Margarita Karovska
Understanding where elements were formed has been a key goal in astrophysics for nearly a century, with answers involving cosmology, stellar burning, and cosmic explosions. Since 1957, the origin of the heaviest elements (formed via the…
This report presents the findings of a NIAC Phase I feasibility study for the Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI), a proposed high-resolution, UV/Optical interferometer designed for deployment on the lunar surface. Its primary science…
NASA's return to the Moon presents unparalleled opportunities to advance high-impact scientific capabilities. At the cutting edge of these possibilities are extremely high-resolution interferometric observations at visible and ultraviolet…
The 30 year orbit of the Cepheid Polaris has been followed with observations by the CHARA Array (Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy) from 2016 through 2021. An additional measurement has been made with speckle interferometry at…
One of the key research themes identified by the Astro2020 decadal survey is Worlds and Suns in Context. The Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) is a proposed NASA APEX mission that will become the prime high-energy instrument for…
We outline some of the highlights of the scientific case for the advancement of stellar high energy physics using the Line Emission Mapper X-ray Probe ({\it LEM}). The key to advancements with LEM lie in its large effective area -- up to…
Astrophysical jets are present in a range of environments, including young stellar objects, X-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei, but their formation is still not fully understood. As one of the nearest symbiotic binary stars, R…
We develop a novel statistical approach to identify emission features or set upper limits in high-resolution spectra in the presence of high background. The method relies on detecting differences from the background using smooth tests and…
We present spatially resolved BPT mapping of the extended narrow line regions (ENLRs) of seven nearby Seyfert 2 galaxies, using HST narrow band filter imaging. We construct the BPT diagrams using $\leq$ 0.1" resolution emission line images…
Cepheids in multiple systems provide information on the outcome of the formation of massive stars. They can also lead to exotic end-stage objects. This study concludes our survey of 70 galactic Cepheids using the {\it Hubble Space…
We summarize some of the compelling new scientific opportunities for understanding stars and stellar systems that can be enabled by sub-milliarcsec (sub-mas) angular resolution, UV-Optical spectral imaging observations, which can reveal the…
Over the last two decades, the discovery of exoplanets has fundamentally changed our perception of the universe and humanity's place within it. Recent work indicates that a solar system's X-ray and high energy particle environment is of…
It is now recognized that energetic stellar photon and particle radiation evaporates and erodes planetary atmospheres and controls upper atmospheric chemistry. Key exoplanet host stars will be too faint at X-ray wavelengths for accurate…
Cool, evolved stars are the main source of chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium (ISM), and understanding their mass loss and structure offers a unique opportunity to study the cycle of matter in the Universe. Pulsation,…
We present spatially resolved Chandra narrow-band imaging and imaging spectroscopy of NGC 3393. This galaxy hosts a Compton-thick Seyfert 2 AGN with sub-kpc bipolar outflows that are strongly interacting with the circumnuclear gas. We…
The CHandra Extended Emission Line Region Survey (CHEERS) is an X-ray study of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) designed to take full advantage of Chandra's unique angular resolution by spatially resolving feedback signatures and…
As part of a program to determine dynamical masses of Cepheids, we have imaged the nearest and brightest Cepheid, Polaris, with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and Wide Field Camera 3. Observations were obtained at…
The planetary nebula (PN) NGC 5189 around a Wolf-Rayet [WO] central star demonstrates one of the most remarkable complex morphologies among PNe with many multi-scale structures, showing evidence of multiple outbursts from an AGB progenitor.…
The nearby dwarf galaxy NGC404 harbors a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN) powered by the lowest-mass (< 150,000 solar-masses) central massive black hole (MBH) with a dynamical mass constraint currently known, thus providing a…
We present an imaging and spectral analysis of the nuclear region of the ULIRG merger Arp 220, using deep \textit{Chandra}-ACIS observations summing up to \(\sim 300\mbox{ ks}\). Narrow-band imaging with sub-pixel resolution of the…