Characterizing Companions of the Most Massive Stars

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。亨利科布尔尼奇博士将继续在怀俄明州大学进行长期观测计划，以确定近距离大质量双星的性质。他将带领一个由研究生、本科生、中学教师和他们的学生组成的团队，测量人口众多的年轻天鹅座OB 2协会的频率、质量比、周期和旋转速率。密近大质量双星系统是高能现象的前身，如X射线双星和某些类别的超新星和伽马射线爆发。预测这些事件发生频率的群体综合模型需要对二进制频率、质量比和周期分布进行可靠的估计。二进制统计也限制了大质量恒星形成的模型。这个项目将包括来自怀俄明州的几个社区学院的学生的参与，通过与卡斯珀学院和西北学院的教师正在进行的合作。 它还将支持怀俄明州太空营的运作，直到2013年。Astrocamp是怀俄明州的科学教师、初中生、大学生和为高危青年服务的组织之间的长期教育/研究伙伴关系。太空营将包括一个为期一周的暑期大学经验，为初中生和周末营的青年从怀俄明州的男孩和女孩俱乐部。Astrocamp的目标与怀俄明州的教育标准密切相关。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr. Henry Kobulnicky will continue a long-term observational program at the University of Wyoming to determine the properties of close massive binary stars. He will lead a team of graduate students, undergraduates, secondary school teachers and their students to measure the frequencies, mass ratios, periods, and rotation rates in the populous young Cygnus OB2 Association. Close massive binary systems are the progenitors of energetic phenomena such as X-ray binaries and some classes of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. Population synthesis models that predict the frequency of these events require reliable estimates of the binary frequency, mass ratios, and period distributions. Binary statistics also constrain models for the formation of massive stars.This project will include the participation of students from several of Wyoming's community colleges through on ongoing collaboration with faculty at Casper College and Northwest College. It will also support the operation of Wyoming Astrocamp through 2013. Astrocamp is a long-term education/research partnership between Wyoming's science teachers, junior-high students, college students, and organizations serving at-risk youth. Astrocamp will consist of a one-week summer college experience for junior high students and a weekend camp for youth from Wyoming's Boys and Girls Clubs. Astrocamp's goals are closely tied to educational standards of the State of Wyoming.