerical relativity library to probe fundamental physics” Latest version: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5520862 (10/2021) Youtube channel presenting animations of simulations produced with Canuda: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_417F40VkEyQd48VHkZeDA

Research Honors

• Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2018 - 2019)
• Marie-Curie Fellowship (2016 - 2017 )

Recent Courses Taught

• PHYS 101 - College Physics: Mech & Heat
• PHYS 211 - University Physics: Mechanics
• PHYS 325 - Classical Mechanics I
• PHYS 515 (ASTR 515) - General Relativity I