Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Perfect Circles: A Study Of The Scattering Regions Of Wolf Rayet Binary Stars, Stella Yoos, Jennifer Hoffman, Andrew Fullard

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Although we have been able to develop an understanding of many aspects of stellar evolution and formation, a few key gaps remain. One is the fate of massive binary star systems composed of Wolf-Rayet (WR) and O-type stars. In these WR + O binaries, the stellar winds surrounding these stars collide, creating a complex interaction region in which light from the stars scatters and becomes polarized. To study these scattering regions, I employ a technique that allows me to map the polarization of the light emitted from these stars and track its variation over the binary orbit. I found that …