Nantucket, MA – The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host Dr. McKinley Brumback, as a featured presenter for its October Science Speaker Series. Her presentation will take place on Wednesday, October 25 at 7pm. It will be presented via Zoom. This event is free to all.

“Using X-Rays to Probe the Universe’s Strongest Magnetic Fields”

High energy astrophysics tests our understanding of fundamental physics in the most extreme environments in the Universe. Among these are neutron stars, which host the Universe’s most powerful magnetic fields. These fields are impossible to reproduce in Earth-based laboratories, but observational astrophysics offers a direct way to investigate these environments. Dr. Brumback works with systems called X-ray binaries, in which gas donated by a stellar companion moves towards the neutron star and becomes increasingly hot until it emits X-rays. Eventually, the magnetic force becomes much stronger than the gravitational force and the gas is funneled onto the magnetic poles of the neutron star. Brumback is interested in studying the shape and movement of gas in this region, where the gas flow transitions from gravitationally dominated to magnetically dominated. By using X-ray observations from different NASA missions, these regions can be studied and the shape of the gas as it moves around the neutron star can be mapped.

Professor McKinley Brumback is an astronomer who studies X-rays coming from some of the most energetic and extreme environments in the Universe. She uses observations from NASA and ESA X-ray

observatories to investigate how matter behaves close to neutron stars, the ultra-dense and magnetic objects left behind by massive stars. Brumback is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. She completed her PhD in Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College in 2020. After graduation, she continued her X-ray astronomy research with postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan.

Join Dr. McKinley Brumback for this Science Speaker Series Talk on Zoom. Pre-registration is required. To register for this event, please follow the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lPAtdNpxTlSMwL_7p3YsWg#/registration

This series is generously sponsored by our lead sponsor, Bank of America.

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

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For Immediate Release

September 15, 2023

Contact: Molly Mosscrop

mmosscrop@mariamitchell.org