A Partnership for Minority Education and Research on Black Hole and Neutron Star Binaries

PAARE的这笔赠款将加强德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校和德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校研究人员之间的现有伙伴关系。拟议工作的研究领域与相互作用双星有关，特别是对X射线双星系统中吸积黑洞和中子星的研究。观测将主要在德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校运营的麦克唐纳天文台进行；然而，这项研究将得到UTEP校园天文台工作的补充。这项拟议的研究具有广泛的科学影响，因为大质量黑洞的形成和增长与星系、类星体和伽马射线爆发的形成以一种尚不清楚的方式有关。这一合作伙伴关系将努力通过获得麦当劳的一线研究能力和德克萨斯州奥斯汀大学作为天文研究中心的知名声誉，吸引并将拉美裔天文学家和教育纳入该计划。这一伙伴关系的主要目标是在UTEP发展一个可持续的天文学和天体物理学计划，该计划既强调天体物理研究，也强调教育和推广文化。该团队将通过向UTEP和McDonald的学生提供直接的观测体验，通过UTEP到UT-Austin或其他学校为有前途的学生提供通往天文学职业生涯的途径，以及通过建立UTEP天文学项目，该项目将在PAARE拨款结束后继续进行，从而接触到当地的拉美裔社区。每年新增约500名学生将通过在UTEP设施进行夜间观测来获得天文经验。

This PAARE grant will strengthen an existing partnership between researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at Austin. The research areas of the proposed work are related to interacting binary stars, in particular the study of accreting black holes and neutron stars in X-ray binary systems. Observations will be conducted primarily at the McDonald Observatory which is operated by UT-Austin; however, this research will be supplemented by work done at the UTEP campus observatory. The proposed research has broad scientific impact since the formation and growth of massive black holes is related to the formation of galaxies, quasars, and gamma-ray bursts in ways that are not yet understood. The partnership will strive to attract and include Hispanic astronomers and educations to the program through access to the front-line research capabilities of McDonald and the well-known reputation of UT-Austin as a center for astronomy research. The main goal of this partnership is the development of a sustainable astronomy and astrophysics program at UTEP that emphasizes both astrophysical research and a culture of education and outreach within the program. The team will reach out to the local Hispanic community by providing direct observational experience to students at UTEP and McDonald, by providing promising students a path to a career in astronomy through UTEP to UT-Austin or other schools, and by establishing the UTEP astronomy program that will continue on after this PAARE grant is finished. An additional ~500 students per year will gain astronomy experience by performing night-time observing at the UTEP facility.