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。Henry Kobulnicky将在怀俄明大学继续一项长期观测计划，以确定近距离大质量双星的特性。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OB2协会的频率、质量比、周期和旋转速率。紧密的大质量双星系统是能量现象的祖先，如x射线双星和某些类型的超新星和伽马射线暴。预测这些事件发生频率的总体综合模型需要对二元频率、质量比和周期分布进行可靠的估计。双星统计也限制了大质量恒星形成的模型。该项目将包括怀俄明州几所社区学院的学生参与，并与卡斯珀学院和西北学院的教师进行持续合作。它还将支持怀俄明州天文营到2013年的运作。Astrocamp是怀俄明州科学教师、初中生、大学生和为高危青少年服务的组织之间的长期教育/研究合作伙伴关系。Astrocamp将包括为初中生提供为期一周的暑期大学体验，以及为怀俄明州男孩女孩俱乐部的青少年提供的周末夏令营。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.