High-Precision Optical Interferometry with Coherent Integration: Stellar Pulsations, Limb-darkening and Faint Binary Companions

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。新墨西哥州矿业与技术研究所的安德斯·乔根森博士将对附近恒星的直径和其他基本参数进行详细研究。 这项研究将采用一种新的技术，称为相干集成，由作者开发。 这项技术已经在海军原型光学干涉仪上进行了测试，但也可以用于其他仪器。 恒星直径和其他参数的精确测量为恒星演化理论提供了基本的检验。 直到最近，唯一一个好的校准星星是太阳，但现在乔根森博士和其他小组正在收集不同质量、年龄和组成的恒星的数据。 这些数据将有助于更好地了解许多类型恒星的内部和演化，并将揭示单星和双星演化之间的差异。 早期的测试表明，该方法的直径测量精度为0.2%，比以前的工作有了显著的改进。该项目将对恒星属性的几个方面进行独特的测量，并且自然地分为学生和课堂参与的独立项目。参与的学生在实验规划，数据分析，编程，批判性思维，数学建模和高性能并行计算方面学习宝贵的课程。 PI还将继续其先前在公众教育方面的外展工作。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr. Anders Jorgensen of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology will undertake a detailed study of the diameters and other fundamental parameters of nearby stars. The research will employ a new technique, called Coherent Integration, developed by the author. This technique has been tested on the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer but can be used on other instruments. Accurate measurements of stellar diameters and other parameters provide fundamental tests of the theory of stellar evolution. Until recently, the only good calibrating star was the Sun, but now the Dr. Jorgensen and other groups are assembling data on stars of different masses, ages, and compositions. These data will allow improved understanding of the interiors and evolution of stars of many types, and will uncover differences between the evolution of single and binary stars. Early tests show that the method yields diameter measurements to an accuracy of 0.2%, a significant improvement over previous work.This project will make unique measurements of several aspects of stellar properties, and is naturally divided into self-contained projects for student and classroom involvement. Students involved with learn valuable lessons in experimental planning, data analysis, programming, critical thinking, mathematical modeling, and high-performance parallel computing. The PI will also continue his previous outreach efforts in public education.