I am a second year PhD student in the Astronomy and Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick. My supervisors are Prof. Tom Marsh and Dr Danny Steeghs.

Research

My main research interest is accreting binary stars, specifically the ultra-compact AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn) binaries. A large fraction of the 'stars' in our Galaxy are actually binaries, each component held in orbit by their mutual gravitational attraction. Close binary systems produce a host of interesting phenomena, many of which are associated with accretion.

Cataclysmic variable stars (CVs), consisting of a white dwarf accreting mass from a main sequence secondary, exhibit large variations in brightness due to the accretion disc that forms around the white dwarf. CVs have a period minimum at about 80 minutes. If, however, the secondary star is (semi)degenerate, the system can reach ultra-short periods with mass transfer turning on at periods as short as 5 minutes - the AM CVn stars.

There are currently 27 objects classified as AM CVn binaries, their orbital periods range from 5 to 65 minutes and they appear as faint, blue, variable objects (a recent review is given by Solheim, 2010).

My work involves analysis of data from a survey designed to spectroscopically identify new AM CVn objects hidden in the photometric database of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Roelofs, 2009).

Publications and Conferences

Conference Talks

• The hidden population of AM CVn binaries in the SDSS. 3rd International Workshop on AM CVn stars, Warwick, April 2012.
• The hidden population of AM CVn binaries in the SDSS. UK-Germany National Astronomy Meeting, Manchester, March 2012.

Teaching

I am a demonstrator in the 2nd year Microprocessors laboratory. Details about 2nd year lab work can be found here; see also the Microprocessors laboratory script, and an introduction to LabVIEW.

Links

• My research webpages
  
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes
• Science and Technology Facilities Council