Related papers: Identification of the Long-Sought Common-Envelope …
Stealth coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are eruptions from the Sun that have no obvious low coronal signature. These CMEs are characteristically slower events, but can still be geoeffective and affect space weather at Earth. Therefore,…
After the initial fast spiral-in phase experienced by a common-envelope binary, the system may enter a slow, self-regulated phase, possibly lasting 100s of years, in which all the energy released by orbital decay can be efficiently…
The common envelope phase of binary star evolution plays a central role in many evolutionary pathways leading to the formation of compact objects in short period systems. Using three dimensional hydrodynamical computations, we review the…
The common envelope interaction is responsible for evolved close binaries. Among them are a minority of central stars of planetary nebula (PN). Recent observational results, however, point to most PN actually being in binary systems. We…
We investigate the evolution of interacting binaries where the donor star is a low-mass giant more massive than its companion. It is usual to assume that such systems undergo common-envelope (CE) evolution, where the orbital energy is used…
Extended Red Emission (ERE) is a widely observed optical emission process, present in a wide range of circumstellar and interstellar environments in the Milky Way galaxy as well as other galaxies. Definitive identifications of the ERE…
By analysing and modelling the change in the abundance ratio of $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C and $^{16}$O/$^{17}$O on the surface of the lower mass star of a binary during the common-envelope (CE) phase of evolution, we propose a simple observational…
A common-envelope (CE) phase occurs when a star engulfs its companion and is widely considered the primary channel for producing Luminous Red Novae (LRNe). In this study, we combine binary-population synthesis with stellar-evolution…
To understand the evolution of planetary systems, it is important to investigate planets in highly evolved stellar systems, and to explore the implications of their observed properties with respect to potential formation scenarios.…
Close binary central stars of planetary nebulae are key in constraining the poorly-understood common-envelope phase of evolution, which in turn is critical in understanding the formation of a wide-range of astrophysical phenomena (including…
The morphology of bipolar planetary nebulae (PNe) can be attributed to interactions between a fast wind from the central engine and dense toroidal shaped ejecta left over from common envelope (CE) evolution. Here we use the 3-D hydrodynamic…
The stellar origin of gamma-ray bursts can be explained by the rapid release of energy in a highly collimated, extremely relativistic jet. This in turn appears to require a rapidly spinning highly magnetised stellar core that collapses into…
One of the most poorly understood stellar evolutionary paths is that of binary systems undergoing common-envelope evolution, when the envelope of a giant star engulfs the orbit of a companion. Although this interaction leads to a great…
The common-envelope (CE) phase is a crucial stage in binary star evolution because the orbital separation can shrink drastically while ejecting the envelope of a giant star. Three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic simulations of CE evolution…
Context. An important ingredient in binary evolution is the common-envelope (CE) phase. Although this phase is believed to be responsible for the formation of many close binaries, the process is not well understood. Aims. We investigate the…
We model explosions driven by the coalescence of a black hole or neutron star with the core of its massive-star companion. Upon entering a common envelope phase, a compact object may spiral all the way to the core. The concurrent release of…
The common envelope event is one of the most important and uncertain evolutionary stages that lead to formation of compact binaries. While the problem is almost 30 years old, its theoretical foundation did not progress much from the first…
Planetary nebulae (PNe) are circumstellar gas ejected during an intense mass-losing phase in the the lives of asymptotic giant branch stars. PNe have a stunning variety of shapes, most of which are not spherically symmetric. The debate over…
A widely used method for parameterizing the outcomes of common envelopes (CEs) involves defining an ejection efficiency, $\bar{\alpha}_{\mathrm{eff}}$, that represents the fraction of orbital energy used to unbind the envelope as the orbit…
When the primary star in a close binary system evolves into a giant and engulfs its companion, its core and the companion temporarily orbit each other inside a common envelope. Drag forces transfer orbital energy and angular momentum to the…