RUI: White Dwarfs in Wide Binary Systems: Physical Parameters and Comparisons to Single Degenerate Stars

锡安和奥斯瓦尔特将获得白矮星的光谱，以确定它们的质量，更多地了解它们的进化历史，并识别新的白矮星，特别是那些不寻常的白矮星。白矮星是地球大小的恒星，是像太阳这样的恒星在耗尽所有核燃料后的最后状态。最近的观测已经惊人地证明了白矮星上有多种大气层。锡安和奥斯瓦尔特将采集几百颗白矮星的光谱，以确定它们的质量。这些基本参数提供了最初与太阳相似的恒星如何最终成为明显不同的白矮星群的成员的信息。锡安和奥斯瓦尔特还希望能发现更多的白矮星，以便更好地研究那些更不寻常的白矮星。该奖项是在本科院校研究项目下颁发的。部分支持是通过本科生研究经验计划提供的。

Sion and Oswalt will obtain spectra of white dwarfs in order to determine their masses, to learn more about their evolutionary histories, and to recognize new white dwarfs, especially those of unusual classes. White dwarfs are Earth-sized stars, the final state of stars like the Sun after they have exhausted all nuclear fuels. Recent observations have demonstrated surprisingly many kinds of atmospheres on white dwarfs. Sion and Oswalt will take spectra of several hundred white dwarfs in order to determine their masses. These fundamental parameters provide information how stars originally rather like the Sun end up as members of apparently rather unlike sets of white dwarfs. Sion and Oswalt also expect to identify many more white dwarfs, so that the more unusual kinds can be studied better. This award is made under the Research in Undergraduate Institutions Program. Partial support is provided through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.