Probing the Multiplicity of Dusty Wolf-Rayet Stars: The Orbit of WR70
Faculty Mentor Name
Noel Richardson
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Wolf-Rayet stars are a late stage of evolution for massive stars that have high mass-loss rates and have also lost their outer hydrogen shell. While some stars have dust surrounding them, which forms in cold and dense conditions, these same conditions do not apply to WRs. From this, I am working to understand how dusty WRs move in comparison to other systems, and if that has any impact on their dust production. In an effort to create an orbit for a lesser-studied WR star, archival data that was taken between 1999 and 2012 was reduced using Python, and was then used to begin piecing together the orbit of WR70. Once this data has been completely reduced and compiled, data from CTIO will be gathered, and reduced in a similar manner to try and fill in some gaps in the orbit that are present from the archival data. Once both of these are completed, the radial velocity of the system will be analyzed to understand how the system moves at different points in the orbit. Upon completion of this analysis, the first-ever orbit for WR70 will have been created.
Probing the Multiplicity of Dusty Wolf-Rayet Stars: The Orbit of WR70
Wolf-Rayet stars are a late stage of evolution for massive stars that have high mass-loss rates and have also lost their outer hydrogen shell. While some stars have dust surrounding them, which forms in cold and dense conditions, these same conditions do not apply to WRs. From this, I am working to understand how dusty WRs move in comparison to other systems, and if that has any impact on their dust production. In an effort to create an orbit for a lesser-studied WR star, archival data that was taken between 1999 and 2012 was reduced using Python, and was then used to begin piecing together the orbit of WR70. Once this data has been completely reduced and compiled, data from CTIO will be gathered, and reduced in a similar manner to try and fill in some gaps in the orbit that are present from the archival data. Once both of these are completed, the radial velocity of the system will be analyzed to understand how the system moves at different points in the orbit. Upon completion of this analysis, the first-ever orbit for WR70 will have been created.