Lucas Conceição

I am a PhD candidate in Astronomy at the University of Manitoba, specializing in the physics and evolution of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) through a multi-messenger lens. My research combines optical integral field spectroscopy with gravitational-wave data analysis. I am also a member of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration, the most important scientific group searching for gravitational waves. I investigate long-standing problems in supernova remnants astrophysics, like missing shells around young PWNe, the PWNe-reverse shock interaction in middle-aged PWNe, and the cosmic ray acceleration efficiency in old bow-shock wind nebulae. I'm also interested in modeling/deriving plasma conditions, progenitor properties, and evolutionary stages of pulsar-powered systems. In parallel, I conduct searches for continuous gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars and PWNe candidates, aiming to constrain the interior physics of compact objects or reveal hidden pulsars.

My broader research background spans stellar evolution, photoionization modeling, and high-resolution spectroscopy. During my M.Sc. at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, I explored the ionizing radiation of hydrogen-deficient [WR] central stars of planetary nebulae through CMFGEN atmosphere models and CLOUDY simulations. As an undergraduate, I investigated chemical abundances and s-process enrichment in barium dwarf systems using high-resolution spectroscopy.