Hello and welcome to my webpage! I'm a graduate student in the Cornell astronomy department studying theoretical astrophysics with Professor Dong Lai . My research focuses on tidal interactions between stars in tight binary and triple systems. Just as the Moon raises tides on the Earth, stars raise tides on one another. Eventually, the friction associated with the tidal motions will cause the stars to rotate synchronously with the orbit, just as the Moon rotates synchronously with the Earth (this is why we always see the same side of the moon!). In stars, the tides may also cause the orbit to shrink or expand, and may heat up the stars, making them shine brighter. In white dwarfs, the tides may even reignite thermonuclear fusion, causing a nova-like outburst. The tidal interactions thus have a huge influence in the evolution and ultimate fate of these star systems.
Other Info About Me
Check out these other webpages for info about me and my research.
High Energy Astrophysics is Sweet
Check out this cool video of merging stars. I study the interactions between the stars before they merge. The supercomputers can decide what happens after the objects merge.