Taf Zivave
Hi, my name is Taf Zivave. I am a first-year PhD student working with Dr. Ingrid Pelisoli and Dr. James McCormac, and we are searching for white dwarfs (WDs) in eclipsing binary systems. This project continues my BSc project, in which I discovered a WD—Brown Dwarf (BD) eclipsing binary system in the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) data archive. It aims to expand on the search for eclipsing WD binary systems by using a combination of ground—and space-based telescopes, such as NGTS, TESS, GOTO, and the upcoming PLATO.
WDs are stellar core remnants formed from the expulsion of the outer layer of stars at the end of their lives. It is found that ∼25% of WDs are in binary systems, where the companion is often engulfed by the dying star. A prominent type of companion is a second WD, where double WD binaries can be a possible progenitor for Type Ia Supernovae. Type Ia Supernovae can be used as standard candles to aid in measuring the expansion of the universe. Since the exact progenitor systems are yet to be identified, the search for double WD binaries can help contribute to the discussion of their feasibility as supernovae progenitors. Given the recent discoveries of the first exoplanetary systems orbiting WDs, understanding the survivability of companions during WD evolution through the search for binary WDs becomes important also for the field of exoplanets.
Before the start of my PhD at Warwick, I was lucky enough to be included in other works, which has led to a couple of co-authorships, which I will note below:
- TOI-2490b – the most eccentric brown dwarf transiting in the brown dwarf desertLink opens in a new window
- Photo-dynamical characterisation of the TOI-178 resonant chainLink opens in a new window
- TOI-2447b / NGTS-29b: a 69-day Saturn around a Solar analogueLink opens in a new window
- Planet Hunters NGTS: New Planet Candidates from a Citizen Science Search of the Next Generation Transit Survey Public DataLink opens in a new window