PATT-linked grant for the Warwick Astronomy and Astrophysics Group

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: Physics

Abstract

At the end of their lives most stars end up as white dwarfs, neutron stars or black-holes, all of which are tiny by astronomical standards but hugely dense. When such a remnant is close enough to another star in a binary system, it may have the chance to light up again by stripping material off the other star. As this matter spirals towards the compact remant it is heated allowing us to study the properties of the objects and their strong gravitational fields. There are millions of such objects in our Galaxy alone. New surveys are finding more of them all the time. To study them we need to use large telescopes around the world. This grant a request for funds to support this observing.

Publications

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Veras D (2014) Formation of planetary debris discs around white dwarfs - I. Tidal disruption of an extremely eccentric asteroid in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Stevance H (2022) Uncovering the genealogy of GW170817 with self-consistent and detailed binary models

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Southworth J (2009) Orbital periods of cataclysmic variables identified by the SDSS VI. The 4.5-h period eclipsing system SDSS J100658.40+233724.4 in Astronomy & Astrophysics

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Silvotti R (2010) V391 Peg: Identification of the two main pulsation modes from ULTRACAM u'g'r' amplitudes in Astronomische Nachrichten

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Parsons S (2010) Precise mass and radius values for the white dwarf and low mass M dwarf in the pre-cataclysmic binary NN Serpentis in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Parsons S (2010) Orbital period variations in eclipsing post-common-envelope binaries Eclipsing PCEBs in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Massey P (2021) Testing Evolutionary Models with Red Supergiant and Wolf-Rayet Populations in The Astrophysical Journal

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Hodgkin S (2021) Gaia Early Data Release 3 Gaia photometric science alerts in Astronomy & Astrophysics

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Gänsicke B (2009) SDSS unveils a population of intrinsically faint cataclysmic variables at the minimum orbital period in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Ghodla S (2022) Forward modelling the O3(a+b) GW transient mass distributions with bpass by varying compact remnant mass and SNe kick prescriptions in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

 
Description A major discovery during this grant was the existence of close pairs of stars in which one star cannibalises its companion. For the first time we confirmed a long standing prediction of models that there would a build-up of systems at a period of 80 minutes.
Exploitation Route Further work has added to the work established in this grant.
Sectors Other
 
Description The funds supported field trips to collect astronomical data on high-speed variability in stars within our Galaxy. These formed the basis of research papers connected to the grant.
First Year Of Impact 2006
Sector Other
Impact Types Cultural