Related papers: Observational Constraints on the Common Envelope P…
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…
Close-binary central stars of planetary nebulae offer a unique tool with which to study the critical and yet poorly understood common-envelope phase of binary stellar evolution. Furthermore, as the nebula itself is thought to comprise the…
It is now clear that central star binarity plays a key role in the formation and evolution of planetary nebulae, with a significant fraction playing host to close-binary central stars which have survived one or more common envelope…
Common envelope events have been associated with the formation of a planetary nebulae since its proposition more than forty five years ago. However, until recently there have been doubts as to whether a common envelope while the donor is…
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…
Common envelopes form in dynamical time scale mass exchange, when the envelope of a donor star engulfs a much denser companion, and the core of the donor plus the dense companion star spiral inward through this dissipative envelope. As…
Common-envelope events (CEEs), during which two stars temporarily orbit within a shared envelope, are believed to be vital for the formation of a wide range of close binaries. For decades, the only evidence that CEEs actually occur has been…
One of the most mysterious astrophysical states is the common envelope (CE) phase of binary evolution, in which two stars are enshrouded by the envelope shed by one of them. Interactions between the stars and the envelope shrinks the orbit.…
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…
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…
It is now clear that a binary evolutionary pathway is responsible for a significant fraction of all planetary nebulae, with some authors even going so far as to claim that binarity may be a near requirement for the formation of an…
We review the fundamentals and the recent developments in understanding of common envelope physics. We report specifically on the progress that was made by the consideration of the recombination energy. This energy is found to be…
Stellar mergers and common-envelope evolution are fast (dynamical-timescale) interactions in binary stars that drastically alter their evolution. They are key to understanding a plethora of astrophysical phenomena. Stellar mergers are…
We present a catalogue containing 839 candidate post common envelope systems. Common envelope evolution is very important in stellar astrophysics, particularly in the context of very compact and short-period binaries, including cataclysmic…
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…
A common envelope (CE) is proposed as the origin of the early postoutburst spectra of many novae. A simple model is proposed to explain the properties of the CE based on the emission line strengths and an assumed density distribution. Rapid…
Dynamical binary interactions such as common envelope (CE) evolution or stellar mergers are a critical phase in the formation of a wide variety of binary phenomena, ranging from blue stragglers to type I supernovae (of all flavours, a, b…
The morphology of planetary nebulae emerging from the common envelope phase of binary star evolution is investigated. Using initial conditions based on the numerical results of hydrodynamical simulations of the common envelope phase it is…
Asymmetric shapes and evidence for binary central stars suggest a common-envelope origin for many bipolar planetary nebulae. The bipolar components of the nebulae are observed to expand faster than the rest and the more slowly expanding…
A variety of supernova events, including Type IIn supernovae and ultraluminous supernovae, appear to have lost up to solar masses of their envelopes in 10's to 100's of years leading up to the explosion. In order to explain the close timing…