Taf Zivave
Hi, my name is Taf Zivave. I am a second-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 is a continuation from 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.
A large fraction of stars are found in binary systems. Of particular interest are close binary systems containing at least one white dwarf. These systems are theorised progenitors to Type Ia supernovae, contributing directly to the enrichment of the interstellar medium. Additionally, they are expected to be significant sources of low-frequency gravitational waves (GWs), especially for ESA's upcoming LISA mission. Despite their importance, the observed population is still very incomplete as there is a prevalent knowledge gap between the number of known WD EBs in the northern hemisphere compared to the southern hemisphere, with only 15% residing in the southern hemisphere. This is the first attempt at conducting a large and broad search to uncover hidden gems that lie within the southern hemisphere, increasing the number of known WD EBs and thus shortening the gap in knowledge.
Below I have listed my co-authorships:
- 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
- NGTS-31b and NGTS-32b: two inflated hot Jupiters orbiting subgiant stars