April 25, 2024
Physics majors George Carson '24 & Tyler Wasilewski '24 will present Research Talks. Pizza provided and everyone welcome to attend.
George Carson ‘24 - “Photometric Analysis of the Eclipsing Binary KH 15D” The edge-on binary T Tauri star V582 Mon (KH 15D) is surrounded by a tilted disk of dusty material that has occulted one or both stars periodically since first being noticed in 1995. The circumbinary (CB) disk has been modeled to have a period of approximately 1000 years. Following the complete obscuration of both stars in 2012, the trailing edge of the CB disk began to uncover the orbit of star B. We present results from recent (2018–2024) observing campaigns as collected by Dickinson’s Britton Observatory as well as data from Lowell Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), and multiple amateur astronomers. Following an extensive reorganization of this and historical data for future standardization, we have confirmed results on the orbital period of the binary to be 48.37 days and attempted to measure star B’s rotation period through periodogram analysis. Currently, we are exploring the inconsistent system brightness and density of the CB disk. Extinction and color changes of the system’s light curve allow insight into the size of the particles within the trailing clumps assisting our understanding of the properties of dust grains in a potential planet-forming zone. Using data collected in 2018–2019 and data from 2022–2023, we report on how the morphology of the disk has changed through extinction analysis. Continued observations of the system carry significant importance since, in relatively short order, we will no longer be able to utilize the geometry of the system to probe the disk material. AND Tyler Wasilewski ‘24 - “Measuring the Gravitational Constant: Unveiling the Fundamental Force of the Universe” The Cavendish experiment is a fundamental method for determining the gravitational constant, G, which is crucial in understanding the gravitational force between objects. This experiment involves a sensitive torsion balance consisting of two small masses suspended from a thin wire, with larger masses positioned nearby. We explore an alteration using 32-inch diameter, 1/2-inch-thick cylinders as large masses, creating a uniform gravitational field approximation within 10 percent. By measuring the twisting motion of the wire due to the gravitational attraction between the masses, we seek to measure G; our measurement is still in progress.
Further information
- Location: Tome 115
- Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Cost: Free