The Peculiar Eclipsing Be Star EE Cepheus

Supervisor: Dr. Aaron Sigut

Can extend to MSc?:  Yes

Project Description (Abstract):

EE Cepheus is a Be star (a massive star surrounded by a gaseous, circumstellar disk) which is in an 11-year binary orbit with a lower mass star that poses an opaque, debris disk (at least this is the current thinking). The debris disk eclipses the Be star every 11 years, generating an unusual light curve and changes in its spectrum, and I have high resolution spectra from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) for the last eclipse. The purpose this project is to do a precise analysis of the eclipse spectra. In particular, the debris disk eclipses provide a novel way to obtain spatial information about the Be star’s gaseous disk.

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Published on  and maintained in Cascade CMS.