Cataclysmic Variable Stars and the MDM Parallax Program
John Thorstensen
Dartmouth College
Cataclysmic variable (CV) stars are close binary systems in which
a white dwarf accretes material from a non-giant companion.
CVs show intriguing physical effects, and are also useful
signposts for binary evolution. In this talk I'll quickly
survey the types of CVs, and then discuss the CV research I've
been pursuing (for 30 years now!) at MDM Observatory on Kitt Peak.
Much of the work is spectroscopic, finding CV orbital periods,
and discovering some interesting examples. The most unusual
component of the work is a parallax program, started in the
late 1990s, which has gone on to attract several collaborators
(including your alumnus Sébastien Lépine). Although parallax
measurements are fundamental to stellar astronomy, there are
few practioners, so I'll describe the parallax procedures in
some detail.
Date: | Thursday, 21 October 2010 |
Time: | 11:30 |
Where: | Université de Montréal |
| Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, local D-460 |
Contact: | Pierre Bergeron |
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