Related papers: Subluminous O Stars - Origin and Evolutionary Link…
We perform stellar evolution calculations of the remnant of the merger of two He white dwarfs (WDs). Our initial conditions are taken from hydrodynamic simulations of double WD mergers and the viscous disc phase that follows. We evolve…
(Abridged) The hierarchical formation scenario for the stellar halo requires the accretion and disruption of dwarf galaxies, yet low-metallicity halo stars are enriched in alpha-elements compared to similar, low-metallicity stars in dwarf…
We present a UV CMD spanning the hot horizontal branch (HB), blue straggler, and white dwarf populations of the globular cluster NGC 2808. These data were obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). Although previous…
We discuss how knowledge of the whole evolutionary history of dwarf galaxies, including details on the early star formation events, can provide insight on the origin of the different dwarf galaxy types. We suggest that these types may be…
Massive stars play a key role in the evolution of the Universe. Our goal is to compare observed and predicted properties of single Galactic O stars to identify and constrain uncertain physical parameters and processes in stellar evolution…
A subgroup of dwarf galaxies have characteristics of a possible evolutionary transition between star-forming systems and dwarf ellipticals. These systems host significant starbursts in combination with smooth, elliptical outer envelopes and…
I briefly review the method of population synthesis of binary stars and discuss the preliminary results of a study of the Galactic population of subdwarf B stars. In particular I focus on the formation of (apparently) single sdB stars and…
The formation of massive stars is one of the major unsolved problems in stellar astrophysics. However, only few if any of these are found as single stars, on average massive stars have more than one companion. Many of them are born in dense…
Close binary interactions may play a critical role in the formation of the rapidly rotating Be stars. Mass transfer can result in a mass gainer star spun up by the accretion of mass and angular momentum, while the mass donor is stripped of…
Massive stars mainly form in close binaries, where their mutual interactions can profoundly alter their evolutionary paths. Evolved binaries consisting of a massive OB-type main-sequence star with a stripped helium star or a compact…
Recent observations of the Galactic center revealed a nuclear disk of young OB stars, in addition to many similar outlying stars with higher eccentricities and/or high inclinations relative to the disk (some of them possibly belonging to a…
Recent observations and theories suggest that extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars and their progeny should be the cause of the UV excess seen in the spectra of many elliptical galaxies. Since the Galactic Bulge is the closest…
By means of population synthesis we model the Galactic ensemble of helium stars. It is assumed that all helium stars are formed in binaries. Under this assumption, single helium stars are produced by the mergers of helium remnants of…
Recent observations of the Galactic center revealed a nuclear disk of young OB stars near the massive black hole (MBH), in addition to many similar outlying stars with higher eccentricities and/or high inclinations relative to the disk…
We construct a speculative scenario for rotation-induced extra helium mixing to the envelope of horizontal branch (HB) stars. This scenario differs from previous ones in that the mixing occurs after the star has left the red giant branch…
Over the last decades, numerous wide (>1000 AU) binaries have been discovered in the Galactic field and halo. The origin of these wide binaries cannot be explained by star formation or by dynamical interactions in the Galactic field. We…
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are extreme horizontal branch stars believed to originate from close binary evolution. Indeed about half of the known sdB stars are found in close binaries with periods ranging from a few hours to a few days. The…
A detailed analysis of halo white dwarf candidates is presented, which is based on model atmosphere fits to observed energy distributions built from photoelectric or photographic magnitudes. Most of the candidates identified in reduced…
The environment near the massive black hole (MBH) in the Galactic center is very hostile for star formation. Nevertheless, many young stars (both O and B stars) are observed close the MBH. The B-stars seems to have an isotropic, continuous…
We present a small collection of FUSE spectra representative of the main spectral classes found in white dwarf stars. In addition, we also discuss another family of hot evolved stars, that of the hot subdwarfs. Both families belong to the…