Related papers: Symbiotic stars: Observations confront theory
Many aspects of the evolution of stars, and in particular the evolution of binary stars, remain beyond our ability to model them in detail. Instead, we rely on observations to guide our often phenomenological models and pin down uncertain…
In this review I first summarize why binaries are key objects in the study of stellar populations, key objects to understand the evolution of star clusters, key objects to understand galaxies and thus the universe. I then focus on 4…
The galaxies of the Local Group that are currently forming stars can serve as our laboratories for understanding star formation and the evolution of massive stars. In this talk I will summarize what I think we've learned about these topics…
An increasing number of both photometric and spectroscopic observations over the last years have shown the existence of distinct sub-populations in many Galactic globular clusters and shattered the paradigm of globulars hosting single,…
We present and discuss mm/submm observations of quiescent S-type symbiotic systems, and compare them with popular models proposed to account for their radio emission. We find that the M giant mass-loss rates derived from our observations…
We present an overview of the main characteristics of several spectroscopic surveys designed to advance our understanding of the physical properties and evolution of massive stars. We also summarize key results obtained from the analysis of…
We review some modern applications of the theory of few-body encounters between binaries and single stars. Then we focus on a new treatment of adiabatic encounters, in a regime which is of importance in encounters between a star and a…
We have calculated evolution of neutron star binaries towards the coalescence driven by gravitational radiation. The hydrodynamical effects as well as the general relativistic effects are important in the final phase. All corrections up to…
This paper reviews the rich corpus of observational evidence for tidal effects in short-period binaries. We review the evidence for ellipsoidal variability and for the observational manifestation of apsidal motion in eclipsing binaries.…
I motivate and discuss some recent work on theories with varying constants, and consider some possible observational consequences and tests. Particular emphasis is given to models which can (almost) exactly mimic the predictions of standard…
Roughly half of Solar-type planet hosts have stellar companions, so understanding how these binary companions affect the formation and evolution of planets is an important component to understanding planetary systems overall. Measuring the…
In discussing open question in the field of massive stars, I consider their evolution from birth to death. After touching upon massive star formation, which may be bi-modal and not lead to a zero-age main sequence at the highest masses, I…
We consider some aspects of the evolution of massive stars which can only be elucidated by means of "indirect" observations, i.e. measurements of the effects of massive stars on their environments. We discuss in detail the early evolution…
Compact binaries are the most promising source for the advanced gravitational wave detectors, which will start operating this year. The influence of spin on the binary evolution is an important consequence of general relativity and can be…
We review recent progress in observations of ground-based oscillations. Excellent observations now exist for a few stars (alpha Cen A and B, mu Ara), while there is some controversy over others (Procyon, eta Boo). We have reached the stage…
Binary systems have long been recognized as the source of powerful astrophysical diagnostics. Among the many applications of binary stars, they have been used as probes of stellar structure and evolution (both of single and binary stars) in…
Binary/multiple status can affect stars at all stages of their lifetimes: evolution onto the main sequence, properties on the main sequence, and subsequent evolution. 5 $M_\odot$ stars have provided a wealth of information about the binary…
Fragmentation and fission of giant molecular clouds occasionally results in a pair of gravitationally bound star clusters that orbit their mutual centre of mass for some time, under the influence of internal and external perturbations. We…
In this review, we describe the physical processes driving the dynamical evolution of binary stars, namely the circularization of the orbit and the synchronization of their spin and orbital rotation. We also discuss the possible role of the…
The current status of the theoretical and observational cosmology is reviewed.