Related papers: The extraordinary LBV/WR system HD 5980
Tidal interactions play an important role in the evolution and ultimate fate of compact white dwarf (WD) binaries. Not only do tides affect the pre-merger state (such as temperature and rotation rate) of the WDs, but they may also determine…
By analogy with the solar system, it is believed that stellar winds will form bow shocks around exoplanets. For hot Jupiters the bow shock will not form directly between the planet and the star, causing an asymmetric distribution of mass…
Although the internal structure of white dwarfs is considered to be generally well understood, the source and entity of viscosity is still very uncertain. We propose here to study white dwarf viscous properties using short period (< 1 hr),…
We study the dynamics of stellar wind bubbles around hydrogen-deficient stars using numerical simulations with time- and ion dependent cooling. We consider two types of hydrogen-deficient stars, massive WR stars, producing Ring Nebulae, and…
Spectral observations of the massive colliding wind binary Eta Carinae show phase-dependent variations, in intensity and velocity, of numerous helium emission and absorption lines throughout the entire 5.54-year orbit. Approaching…
Periastron brightening events, also known as the heartbeat phenomenon, are a clear manifestation of interaction effects in binary systems. We explore the role of tidal shear energy dissipation in stars undergoing periastron brightening…
We study the tidal response of rotating solar mass stars, as well as more massive rotating stars, of different ages in the context of tidal captures leading to either giant exoplanets on close in orbits, or the formation of binary systems…
The orbital decay of binaries containing a primary sub-giant or red giant star and a stellar or substellar companion is investigated. The tide raised in the primary by the companion leads to an exchange of angular momentum between the orbit…
We conducted an observational campaign towards one of the most massive and luminous colliding wind binaries in the Galaxy, HD~93129A, close to its periastron passage in 2018. During this time the source was predicted to be in its maximum of…
Line-driven stellar winds are ubiquitous among hot massive stars. In some cases they can become so strong, that the whole star is cloaked by an optically thick wind. The strong outflow gives rise to large emission lines, defining the class…
Massive stars in binary systems (as WR140, WR147 or $\eta$ Carinae) have long been regarded as potential sources of high-energy $\gamma$-rays. The emission is thought to arise in the region where the stellar winds collide and produce…
We present a 3D dynamical model of the orbital induced curvature of the wind-wind collision region in binary star systems. Momentum balance equations are used to determine the position and shape of the contact discontinuity between the…
High-mass microquasar jets, produced in an accreting compact object in orbit around a massive star, must cross a region filled with stellar wind. The combined effects of the wind and orbital motion can strongly affect the jet properties on…
Tidal dissipation in compact white dwarf (WD) binary systems significantly influences the physical conditions (such as surface temperature and rotation rate) of the WDs prior to mass transfer or merger. In these systems, the dominant tidal…
We use 3D hydrodynamics simulations followed by synthetic line profile calculations to examine the effect increasing the strength of the stellar wind has on observed Ly-$\alpha$ transits of a Hot Jupiter (HJ) and a Warm Neptune (WN). We…
Stars and planets in close systems are magnetised but the influence of magnetic fields on their tidal responses (and vice versa) and dissipation rates has not been well explored. We present exploratory nonlinear magnetohydrodynamical (MHD)…
Bow-shaped mid-infrared emission regions have been discovered in satellite observations of numerous late-type O and early-type B stars with moderate velocities relative to the ambient interstellar medium. Previously, hydrodynamical bow…
WR+O star binary systems exhibit synchrotron emission arising from relativistic electrons accelerated where the wind of the WR star and that of its massive binary companion collide - the wind-collision region (WCR). These ``colliding-wind''…
In this work the thermal emission over cm to sub-mm wavelengths from the winds in short-period O+O-star binaries is investigated (potential non-thermal emission is presently ignored). The calculations are based on three-dimensional…
We present a semi-analytic model atmosphere for close-in exoplanets that captures the essential physics of phase curves: orbital and viewing geometry, advection, and re-radiation. We calibrate the model with the well-characterized…