Christopher Martin

Christopher Martin is the Edward C. Stone Professor of Physics and Director of the Caltech Optical Observatories at the California Institute of Technology. He holds a B.A. from Oberlin College (1978) and a Ph.D. from the University of California (1986). His research focuses on galaxy evolution, intergalactic medium (IGM) dynamics, and experimental astrophysics, particularly imaging emission from the cosmic web. He leads projects like the Keck Cosmic Web Imager and the Superpressure STABLE Cosmic Web Imager (SCWI), designed to map baryonic structures. His work includes developing instruments such as the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager and the GALEX mission, where he served as Principal Investigator. He advises graduate students Zeren Lin, Xihan Deng, and Nic Prusinki. His team explores gas accretion, galactic feedback, and the connection between galaxies and their halos. Future projects include balloon flights for SCWI to study low-redshift cosmic web emission.

Education: B.A., Oberlin College, 1978; Ph.D., University of California, 1986.

Research Interests: Intergalactic Medium dynamics, circumgalactic medium (CGM) interactions, cosmic web imaging, star formation history, and instrumental development for UV spectroscopy. His lab’s instruments enable detection of low-surface-brightness emission, advancing understanding of galaxy evolution and baryonic structure formation.

Key Projects: KCWI, SCWI, GALEX, FIREBALL-2, and HALO missions. Collaborations include CNES, Columbia University, and international teams. Upcoming SCWI balloon flights aim to map CGM and IGM from z=0 to z=8.