Research

My work focuses primarily on the investigation of stellar bowshock nebulae, arc-shaped structures of gas and dust heated and compressed by the strong stellar winds of an early-type star. These nebulae, best exemplified by Zeta Ophiuchi as seen in the background, are easily detectable at infrared wavelengths. Because the early-type stars powering these nebulae are rare in our galaxy due to their short lifetimes and low formation rate, these nebulae provide an exploitable indicator of their location. It also provides a useful laboratory to explore the mass-loss rates of these stars which influences whether these stars will end their lives as neutron stars or black holes.

Bowshock Nebulae & Stellar Mass Loss

Demonstration of a Novel Method for Measuring Mass-loss Rates for Massive Stars , Kobulnicky, H.A., Chick, W.T., & Povich, M.S. 2018, APJ, 856, 74

Infrared Photometric Properties of 709 Candidate Stellar Bowshock Nebulae, Kobulnicky, H.A., Schurhammer, D.P., Baldwin, D.J., et al. 2017, AJ, 154, 201

A Comprehensive Search for Stellar Bowshock Nebulae in the Milky Way: A Catalog of 709 Mid-infrared Selected Candidates, Kobulnicky, H.A., Chick, W.T., Schurhammer, D.P., et al. 2016, APJS, 227, 18