The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), has awarded Villanova University a $597,089 Project Grant to support research into the thermodynamical properties of contact binary star systems. This three-year award will fund a team led by the Principal Investigator to upgrade the PHOEBE modeling software to account for mass and energy mixing between the two stars in a contact binary. The team will analyze thousands of contact binary light curves to explore correlations between a newly introduced mixing parameter and the physical processes driving energy transfer within these systems, leading to improved understanding. The grant will support a postdoc and three undergraduate researchers annually, as well as outreach efforts to distribute findings to the general public.
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