Related papers: Precession due to a close binary system: An altern…
We study the secular dynamics of compact binaries (consisting of white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes) with tertiary companions in hierarchical triple systems. As the inner binary (with initially negligible eccentricity) undergoes…
The spin-induced quadrupole moment of a rapidly rotating star changes the orbital dynamics in a binary system, giving rise to advance (or regression) of periastron and precession of the orbital plane. We show that these effects are…
We derive analytical expressions for the change in the orbital eccentricity of a binary following a distant encounter with a third star on a hyperbolic or parabolic orbit. To establish the accuracy of these expressions, we present detailed…
In this paper we study the evolution of viscous and radiative circumstellar disks under the influence of a companion star. We focus on the eccentric {\gamma} Cephei and {\alpha} Centauri system as examples and compare the disk quantities…
With hydrodynamic simulations we show that a coplanar disc around one component of a binary can be unstable to global tilting when the disc orbits in a retrograde direction relative to the binary. The disc experiences the largest…
A viable solution to the origin of close binary systems, unaccounted for in recent theories, is presented. Fragmentation, occurring at the end of the secondary collapse phase (during which molecular hydrogen is dissociating), can form…
We study the evolution of circumstellar massive disks around the primary star of a binary system focusing on the computation of disk eccentricity. In particular, we concentrate on its dependence on the binary eccentricity. Self-gravity is…
Stars are commonly formed in binary systems, which provide a natural laboratory for studying planet formation in extreme conditions. In our first paper (Paper I) of a series Xie et al. (2011), we have shown that the intermediate stage -…
A binary star system is the most common result of the star formation process, and binary companions can disrupt both the formation of terrestrial planets and their long term prospects for stability. We present results from a large set of…
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…
Proxima Centauri is an M dwarf approximately 15,000 AU from the Alpha Centauri binary, comoving and likely in a loosely bound orbit. Dynamic simulations show this configuration can form from a more tightly bound triple system. As our…
Binary stars are pairs of stars that are gravitationally bound, providing in some cases accurate measurements of their masses and radii. As such, they serve as excellent testbeds for the theory of stellar structure and evolution. Moreover,…
The recent gravitational wave measurements have demonstrated the existence of stellar mass black hole binaries. It is essential for our understanding of massive star evolution to identify the contribution of binary evolution to the…
We study the orbital evolution of eccentric binary neutron stars. The orbit is described as a Quasi-Keplarian orbit with perturbations due to tidal couplings. We find that the tidal interaction between stars contributes to orbital…
Transiting circumbinary planets are more easily detected around short-period than long-period binaries, but none have yet been observed by {\it Kepler} orbiting binaries with periods shorter than seven days. In triple systems, secular…
Nearly every star known to host planets will become a white dwarf, and nearly 100 planet-hosts are now known to be accompanied by binary stellar companions. Here, we determine how a binary companion triggers instability in otherwise…
At high metallicity, a majority of massive stars have at least one close stellar companion. The evolution of such binaries is subject to strong interaction processes, heavily impacting the characteristics of their life-ending supernova and…
We carried out high-sensitivity spectropolarimetric observations of the central star of the Red Rectangle proto-planetary nebula with the aim of constraining the mechanism that gives its biconical shape. The stellar light of the central…
The secular approximation for the evolution of hierarchical triple configurations has proven to be very useful in many astrophysical contexts, from planetary to triple-star systems. In this approximation the orbits may change shape and…
A typical stellar mass black hole with a lighter companion is shown to succumb to a chaotic precession of the orbital plane. As a result, the optimal candidates for the direct detection of gravitational waves by Earth based interferometers…