Abstract
* Full Title:
The Search for Galactic Short-period Variable Stars in the OmegaWhite Survey
* Author:
Sally Ann Macfarlane
* Abstract:
In this Thesis, I present details and results from the first 4.5 years of OmegaWhite (OW) Survey operations. The OW Survey is a wide-field, high-cadence synoptic survey, aiming to cover 400 square degrees along the Galactic plane. The survey has been specifically designed to target short-period variable star systems that exhibit periodic variations on timescales of minutes to under an hour, such as ultracompact binary star systems or rare pulsating stars. This Thesis consists of an Introductory chapter, four chapters based on the OW Survey papers, and a Summary & Conclusion chapter. In Chapter 2, the observations, observing strategy and processing pipeline are detailed, and results from the initial 26 square degrees are analysed. This analysis is extended to the first 4 years of OW operations in Chapter 3, where a study is made into selected individual systems and the various populations they belong to. This includes the bluest variables, which are our most likely UCB candidates. In Chapter 4, the photometric and spectroscopic follow-up observations of a number of variables identified in the OW survey are presented, and the light curve parameters determined during the OW processing pipeline are verified. Chapter 5 looks at the discovery of a variable "warm" carbon-enriched DQ white dwarf in the OW survey (only the second known) and, lastly, the main results from the first 4.5 years of OW operations and the future of the survey is discussed in the Summary & Conclusion chapter. Proefschrift Dissertation
