Related papers: Mass loss through the L2 Lagrange point - Applicat…
Gamma-ray bursts are characterized by a duration of milliseconds to several minutes in which an enormous amount of radiation is emitted. The origin of these phenomena is still unknown because proposed models fail to explain all the observed…
We consider the unusual evolutionary state of the secondary star in Cygnus X-2. Spectroscopic data give a low mass ($M_2 \simeq 0.5 - 0.7\msun$) and yet a large radius ($R_2 \simeq 7\rsun$) and high luminosity ($L_2 \simeq 150\lsun$). We…
Binary stars can interact via mass transfer when one member (the primary) ascends onto a giant branch. The amount of gas ejected by the binary and the amount of gas accreted by the secondary over the lifetime of the primary influence the…
We study the evolution of a low mass x-ray binary coupling a binary stellar evolution code with a general relativistic code that describes the behavior of the neutron star. We assume the neutron star to be low--magnetized (B~10^8 G). In the…
Despite numerous efforts to better understand binary star evolution, some aspects of it remain poorly constrained. In particular, the evolution of eccentric binaries has remained elusive mainly because the Roche lobe formalism derived for…
The eclipsing binary IT Librae is an unusual system of two B-type stars that is situated about 1 kpc above the galactic plane. The binary was probably ejected from its birthplace in the disk, but the implied time-of-flight to its current…
We consider transient behavior in low-mass X-ray binaries. In short-period neutron-star systems (orbital period less than ~ 1d) irradiation of the accretion disk by the central source suppresses this except at very low mass transfer rates.…
We study the evolution of Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) and of millisecond binary radio pulsars (MSPs), with numerical simulations that keep into account the evolution of the companion, of the binary system and of the neutron star.…
Many massive binary systems undergo mass and angular momentum transfer over the course of their evolution. This kind of interaction is expected to deeply affect the properties of the mass donor and mass gainer and to leave various…
Binary stars commonly pass through phases of direct interaction which result in the rapid loss of mass, energy, and angular momentum. Though crucial to understanding the fates of these systems, including their potential as gravitational…
Mass transfer in close binaries is often non-conservative and the modeling of this kind of mass transfer is mathematically challenging as in this case due to the loss of mass as well as angular momentum the governing system gets complicated…
Chandra observations of elliptical galaxies have revealed large numbers of Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) accreting at rates above 10^-9 solar masses per year. One scenario which generates this transfer rate from an old stellar population…
We study the reaction of low-mass stars to anisotropic irradiation and its importance for the long-term evolution of compact binaries binaries. We show by means of a simple homology model that if the energy outflow through the surface…
Tidal evolution of eccentric binary systems containing at least one massive main-sequence (MS) star plays an important role in the formation scenarios of merging compact-object binaries. The dominant dissipation mechanism in such systems…
In the limit of extremely rapid mass transfer, the response of a donor star in an interacting binary becomes asymptotically one of adiabatic expansion. We survey here adiabatic mass loss from Population I stars of mass 0.10 Msun to 100 Msun…
One of the major uncertainties in close binary evolution is the efficiency of mass transfer beta: the fraction of transferred mass that is accreted by a secondary star. We attempt to constrain the mass-transfer efficiency for short-period…
Mass transfer in binary systems is the key process in the formation of various classes of objects, including merging binary black holes (BBHs) and neutron stars. Orbital evolution during mass transfer depends on how much mass is accreted…
Most studies of mass transfer in binary systems assume circular orbits at the onset of Roche lobe overflow. However, there are theoretical and observational indications that mass transfer could occur in eccentric orbits. In particular,…
Our understanding of massive star evolution is in flux, due to recent upheavals in our view of mass loss, and observations of a high binary fraction among O-type stars. Mass-loss rates for standard metallicity-dependent winds of hot stars…
As the number of observed merging binary black holes (BHs) grows, accurate models are required to disentangle multiple formation channels. In models with isolated binaries, important uncertainties remain regarding the stability of mass…