The University of Pittsburgh received a $121,727 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Astronomical Sciences under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049). This 3-year grant funds collaborative research to investigate the formation mechanisms of Wolf-Rayet stars, which are massive stars nearing the end of their life cycle that are destined to explode as supernovae. The research team will use three complementary approaches to determine the fraction of Wolf-Rayet stars formed via stellar wind stripping versus mass transfer in binary systems. In addition, the project will produce a high-resolution spectral atlas of 1,000 bright stars for use in undergraduate astronomy lab exercises, which will be made freely available online. This research aims to advance scientific understanding of the lifecycle and role of massive stars in the ecology of the universe.
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