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More About Padi's Research Interests
Padi's scientific and research interests all involve stellar dynamics in one
way or another. She finds it exciting to use astronomical data to figure out
what is actually happening with astronomical objects. "The dynamics of
X-ray binary systems offer us our best clues at the
nature of the compact object. From variations in a system's intensity or
spectrum it is possible to derive such dynamic characteristics as the
binary period. Then, we can get good estimates of the masses of neutron
stars by carefully studying the binary orbits. These masses are extremely
important for constraining the various models of the equation of state of
neutron star matter."
Other questions that interest Padi are: why do some binary
systems seem to move in a way that is contradictory to what general relativity
would predict? What can we learn about black holes and neutron stars by
studying their effects on the material around them? What
percentage of single stars will be found to have Earth-sized planets in nearly
circular orbits around them, similar to our own solar system?
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