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The astrophysics of accretion in compact binaries

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: Physics

Abstract

Unlike our Sun, the majority of stars find themselves in gravitationally bound pairs known as binary stars. The interaction between the two stars often leads to the formation of a compact pair with the lower mass donor star losing mass onto the more massive primary. Such interactions can produce very energetic objects as the potential energy that is released is converted into radiation and heat. The most extreme examples contain a very small but massive remnant of a star, which can be either a white dwarf for a star the mass of our Sun, or a neutron star or black hole for more massive stars. These two stars can orbit around each other in as little as a few minutes. I propose to employ novel imaging techniques, which are very similar to the CAT scanning methods used in hospitals, in order to study this interaction using the latest telescopes and instruments. This allows us to reconstruct images and even movies that show this interaction in detail despite the fact that such double stars are not resolved in even our biggest telescopes. I will use these reconstructed images of binaries to study the wide variety of physical processes that occur in these systems. These include turbulence, tidal interactions, outflows and jets, relativistic physics near black holes and the structure of matter under extreme conditions. My work relies on exploiting the latest suite of ground-based telescopes in conjunction with space-based observations at wavelengths that are not accessible from earth. In order to determine how binaries affect the populations of stars in galaxies such as our Milky Way, I also intend to search for many new systems using wide-field digital cameras attached to large telescopes. This combination will allow me to test our current ideas concerning the formation, structure and time evolution of a wide range of binary systems.

Publications

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Luna G (2010) PHOTOIONIZED FEATURES IN THE X-RAY SPECTRUM OF EX HYDRAE in The Astrophysical Journal

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McClintock J (2009) THE 2003 OUTBURST OF THE X-RAY TRANSIENT H1743-322: COMPARISONS WITH THE BLACK HOLE MICROQUASAR XTE J1550-564 in The Astrophysical Journal

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Miller J (2008) Initial Measurements of Black Hole Spin in GX 339-4 from Suzaku Spectroscopy in The Astrophysical Journal

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Steeghs D (2007) Dynamical Constraints on the Component Masses of the Cataclysmic Variable WZ Sagittae in The Astrophysical Journal

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Matranga M (2012) DETECTION OF ACCRETION X-RAYS FROM QS Vir: CATACLYSMIC OR A LOT OF HOT AIR? in The Astrophysical Journal

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Wesson R (2008) A Planetary Nebula around Nova V458 Vulpeculae Undergoing Flash Ionization in The Astrophysical Journal

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Fontaine G (2011) DISCOVERY OF A NEW AM CVn SYSTEM WITH THE KEPLER SATELLITE in The Astrophysical Journal

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Woudt P (2009) THE EXPANDING BIPOLAR SHELL OF THE HELIUM NOVA V445 PUPPIS in The Astrophysical Journal

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Roelofs G (2010) SPECTROSCOPIC EVIDENCE FOR A 5.4 MINUTE ORBITAL PERIOD IN HM CANCRI in The Astrophysical Journal

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Cackett E (2008) Investigating the Nature of Absorption Lines in the Chandra X-Ray Spectra of the Neutron Star Binary 4U 1820-30 in The Astrophysical Journal

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Vandenbroucke J (2010) DISCOVERY OF A GeV BLAZAR SHINING THROUGH THE GALACTIC PLANE in The Astrophysical Journal

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Jonker P (2011) THE GALACTIC BULGE SURVEY: OUTLINE AND X-RAY OBSERVATIONS in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

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ROELOFS, GHA And GROOT, PJ And BENEDICT, GF And MCARTHUR, BE And STEEGHS, D And MORALES-RUEDA, L And MARSH, TR And NELEMANS, G The nature of the donor stars in ultra-compact AM CVn binaries

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BARROS, SCC And MARSH, TR And DHILLON, VS And GROOT, PJ And LITTLEFAIR, S And NELEMANS, G And ROELOFS, G And STEEGHS, D And WHEATLEY, PJ Photometry of V407 Vul and RXJ0806.3+1527: Twin systems ?

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Bloemen S (2010) Spin-resolved spectroscopy of the intermediate polar DQ Her

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Greiss S (2013) KIC11911480: the second ZZ Ceti in the $Kepler$ field

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Torres M (2013) Identification of twenty-three accreting binaries in the Galactic Bulge Survey

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RAMSAY, G And BROCKSOPP, C And GROOT, PJ And HAKALA, P And LEHTO, H And MARSH, TR And NAPIWOTZKI, R And NELEMANS, G And POTTER, S And SLEE, B And STEEGHS, D And WU, K Recent observational progress in AM CVn binaries

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Greiss S (2013) Near-infrared counterparts to the Galactic Bulge Survey X-ray source population

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Bloemen S (2010) Kepler observations of the beaming binary KPD 1946+4340

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Steeghs D (2013) The not-so-massive black hole in the microquasar GRS1915+105

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MARSH, TR And DHILLON, VS And LITTLEFAIR, SP And GROOT, PJ And HAKALA, P And NELEMANS, G And RAMSAY, G And ROELOFS, GHA And STEEGHS, D SDSS J0926+3624, the first eclipsing AM CVn star, as seen with ULTRACAM

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Greiss S (2016) The search for ZZ Ceti stars in the original Kepler mission

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SULLIVAN, DJ And METCALFE, TS And O'DONOGHUE, D And WINGET, DE And KILKENNY, D And VAN WYK, F And KANAAN, A And KEPLER, SO And NITTA, A And KAWALER, SD And MONTGOMERY, AH And NATHER, RE And STEEGHS, D And KOESTER, D And BERGERON, P And O'BRIEN, MS And WOOD, M And JIANG, XJ And LEIBOWITZ, EM And IBBETSON, P And ZOLA, S And KRZESINSKI, J And PAJDOSZ, G And VAUCLAIR, G And DOLEZ, N And CHEVRETON, M The hottest known DBV white dwarf

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Bloemen S (2012) Remarkable spectral variability on the spin period of the accreting white dwarf in V455 And

 
Description Advanced our understanding of binary stellar systems and the physics of accretion.
Exploitation Route Sharing of data and techniques
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

Education
 
Description Used by peers in scientific community
Sector Education
 
Description Royal Society MP Pairing Scheme
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
 
Description Long-term link with Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 
Organisation Harvard University
Department Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Long-term research collaboration with High-Energy astrophysics Dividion
Collaborator Contribution Offer expertise as well as access to facilities
Impact N/A
 
Description Media work 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Several press releases, interviews and quotes in large popular science media.

Strong evidence for reaching broad audience, work cited on blogs and news sites.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2009,2010,2011