Physics major and Keeper of the Dream Scholar Xi (Zach) Yek.
Xi (Zach) Yek, a sophomore Physics major and a Keeper of the Dream Scholar, completed an astronomy research project and had his results published in Research Notes of the AAS (American Astronomical Society).
The article, "Detection of a Disk Surrounding the Variably Accreting Young Star HBC722," reports the detection of a disk of material surrounding a young star currently experiencing a dramatic flare in its brightness, representing a temporary burst of accretion of material onto the star.
By using these new data to measure the amount of mass in this disk, this study places new constraints on the physical mechanisms responsible for this accretion burst.
Mr. Yek is listed as the article’s first author; its second author is Department of Physics Assistant Professor Michael Dunham, who obtained the data several years ago and advised this research project. Six other coauthors from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and China were also involved in the project.
The article is published online.
