Robert Hynes

 

Research Interests

Multiwavelength Observational Astronomy

My research involves multiwavelength observations of accreting compact objects such as black holes, and neutron stars. My primary interests are in applying such observations to understand the structure, physical conditions, and astrophysics of the accretion flows onto these objects in both X-ray bright phases and quiescent states, determining the masses of the compact objects. To address these interests I have used a variety of space-based telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope, Kepler, and Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer for ultraviolet and optical observations and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, XMM-Newton Observatory, Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, and MAXI instrument for high-energy data, together with several ground-based optical, infrared, and radio facilities including the Gemini Observatory and the Very Large Telescope. Most recently I have been using the James Webb Space Telescope for Infrared observations and am involved with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's preparations for the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Current and Select Publications

• “Optical Counterparts to X-ray sources in LSST DP1”, Yuankun, Wang, Bellm, E.C., Hynes, R.I., Zhao, Y., Gandhi, P., Rivera Sandoval, L., Campos, S., Caplar, N., DeLucchi, M., Malanchev, K., Wainer, T.M., 2025, The Astrophysical Journal, submitted, arXiv:2507.14400
• “The Jet Origin of the Mid-infrared Excess in the Black Hole V404 Cygni in Quiescence”, Borowski, E.S., Hynes, R.I., Hunt, Q., Tetarenko, A.J., Plotkin, R.M., Shahbaz, T., Gandhi, P., Maccarone, T.J., Miller-Jones, J.C.A., Heinke, C.O., Shaw, A.W., Russell, T.D., Sivakoff, G.R., Charles, P.A., Palaiologou, E.V., Reig, P., 2025, The Astrophysical Journal, submitted, arXiv:2506.20536
• “Ultraviolet spectroscopy of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 across a state transition”, Georganti, M., Knigge, C., Castro Segura, N., Long, K.S., Dewangan, G.C., Banerjee, S., Hynes, R.I., Gandhi, P., Altamirano, D., Patterson, J., Zurek, D.R., 2025, MNRAS, in press, arXiv:2501.17935
• “Rapid mid-infrared spectral timing with JWST: GRS 1915+105 during an MIR-bright and X-ray-obscured state”, Gandhi, P., Borowski, E.S., Byrom, J., Hynes, R.I., Maccarone, T.J., Shaw, A.W., Adegoke, O.K., Altamirano, D., Baglio, M.C., Bhargava, Y., Britt, C.T., Buckley, D.A.H., Buisson, D.J.K., Casella, P., Segura, N.C., Charles, P.A., Corral-Santana, J.M., Dhillon, V.S., Fender, R., Gúrpide, A., Heinke, C.O., Igl, A.B., Knigge, C., Markoff, S., Mastroserio, G., McCollough, M.L., Middleton, M., Miller, J.M., Miller-Jones, J.C.A., Motta, S.E., Paice, J.A., Pawar, D.D., Plotkin, R.M., Pradhan, P., Ressler, M.E., Russell, D.M., Russell, T.D., Santos-Sanz, P., Shahbaz, T., Sivakoff, G.R., Steeghs, D., Tetarenko, A.J., Tomsick, J.A., Vincentelli, F.M., George, M., Gurwell, M., Rao, R., and JWST Timing Consortium, 2025, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 537, 1385-1403
• “Calibrating the Clock of JWST”, Shaw, A.W., Kaplan, D.L., Gandhi, P., Maccarone, T.J., Borowski, E.S., Britt, C.T., Buckley, D.A.H., Burdge, K.B., Charles, P.A., Dhillon, V.S., French, R.G., Heinke, C.O., Hynes, R.I., Knigge, C., Littlefair, S.P., Pawar, D., Plotkin, R.M., Ressler, M.E., Santos-Sanz, P., Shahbaz, T., Sivakoff, G.R., Stevens, A.L., 2025, The Astronomical Journal, 169, 21