Recommended Citation
August 1, 2012.
Abstract
The Electron Beam Ion trap (EBIT) uses a very narrow electron beam (~60µm) to excite and trap ions. X-ray emissions of the excited ions are then diffracted and analyzed. I studied specific spectral emission lines of ionized silicon. This data can be used as a point of reference for similar spectra measured by the satellite Chandra so that the Doppler shift due to wind around the accretion disks of High Mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) can be calculated. HMXBs are pairs of stars that are luminous in X-rays. They are composed of a donor star that gives up mass to an accretor, a compactor but more massive star like a neutron star or black hole. Knowing more about the wind movement around HMXBs helps us to better understand the lack of uniformity of mass observed in accretion disks.
Mentor
Greg Brown
Lab site
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Funding Acknowledgement
This material is based upon work supported by the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0952013. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation or the National Science Foundation. This project has also been made possible with support of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. The STAR program is administered by the Cal Poly Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CESaME) on behalf of the California State University (CSU).
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/star/144