Title:  New Frontiers in Precision Eclipsing Binary Science with Space Telescopes

Abstract: Bright stars in double-lined eclipsing binaries (DLEBs) have long been the "royal road" to stellar astrophysics, being amenable to detailed characterization from ground-based observations of eclipses and both stars' spectra. High-precision observations from Gaia and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have turned single-lined EBs (SLEBs) into novel laboratories in their own right, converting their relative disadvantage -- the loss of one star's spectrum -- into an asset. I will present a few "keystone" TESS SLEBs and the unique ways in which they enhance our knowledge of stellar structure and formation across the main sequence. I will also preview near-term prospects for detailed SLEB atmosphere studies, including with data from the upcoming SPHEREx satellite, and show how we can leverage over a decade's worth of high-precision, space-based DLEB eclipse observations to make unprecedented measurements of the Galactic potential.

Astro Colloquium and 'coffee & cookies' Department gathering (3:30-3:45pm)

Please click the link to join: https://psu.zoom.us/j/92637070419