Luis Angel Gutiérrez Soto
Welcome to my website! I'm Luis Angel Gutiérrez Soto, an astronomer interested in science, literature, and philosophy. I was born in Valledupar, Cesar, Colombia, and grew up between Manaure, Cesar, and the Serranía del Perijá.
I have extensive experience in observational astrophysics. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata, CONICET -- UNLP, in La Plata, Argentina.
Previously, I held a postdoctoral position at the Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG), Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
I completed my Ph.D. in Astronomy at Observatório do Valongo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My master's degree in Astrophysics was obtained from Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica (CRYA), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
My academic journey began with a Bachelor of Education in Mathematics and Physics from Universidad Popular del Cesar (UPC), Valledupar, Cesar, Colombia. I also obtained a degree as a Superior Normalist with Emphasis in Spanish Language from Escuela Normal Superior María Inmaculada, Manaure, Cesar, Colombia.
Ready to collaborate? Check out my research to see some of my latest projects, or contact me to discuss potential collaborations or opportunities.
My own planetary nebula. Explore the details in the paper by Gutiérrez-Soto et al. (2024).
I am interested in ionized regions present in astronomical objects such as planetary nebulae and symbiotic stars. But what are planetary nebulae and symbiotic stars, you might ask? Planetary nebulae represent one of the final stages in the evolution of low to intermediate mass stars, like our Sun. The planetary nebula phase occurs when the outer shell of these stars is ejected due to thermal pulses, forming a glowing shell of ionized material that expands until it dissipates into the interstellar medium. Symbiotic stars are binary systems consisting of a cool giant star and a hot compact companion, often a white dwarf or neutron star. Material from the cool star is transferred to the compact companion, and during this process, the material becomes ionized by the hot companion, resulting in a system with ionized material.
I search for these kinds of objects in large photometric multi-wavelength surveys, taking advantage of their spectral features such as strong emission lines. I develop color criteria to discover new planetary nebulae. Additionally, I am interested in using machine learning and deep learning techniques to identify not only planetary nebulae and symbiotic stars but also other types of celestial objects. I also model the spectra of planetary nebulae to determine their physical properties.
Novel methodology combining S-PLUS 12-band photometry with machine learning for classification of Hα-excess sources:
Developed innovative method using S-PLUS 12-band photometry to identify cataclysmic variables (CVs), validated with Gemini spectroscopy and Swift X-ray observations. Key achievements:
We developed an AI-powered method to analyze 5 million stars using multi-color photometry. Key achievements:
Under construction!
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