My main scientific interests are (1) understanding how close compact binaries form and evolve, (2) unveiling the nature of supernovae type Ia progenitors and (3) constraining the physical properties of both white dwarfs and low-mass main sequence stars.
In 2011 I published a paper in which we showed for the first time that the great majority of low-mass white dwarfs in the Galaxy are formed due to binary interactions. This was previously predicted by theory but never confirmed observationally in a robust way. More info in 2011MNRAS.413.1121.
Within KIAA I am working with Xiaowei Liu and his group in characterizing the white dwarf population observed by the LAMOST survey of the Galactic Anti-Center. Our goal is to calculate accurate white dwarf space densities and birth rates.
In addition, I and my collaborators from within and outside China have initiated a long-term observational campaign aiming at testing the single degenerate channel towards supernovae type Ia. This involves measuring the orbital periods of a large number of white dwarf binary systems.
