Planet–disk interactions
How do planets exchange angular momentum with their birth disks? I use hydrodynamical simulations to study migration, turbulence, and the structures that planets produce in gas and dust.
Read about turbulent migrationAbout me
How do planetary systems take shape?
I am an EACOA Fellow at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). I study the disks of gas and dust around young stars, and the physical processes that shape the planets forming within them.
My research connects numerical simulations with observations of protoplanetary disks. I am particularly interested in how disk winds, accretion, and turbulence influence planet formation and migration.
I also work on optical and near-infrared spectroscopy, including spectro-astrometry with Subaru/HDS, to explore gas motions and disk winds.
I received my Ph.D. in Physics/Astrophysics from the University of Leicester in 2025, supervised by Sergei Nayakshin. Before moving to NAOJ, I was based at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory as part of my EACOA Fellowship.
Research
From disks to planets
Connecting the physics of gas and dust
with the origins of planetary systems.
Disk winds & accretion
Disk winds offer a route to removing angular momentum from protoplanetary disks. My work explores how wind-driven accretion changes the rate and direction of planetary migration.
Read about migration in windy disksObservational signatures
I connect disk dynamics with observable structure, using planet migration and dust drift to constrain disk properties, alongside spectroscopy and spectro-astrometry of disk gas.
Read about weighing disksCurriculum vitae
A research journey
Theoretical astrophysics,
numerical simulations,
and astronomical observations.
2025 — present
EACOA Fellow
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Previously: Shanghai Astronomical Observatory
2021 — 2025
Ph.D. in Physics / Astrophysics
University of Leicester
Supervisor: Sergei Nayakshin
2015 — 2019
B.S. in Physics
Northwest University
Research visits
Across institutions
University of Arizona · 2023
Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics · 2022
Contact
Let’s talk about planets.
For research discussions and collaboration.
yinhao.wu@astro.nao.ac.jp
Division of Science
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan