Dr. Janeth Valverde

Astroparticle Physicist
Astroparticle Physics Laboratory (661)

What inspired you to pursue a career in physics?

I had many questions growing up. My family says that one of my favorite questions was “why?”. But my childhood environment was far from educated. My family comes from a remote village in the Andes with only the most basic of education, not even reading and writing for some. I lacked the means to answer my questions. So, I have kept looking for those answers as I’ve grown in my quest to understand the universe. When I began studying physics, I found the means to try.

Janeth and the Compton Pair Telescope (ComPair) team are developing technologies for future MeV gamma-ray missions. At the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Fort Sumner, NM, USA, preparing for the launch of the ComPair-1, a prototype for future mission concepts like AMEGO-X. ComPair-1 was mounted on the gondola (metallic structure) with another MeV instrument, the Gamma-RAy Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE), and with the InfraRed Channeled Spectro-Polarimeter (IRCSP). During the balloon flight, ComPair-1 remained operational for 5 hours and detected cosmic rays and the gamma-rays albedo background at float altitudes, about 40 km above surface level. This flight demonstrated the functionality of the prototype in a space-like environment.
Credit: Carolyn Kierans, Jeanette Kazmierczak and Sophia Roberts

What science questions do you investigate?

Gamma rays are the most energetic form of light and are relatively difficult to produce. Our ability to explain their production is stretched to its limits! Gamma rays are produced in the most extreme regions of the universe, capable of accelerating charged particles beyond the energies of human-made particle accelerators. These objects happen to emit light in the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to gamma-rays.

I am particularly interested in the systems that exhibit fast outbursts, which are associated with the presence of extremely dense matter in a small space, such as black holes, as well as their higher mass counterparts, supermassive black holes, which live at the center of active galaxies. We wish to understand how these systems and their geometry evolve, what type of charged particles are responsible for the emission of gamma-rays, and if they originate cosmic rays. If the particles are ionized matter, we would eventually observe the emission of neutrinos (also known as ghost particles) and it would establish these sources as cosmic ray emitters. We also seek to understand what causes the acceleration of these charged particles, how some of these objects are capable of launching collimated plasma jets and sustain them in time. In order to address these questions, I investigate these systems with space-based and ground-based gamma-ray telescopes and collaborate with astrophysicists around the world who work with telescopes that collect other forms of light.

In preparation for the balloon flight, the full ComPair-1 payload underwent thermal vacuum testing at NASA GSFC’s Integration and Testing facility in Chamber 239. The goal of this test was to benchmark thermal models for the balloon flight and test the functionality of the power distribution unit and the flight computer in flight conditions.
Credit: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14372

How did you end up working at NASA Goddard?

During my PhD, I studied blazars, a type of active galaxy whose jets happen to be pointed towards Earth. Ever since, I have been supporting NASA’s Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope science and mission. It was during my PhD that I first met my now colleagues at NASA GSFC and learned about the wonderful work they are doing in order to advance gamma-ray astronomy. After earning my PhD, I decided that I wanted to work with them to develop the technologies to enable future gamma-ray space-based observatories, such as the Compton Pair Telescope (ComPair), a prototype for future MeV mission concepts such as AMEGO-X.

Left: Janeth supports the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray mission science and data releases. Right: Janeth mentors students and colleagues on the topics of time-domain variability analysis, supermassive black hole environments, and all-sky monitoring of gamma-ray sources across the electromagnetic spectrum. Janeth points at a famous active galaxy, host of a supermassive black hole, capable of accelerating particles above human-made particle accelerator energies.
Credit: Milena Crnogorčević and Amethyst Barnes

What is one research project that you are particularly excited about, and why?

Every project I am working on has a critical component to advance gamma-ray astrophysics, from monitoring the gamma-ray sky, to the study of active galaxies and other extreme objects, and the development and testing of the technologies needed for future gamma-ray missions.

If you were to expand your current research focus, what new topics would you explore?

A natural expansion of my current work would be towards cosmic ray science, to study their composition and energy spectrum. There are very exciting detector arrays under development to be installed in the South Pole, and I would like to join those projects. I would also like to expand my research towards the study of exotic physics. For instance, we know that there was a large amount of dark matter in the early universe, that it comprises about 27% of the total energy budget of the universe, that it clusters in dense astrophysical environments such as the galactic center or galaxy clusters, and that it is not known to interact with ordinary matter and radiation. While we infer its existence (e.g., via galaxy rotation curves), what form it takes or its precise properties have not been determined.

Gamma-ray astronomy is young with respect to optical astronomy, yet, we have witnessed major developments since its beginnings in the 1960s. Gamma rays can also be observed from the ground with, for instance, the imaging Cherenkov Telescope Arrays, such as the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). Janeth at the VERITAS base camp with one of the 12 meter 4-telescope arrays, AZ, USA.
Credit: Qi Feng and Iurii Sushch

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would like to advise my younger self to worry less about the noise in life, in particular the kind of noise that comes as a consequence of gender, society, ethnicity, citizenship, etc. But, I wonder if that concern was necessary towards enabling a more functional environment. I would also want to learn earlier about the concept of a “hidden curriculum” and “unwritten rules” and cultural norms of a workplace that may affect your ability to take full advantage of the position, and in particular would recommend talking more to people in these new environments in order to unveil these often-unspoken opportunities or expectations. This is particularly important in the scientific field where people tend to relocate frequently. I would tell myself to hesitate less in asking people about what could make my life difficult at a new location, so that I can plan accordingly and thus avoid more noise. Finally, I would tell myself to look forward to the future, that there are communities that put people first, and that I would find them and be able to work with them.

Food that I have shared with loved ones, mainly Peruvian cuisine: Ceviche, cancha, jalea, chilcano, turkey, yummy salad, causa rellena, pisco sour, empanadas, soupe verte, anticuchos, stew, combinado, chicha morada, raclette, parrillada, sudado.
Credit: Unknown.

What do you like to do in your free time?

The concept of free time has become aspirational, but I have always loved enjoying what the world has to offer with friends, whether it is indoors or outdoors. I particularly love sharing food with friends and seeing them enjoy it. This is probably something that comes from my family, as they express love through food. I am a food lover, often fish and other savory things. So, throughout the years and groups, once I’ve reverse-engineered a recipe enough, I have organized gatherings and happy hours for which I would usually make something Peruvian.