Projects

Detached Eclipsing Binaries as Benchmark Stars for the PLATO LOPS2 Mission
Ongoing
Funded by the National Science Center (NCN) – Preludium, Poland Grant No. NCN 2024/53/N/ST9/03885.
NCN Preludium logo

The project aims to establish detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs) as benchmark standards for ESA's PLATO mission, enabling sub-1% precision in stellar mass, radius, metallicity, and effective temperature.

Five carefully selected DEBs in PLATO’s Long-duration Observation Phase South field (P > 4 days; ≥ 90 days TESS coverage) will deliver ultra-high precision parameters to support PLATO science goals, improve exoplanet host characterization, test stellar evolution models, and provide independent checks on Gaia parallaxes.

Detached eclipsing binary illustration
Credit: ESO (European Southern Observatory)
  • Identify high-quality DEBs within PLATO fields.
  • Combine precision photometry with high-resolution spectroscopy.
  • LC-RV modeling to derive fundamental stellar parameters.
  • Spectral disentangling to determine atmospheric parameters.
  • Deliver a benchmark catalog with precise age estimates for mission pipeline calibration.
Poster presented at PLATO Stellar Science Conference
June 26-30, 2023
DOI
Corner plot of an Eclipsing Binary
Dec. 07, 2021
It shows the uncertainty in our models and correlations in parameter space. Increasing the number of iterations improves constraints but is computationally expensive.
Forward model of a Heartbeat star using PHOEBE
Oct. 15, 2021
PHOEBE (PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs) is a Python-based eclipsing binary modeling code with extensive documentation.
DSLR photometry of AD CMi, a δ Scuti variable star
Dec. 22, 2017
δ Scuti stars are Population I pulsating variables located in the classical instability strip with masses between 1.5–2.5 M☉. AD CMi is a high-amplitude δ Scuti star with a variability period of 2.513 hr.