Related papers: Direct Spectral Detection: An Efficient Method to …
The B-emission line stars are rapid rotators that were probably spun up by mass and angular momentum accretion through mass transfer in an interacting binary. Mass transfer will strip the donor star of its envelope to create a small and hot…
We present first results of our NAOS-CONICA search for close substellar companions around young nearby stars. This program was started only a few months ago. We have obtained 1st epoch images of several targets which are unpublished young…
The project Massive Unseen Companions to Hot Faint Underluminous Stars from SDSS (MUCHFUSS) aims at finding hot subdwarf stars with massive compact companions (massive white dwarfs M>1.0 Msun, neutron stars or stellar mass black holes). The…
We present the results of a speckle interferometric survey of Galactic massive stars that complements and expands upon a similar survey made over a decade ago. The speckle observations were made with the KPNO and CTIO 4 m telescopes and…
The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) is expected to make precise astrometric measurements that can be used to detect low mass planets around nearby stars. Since most nearby stars are members of multiple star systems, many stars will have…
We present the results of a study to discover prospective new white dwarf-L dwarf binaries as identified by their near-infrared excesses in the UKIDSS catalogue. We obtained optical spectra to validate the white dwarf nature for 22 of the…
Mass transfer in an interacting binary will often strip the mass donor of its entire envelope and spin up the mass gainer to near critical rotation. The nearby B-type star Regulus represents a binary in the post-mass transfer stage: it is a…
In a well-aimed search based on the recently published Gaia~DR2 radial velocity data and performed with the robotic TIGRE telescope, we have discovered 19 bright ($m_V<7.66$~mag) spectroscopic binary stars. We present the radial velocity…
CONTEXT: Many massive stars have nearby companions whose presence hamper their characterization through spectroscopy. AIMS: We want to obtain spatially resolved spectroscopy of close massive visual binaries to derive their spectral types.…
Many hot subdwarf stars show composite spectral energy distributions indicative of cool main sequence companions. Binary population synthesis (BPS) models demonstrate such systems can be formed via Roche lobe overflow or common envelope…
Close binary systems undergoing mass transfer or common envelope interactions can account for the morphological properties of some planetary nebulae. The search for close binary companions in planetary nebulae is hindered by the difficulty…
The formation of single sdB stars is an unresolved issue and the presence of close sub-stellar companions could explain the stellar envelope ejection near the tip of the RGB, that is needed to form an sdB star. In the last 6 years the first…
Shaping axi-symmetric planetary nebulae is easier if a companion interacts with a primary at the top of the asymptotic giant branch. To determine the impact of binarity on planetary nebula formation and shaping, we need to determine the…
This work is part of an ongoing project which aims to detect terrestrial planets in our neighbouring star system $\alpha$ Centauri using the Doppler method. Owing to the small angular separation between the two components of the $\alpha$…
During the past 20 years, the idea that non-spherical planetary nebulae (PN) may need a binary or planetary interaction to be shaped was discussed by various authors. It is now generally agreed that the varied morphologies of PN cannot be…
Complete census of wide visual companions to nearby G-dwarf stars can be achieved by selecting candidates from the 2MASS Point-Source Catalog and checking their status by second-epoch imaging. Such data are obtained for 124 candidates with…
Stellar multiplicity is believed to influence planetary formation and evolution, although the precise nature and extent of this role remain ambiguous. We present a study aimed at testing the role of stellar multiplicity in the formation…
Close, compact, hierarchical, multiple stellar systems, i.e., multiples having an outer orbital period from months to a few years, comprise a small, but continuously growing group of the triple and multiple star zoo. Many of them consist of…
We present preliminary results of an imaging survey for companions to low-luminosity dwarfs with spectral types ranging from M7 to L9. A K-band study with the Near Infrared Camera (NIRC) at the Keck telescope discriminates against…
Binary systems composed of a recycled millisecond pulsar and a stellar companion in close orbit could be excellent sites to diagnose pulsar winds. In such systems, the pulsar outflow irradiates and heats up the companion atmosphere, which…