Overview
Dong Lai is a theoretical/computational astrophysicist. He received his Ph.D. in theoretcal physics from Cornell in 1994. He was a prize postdoctoral fellow at Caltech in 1994 1997, and joined the Cornell Astronomy faculty in 1997. He has made significant contribution to the understanding of the physical processes around compact objects (blackholes, neutron stars and white dwarfs), including the QED effect inradiation from magnetic neutron stars, the origin of pulsar kicks, gravitational wave sources, and accretion disks around magnetic stars and compact objects. He has also made important contributions in several areas of exoplanetary dynamics. He has received Sloan Fellowship, Simons Fellowship and graduate teaching and mentoring award from Cornell. In 2024 he received the Dirk Brouwer Award from the American Astronomical Society, the highest international award in dynamical astronomy.
Research Focus
Current research interests include:
1. Compact Objects: Neutron stars, black holes, white dwarfs, gravitational waves.
2. Astrophysics of Exoplanets: Dynamics and formation, protoplanetary disks.
3. Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics in general: Disks, waves, instabilities, tides, celestial mechanics, etc.
Publications
- Lai, D. 2001,``Matter in Strong Magnetic Fields'',Review of Modern Physics, 73, 629-661
- Harding, A. K., Lai, D. 2006, ``Physics of Strongly Magnetized Neutron Stars'', Report of Progress of Physics, 69, 2631
- Lai, D., Tsang, D. 2009, ``Corotational Instability of Inertial-Acoustic Modes in Black Hole Accretion Discs and Quasi-Periodic Oscillations'', MNRAS, 393, 979-991
- Lai, D., Foucart, F., Lin, D.N.C. 2011, ``Evolution of Spin Direction of Accreting Magnetic Protostars and Spin-Orbit Misalignment in Exoplanetary Systems'', MNRAS, 412, 2790-2798
- Fuller, J., Lai, D. 2012, ``Dynamical Tides in Compact White Dwarf Binaries: Tidal Synchronization and Dissipation'', MNRAS, 421, 426-445
- Lai, D. 2012, ``DC Circuit Powered by Orbital Motion: Magnetic Interactions in Compact Object Binaries and Exoplanetary Systems'', ApJ, 757, L3
- Storch, N.I., Anderson, K.R., Lai, D. 2014, ``Chaotic Dynamics of Stellar Spin in Binaries and the Production of Misaligned Hot Jupiters'', Science, 345, 1317
- Wang, C., Lai, D. 2016, ``Axion-Photon Propagation in Magnetized Universe'', JCAP, 6, 006
- Xu, Wenrui, Lai, D. 2017, ``Resonant Tidal Excitation of Oscillation Modes in Merging Binary Neutron Stars: Inertial-Gravity Modes", Phys. Rev. D 96, 083005
- Zanazzi, J.J., Lai, D. 2018, ``Inclination Evolution of Protoplanetary Disks Around Eccentric Binaries'', MNRAS, 473, 603-615
- Liu, B., Lai, D. 2018, ``Black Hole and Neutron Star Binary Mergers in Triple Systems: Merger Fraction and Spin-Orbit Misalignment'', ApJ, 863, 68
- Munoz, D.J., Miranda, R., Lai, D. 2019, ``Hydrodynamics of circumbinary accretion: Angular momentum transfer and binary orbitalevolution'', ApJ, 871, 84
- Vick, M., Lai, D., Anderson, K.R. 2019, ``Chaotic Tides in Migrating Gas Giants: Forming Hot and Transient Warm Jupiters via High-Eccentricity Migration'', MNRAS, 484, 5645-5668
- Lai, Dong 2021,``Jupiter's Dynamical Love Number'',Planetary Science Journal, 2, 122
- Su, Yubo, & Lai, Dong 2022,``Dynamics of Colombo's Top: Tidal Dissipation and Resonance Capture, with Applications to Oblique Super-Earths, Ultra-Short-Period Planets and Inspiraling Hot Jupiters'' MNRAS, 509, 3301-3320
- Li, Jiaru, Lai, Dong, & Rodet, L. 2022, ``Long-term Evolution of Tightly-Packed Stellar Black Holes in AGN Disks: Formation of Merging Black-Hole Binaries via Close Encounters'', ApJ, 934, 154
- Lai, Dong 2023, ``IXPE Detection of Polarized X-rays from Magnetars and Photon Mode Conversion at QED Vacuum Resonance'', PNAS, 120, 17, e2216534120
- Lai, Dong, & Munoz, Diego J. 2023, ``Circumbinary Accretion: From Binary Stars to Massive Binary Black Holes'', Ann Review Astron. Astrophys.Chai 61, 517-560
- Qian, Kecheng, Li, Jiaru, Lai, D 2024, ``Dynamical Friction Models for Black-Hole Binary Formation in AGN Disks'', ApJ, 962, 143
- Liu, B, and Lai, D 2024, ``Extreme resonant eccentricity excitation of stars around merging black-hole binary'', Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 231403
- Laune, JT, Li, Rixin, and Lai, D. 2024 ``Migration of Accreting Planets and Black Holes in Disks'', ApJ, 975, 296
- O'Connor, CE, & Lai, D. 2025 ``Metal pollution in Sun-like stars from destruction of ultra-short-period planets'', ApJL, 978, L26
- Miao, Zhiqiang, Zhu, Zhengyu, and Lai, D. 2025 ``Quark Star Mergers: The Equation of State of Decompressed Quark Matter and Ob\ servational Signatures'', Phys. Rev. Lett., 135, 091402
- Yu, Fangyuan, & Lai, D. 2025 ``Binary Stars Approaching Supermassive Black Holes: Hydrodynamics of Stellar Collisions, Mass Fallback and Partial TDEs'', ApJ, 993, 88