Vitaly Neustroev

The focus of my research to date has been investigating close interacting binary stars, such as cataclysmic variables (CVs) and low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). An important reason to investigate these objects is that they provide an unparalleled way to study two fundamental astrophysical processes: binary star evolution and nearly all aspects of the accretion of gas onto compact objects. Binaries are of fundamental importance to astronomers because they allow stellar masses, radii, and luminosities to be measured directly and can also serve as distance indicators for nearby galaxies resolved into individual stars. In addition, accretion power – the extraction of energy from matter moving in a gravitational field – drives some of the most powerful energy sources in the Universe. Accretion discs can be found in a wide variety of environments, from the small discs around compact stars and protostars, to the massive discs around black holes in the centre of galaxies.

Our general understanding of binaries with compact components and theoretical progress is often driven by new observational discoveries. To enhance our theoretical understanding of accretion, I have observed the principal objects whose behaviour poses a real challenge to existing theories.

In addition, I have done some work on studying pulsars in the optical regime using high-time-resolution photometers. Also, as a member of the MAGIC collaboration, which operates two 17-m Cherenkov telescopes on La Palma, I am involved in data interpretation for MAGIC, where my scientific interests focus on the physics of galactic gamma-ray sources.