Positions
- Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University
- Director, Hard Labor Creek Observatory
- Affiliated Scientist, Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA)
Education
- 2005, Ph.D. in Astronomy - University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Postdoctoral Research - University of Cambridge (COAST group)
Research Expertise
Professor Baron is a world leader in high angular resolution imaging and algorithms for optical interferometry. His work enables the sharpest images of stellar surfaces and environments ever obtained.
Research Interests
- High angular resolution imaging techniques
- Optical interferometry and speckle imaging
- Bayesian inverse problems in astronomy
- Image reconstruction algorithms
- Interacting binary stars
- Evolved stars and red supergiants
- Spotted stars and stellar activity
- Young stellar objects with dusty environments
- Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)
- Space domain awareness applications
Major Contributions
- Pioneering work on image reconstruction from interferometric data
- Contributions to Event Horizon Telescope imaging algorithms
- Development of CHAMP fringe tracker for CHARA Array
- First resolved images of stellar surfaces showing convection patterns and spots
- Revolutionary images of RW Cephei during its "great dimming" event
Teaching
- ASTR 1010/1020 - Introductory Astronomy (online courses)
- ASTR 8150 - Numerical Methods for Astronomy (graduate)
- ASTR 8800 - High Angular Resolution Imaging (graduate)
Open Source Software
Professor Baron is committed to open science and develops widely-used software for the astronomical community:
SQUEEZE
Image reconstruction and inference tool for optical interferometry (C language)
OITOOLS.jl
Julia package for loading, visualizing, and model-fitting optical interferometry data from CHARA, NPOI, and VLTI
BSMEM
Trust region/maximum entropy interferometric image reconstruction
Numerical Methods
Educational code examples for ASTR8150 course
Outreach & Public Engagement
- Hard Labor Creek Observatory: Director of public observatory hosting monthly open houses (March-October)
- Virtual Reality: Developing VR environments for public astronomy education
- Science Communication: Regular media appearances explaining cutting-edge astronomical discoveries
CHARA Array Excellence
The CHARA Array provides the sharpest angular resolution of any observatory in the world in visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Professor Baron's algorithms enable imaging of stellar surfaces (spots, convection patterns) and stellar environments (faint companions, circumstellar disks) with unprecedented detail.