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

Sion和Oswalt将获得白矮星的光谱，以便确定它们的质量，更多地了解它们的进化史，并识别新的白矮星，特别是那些不寻常的类别。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。最近的观测令人惊讶地证明了白矮星上存在多种大气。Sion和Oswalt将拍摄数百颗白矮星的光谱，以确定它们的质量。这些基本参数提供了一些信息，即最初类似太阳的恒星如何最终成为明显不同的几组白矮星的成员。Sion和Oswalt还希望能发现更多的白矮星，以便更好地研究更多不寻常的类型。该奖项是根据本科院校研究计划颁发的。部分资助是通过本科生研究体验计划提供的。

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.