About

Dr. Michael Stamatikos is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at The Ohio State University and an astrophysicist affiliated with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He is the Founding Director of SciDome and serves as the first Chief Science Officer for The Works. His research focuses on high-energy particle astrophysics, including gamma-ray bursts, neutrino astronomy, and multi-messenger astronomy. Dr. Stamatikos has made significant contributions to the understanding of gamma-ray bursts through his work with NASA missions such as Swift and Fermi, and has been recognized with the Bruno Rossi Prize in 2007 and 2011 for major scientific advances. He has co-authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles and is an invited reviewer for NASA science proposals. In addition to his research, he has received awards from Ohio State University for mentoring, teaching, and service, and is active in science communication and community outreach.

Research topics

• Physics
• Particle physics
• Astronomy
• Astrophysics
• Computer Science
• Nuclear physics
• Electronic engineering
• Remote sensing
• Telecommunications
• Optics

Selected publications

• GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst

  The Astrophysical Journal Letters · 2023-03-01 · 110 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We report the discovery of the unusually bright long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 221009A, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission. This energetic GRB was located relatively nearby ( z = 0.151), allowing for sustained observations of the afterglow. The large X-ray luminosity and low Galactic latitude ( b = 4.°3) make GRB 221009A a powerful probe of dust in the Milky Way. Using echo tomography, we map the line-of-sight dust distribution and find evidence for significant column densities at large distances (≳10 kpc). We present analysis of the light curves and spectra at X-ray and UV–optical wavelengths, and find that the X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A is more than an order of magnitude brighter at T 0 + 4.5 ks than that from any previous GRB observed by Swift. In its rest frame, GRB 221009A is at the high end of the afterglow luminosity distribution, but not uniquely so. In a simulation of randomly generated bursts, only 1 in 10 4 long GRBs were as energetic as GRB 221009A; such a large E γ ,iso implies a narrow jet structure, but the afterglow light curve is inconsistent with simple top-hat jet models. Using the sample of Swift GRBs with redshifts, we estimate that GRBs as energetic and nearby as GRB 221009A occur at a rate of ≲1 per 1000 yr—making this a truly remarkable opportunity unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023-02-07 · 6 citations

  preprintOpen access

  We report the discovery of the unusually bright long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 221009A, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI), and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission (NICER). This energetic GRB was located relatively nearby (z = 0.151), allowing for sustained observations of the afterglow. The large X-ray luminosity and low Galactic latitude (b = 4.3 degrees) make GRB 221009A a powerful probe of dust in the Milky Way. Using echo tomography we map the line-of-sight dust distribution and find evidence for significant column densities at large distances (~> 10kpc). We present analysis of the light curves and spectra at X-ray and UV/optical wavelengths, and find that the X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A is more than an order of magnitude brighter at T0 + 4.5 ks than any previous GRB observed by Swift. In its rest frame GRB 221009A is at the high end of the afterglow luminosity distribution, but not uniquely so. In a simulation of randomly generated bursts, only 1 in 10^4 long GRBs were as energetic as GRB 221009A; such a large E_gamma,iso implies a narrow jet structure, but the afterglow light curve is inconsistent with simple top-hat jet models. Using the sample of Swift GRBs with redshifts, we estimate that GRBs as energetic and nearby as GRB 221009A occur at a rate of ~<1 per 1000 yr - making this a truly remarkable opportunity unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Searching for VHE gamma-ray emission associated with IceCube neutrino alerts using FACT, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS

  Proceedings of 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2019) · 2021 · 10 citations

  • Physics
  • Astrophysics
  • Astronomy

  The realtime follow-up of neutrino events is a promising approach to search for astrophysical neutrino sources. It has so far provided compelling evidence for a neutrino point source: the flaring gamma-ray blazar TXS 0506+056 was observed in coincidence with the high-energy neutrino IceCube-170922A detected by IceCube. The detection of very-high-energy gamma rays (VHE, E > 100 GeV) from this source helped establish the coincidence and constrained the modeling of the blazar emission at the time of the IceCube event. The four major imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays (IACTs) - FACT, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS - operate an active follow-up program of target-of-opportunity observations of neutrino alerts sent by IceCube. This program has two main components. One are the observations of known gamma-ray sources around which a cluster of candidate neutrino events has been identified by IceCube (Gamma-ray Follow-Up, GFU). The second one is the follow-up of single high-energy neutrino candidate events of potential astrophysical origin such as IceCube-170922A. GFU has been recently upgraded by IceCube in collaboration with the IACT groups. We present here recent results from the IACT follow-up programs of IceCube neutrino alerts and a description of the upgraded IceCube GFU system.

  DOI

• Sensitivity studies for the IceCube-Gen2 radio array

  Proceedings of 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2019) · 2021 · 49 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Physics
  • Astronomy

  The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole has measured the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux up to $\sim$PeV energies and is starting to identify first point source candidates. The next generation facility, IceCube-Gen2, aims at extending the accessible energy range to EeV in order to measure the continuation of the astrophysical spectrum, to identify neutrino sources, and to search for a cosmogenic neutrino flux. As part of IceCube-Gen2, a radio array is foreseen that is sensitive to detect Askaryan emission of neutrinos beyond $\sim$30 PeV. Surface and deep antenna stations have different benefits in terms of effective area, resolution, and the capability to reject backgrounds from cosmic-ray air showers and may be combined to reach the best sensitivity. The optimal detector configuration is still to be identified. This contribution presents the full-array simulation efforts for a combination of deep and surface antennas, and compares different design options with respect to their sensitivity to fulfil the science goals of IceCube-Gen2.

  DOI

• IceCube high-energy starting event sample: Description and flux characterization with 7.5 years of data

  Physical review. D/Physical review. D. · 2021 · 368 citations

  • Physics
  • Astrophysics
  • Astronomy

  The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has established the existence of a high-energy all-sky neutrino flux of astrophysical origin. This discovery was made using events interacting within a fiducial region of the detector surrounded by an active veto and with reconstructed energy above 60 TeV, commonly known as the high-energy starting event sample (HESE). We revisit the analysis of the HESE sample with an additional 4.5 years of data, newer glacial ice models, and improved systematics treatment. This paper describes the sample in detail, reports on the latest astrophysical neutrino flux measurements, and presents a source search for astrophysical neutrinos. We give the compatibility of these observations with specific isotropic flux models proposed in the literature as well as generic power-law-like scenarios. Assuming ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}:{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}:{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}=1:1:1$, and an equal flux of neutrinos and antineutrinos, we find that the astrophysical neutrino spectrum is compatible with an unbroken power law, with a preferred spectral index of ${2.87}_{\ensuremath{-}0.19}^{+0.20}$ for the 68% confidence interval.

  DOI

• GRB 210119A (Swift J1851.2-6148): Swift-BAT refined analysis

  GRB Coordinates Network · 2021-01-01 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• SGR J1555.2-5402: Swift-BAT refined analysis

  GRB Coordinates Network · 2021-06-01

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• SGR Swift J1818.0-1607: Swift-BAT refined analysis

  GRB Coordinates Network · 2020-03-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• Swift Trigger 1000255 is probably not a GRB

  GRB Coordinates Network · 2020-10-01

  article
  Publisher

• GRB 200909B: Swift-BAT refined analysis

  GRB Coordinates Network · 2020-09-01

  article
  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Kwok Lung Fan

  3503 shared

• S. R. Klein

  3131 shared

• W. Rhode

  2984 shared

• S. Sarkar

  2984 shared

• G. M. Spiczak

  2975 shared

• N. van Eijndhoven

  2974 shared

• G. T. Przybylski

  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  2971 shared

• E. Resconi

  2970 shared

Awards & honors

• OSU’s Best New Undergraduate Research Mentor (2016)
• Teaching Excellence (2017)
• Service (2017)
• Bruno Rossi Prize (2007)
• Bruno Rossi Prize (2011)