Overview

I am a theoretical astrophysicist who also utilizes phenomenology and I enjoy working on a broad range of topics. Individuals interested in collaborating with me are encouraged to email me directly ("kheng at phys.ethz.ch").

Website

Research Interests

• Exoplanetary atmospheres: atmospheric circulation, radiative transfer, climate modeling
• Interstellar medium: shocks, unconventional uses of IFUs
• Others: debris disks, planet formation, gravitational lensing, general analytical solutions

Representative Publications

• Heng, K., Hayek, W., Pont, F., & Sing, D.K., "On the effects of clouds and hazes in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters: semi-analytical temperature-pressure profiles", 2011, MNRAS, submitted
• Heng, K., Frierson, D.M.W., & Phillipps, P.J., "Atmospheric circulation of tidally locked exoplanets II: dual-band radiative transfer and convective adjustment", 2011, MNRAS, submitted
• Heng, K., & Vogt, S.S., "Gliese 581g as a scaled-up version of Earth: atmospheric circulation simulations", 2011, MNRAS, in press
• Heng, K., Menou, K., & Phillipps, P.J., "Atmospheric circulation of tidally locked exoplanets: a suite of benchmark tests for dynamical solvers", 2011, MNRAS, 413, 2380
• Heng, K., "Estimating the mass of the debris disc in HD 69830", 2011, MNRAS, in press
• Heng, K., & Tremaine, S., "Long-lived planetesimal discs", 2010, MNRAS, 401, 867
• Heng, K., & Kenyon, S.J., "Vortices as nurseries for planetesimal formation in protoplanetary discs", 2010, MNRAS, 408, 1476
• Heng, K., "Balmer-Dominated Shocks: A Concise Review", 2010, PASA, 27, 23
• Heng, K., & Keeton, C.R., "Planetesimal Disk Microlensing", 2009, ApJ, 707, 621
• Heng, K., & Spitkovsky, A., "Magnetohydrodynamic Shallow Water Waves: Linear Analysis", 2009, ApJ, 703, 1819
• Heng, K., et al., "A Direct Measurement of the Dust Extinction Curve in an Intermediate-Redshift Galaxy", 2008, ApJ, 681, 1116
• Heng, K., & Sunyaev, R.A., "Broad Lyman-Alpha Emission from Supernova Remnants in Young Galaxies", 2008, A&A, 481, 117
• Heng, K., & McCray, R., "Balmer-Dominated Shocks Revisited", 2007, ApJ, 654, 923
• Heng, K., et al., "Evolution of the Reverse Shock Emission from SNR 1987A", 2006, ApJ, 644, 959

Other Publications

• Larsson, J., et al., "X-ray illumination of the ejecta of supernova 1987A", 2011, Nature, 474, 484
• France, K., et al., "Observing Supernova 1987A with the Refurbished Hubble Space Telescope", 2010, Science, 329, 1624

CV

• 2010 - present : Zwicky Prize Fellow, ETH Zurich
• 2007 - 2010 : Frank & Peggy Taplin Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
• 2007: visiting postdoctoral scientist, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Munich
• 2003 - 2007: M.S. and Ph.D, JILA and University of Colorado at Boulder