PhD Opportunity in 2027
Characterising the Galactic population of binary white dwarf stars
Supervisor/Contact info: Dr Ingrid Pelisoli
Anticipated start date: October 2027
Funding information: there is no guaranteed funding for this project. We are seeking candidates interested in applying via the scholarship route (for more information, check this page).
White dwarf stars are the most common remnants of stellar evolution: over 95% of stars, including the Sun, will become white dwarfs after exhausting the fuel in their cores. A quarter of white dwarfs are predicted to be in binary systems, with numerous binaries already known. During their evolution, white dwarf binaries undergo complex physical processes which are yet poorly understood. This includes common envelope evolution, gravitational wave emission, and a possible fate as a type Ia supernova. Characterising large and well-defined populations of white dwarf binaries enables us to better constrain these processes.
This project will identify and characterise white dwarf binaries using spectroscopic and photometric surveys.
Through detailed characterisation of this large sample, this project will seek answers to questions relating to the origin of the type Ia supernova, the strength of the gravitational wave signal from the white dwarf population, and the efficiency of common envelope ejection.
The successful candidate will use spectroscopic and photometric observations from multiple sources to answer these questions by characterising an existing sample of candidate white dwarf binaries. Photometric data to be used will include survey data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the Zwicky Transient Factory (ZTF), and from targeted observations with the high-speed photometers ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM. Spectroscopic data available for the sample includes observations with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT), and the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope.