Optical Observations of Black Hole Binaries and Related Systems

Bailyn博士将继续他对黑洞x射线新星的研究，这是一个黑洞从伴星中吸积质量的双星系统。他将主要使用CTIO的耶鲁1米望远镜对瞬态x射线源进行光学和红外观测。频繁和有保障的访问望远镜将允许长期监测活动提供关于几个已知系统的改进数据，以及对最近从x射线数据中发现的系统的识别和研究。对这些系统的光学研究提供了轨道参数的测量，这些参数导致了吸积体质量的限制，并证明了系统确实包含黑洞，并强烈地限制了吸积盘外部部分的活动，在那里物质首先受到黑洞引力场的影响。

Bailyn, Charles AST-9730774 Dr. Bailyn will continue his research into black hole X-ray novae, binary systems in which a black hole accretes mass from its companion star. He will carry out a program of optical and infrared observations of transient X-ray sources using primarily the Yale 1-meter telescope at CTIO. Frequent and guaranteed access to the telescope will allow long term monitoring campaigns to provide improved data on several known systems as well as the identification and study of systems recently discovered from X-ray data. Optical studies of these systems provide measurement of orbital parameters that lead to limits to the mass of the accretor and proof that the systems actually do contain black holes, and strongly constrain activity in the outer parts of the accretion disk where matter first comes under the influence of the gravitational field of the black hole.