GAMMA VELORUM X-RAY MONITORING Alexandra Burtleson, Space Physics
MENTOR Pragati Pradhan, Physics and Astronomy
We present results from X-ray monitoring of six NuSTAR observations of the colliding- wind binary at key orbital phases, to characterize the shock-heated plasma in the wind-interaction zone. Gamma Vel is composed of a Wolf–Rayet (WR) star and an O- type companion in a 7.9-day orbit, making it the closest and brightest WR binary system in the sky. This study provides the first characterization of Gamma Vel in hard X-rays, probing energies above 10 keV. As a scaled-down version of another quintessential colliding wind binary, WR 140, Gamma Vel’s shorter orbital period offers a unique opportunity to study colliding-wind dynamics and variability on more accessible timescales.
22 | URI DISCOVERY 2026
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