Related papers: Wind Collision and Accretion Simulations of the Ma…

(ABRIDGED) We present in detail our new 3D numerical models for the accretion of stellar winds on to Sgr A*. In our most sophisticated models, we put stars on realistic orbits around Sgr A*, include `slow' winds (300 km/s), and account for…

We describe here the nature, formation and evolution of the supergiant high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) population, i.e. systems accreting the stellar wind of supergiant stars. There are now many new observations, from the high-energy side…

WR 20a is the most massive close-in binary known in our Galaxy. It is composed of two $\approx$80 M$_\odot$ Wolf-Rayet stars with a short period of $\approx$3.7 days in the open cluster Westerlund 2. As such, WR 20a presents us with a…

We present new XSHOOTER spectra of NLTT5306, a 0.44 $\pm$ 0.04\msun white dwarf in a short period (101\,min) binary system with a brown dwarf companion that is likely to have previously undergone common envelope evolution. We have confirmed…

We report on a detailed optical spectroscopic follow-up of the black hole transient MAXI J1820+070 (ASASSN-18ey). The observations cover the main part of the X-ray binary outburst, when the source alternated between hard and soft states…

We present general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of equal-mass spinning black hole binary mergers embedded in a magnetized gas cloud. We focus on the effect of the spin orientation relative to the orbital angular momentum…

We study the orbital evolution and accretion history of massive black hole (MBH) pairs in rotationally supported circumnuclear discs up to the point where MBHs form binary systems. Our simulations have high resolution in mass and space…

We develop a semi-analytic model to investigate how accretion onto wide low-mass binary stars can result in a close high-mass binary system. The key ingredient is to allow mass accretion while limiting the gain in angular momentum. We…

We consider a new mechanism for the removal of the angular momentum from an X-ray binary system and the change in its orbital period - the mass loss in the form of a wind from an accretion disc. Both observations and models predict powerful…

Young multiple systems accrete most of their final mass in the first few Myr of their lifetime, during the protostellar and protoplanetary phases. Previous studies showed that in binary systems the majority of the accreted mass falls onto…

Dwarf Novae and low-mass X-ray binaries are eruptive binary systems comprised of a Roche-lobe overflowing solar-type star and an accreting compact object. Their recurrence time can be explained by a low-accreting phase, the quiescence,…

Massive X-ray binaries are usually classified depending on the properties of the donor star in classical, supergiant and Be X-ray binaries. The massive X-ray binary 4U 2206+54 does not fit in any of these groups, and deserves a detailed…

An XMM-Newton observation of the nearby "pre-cataclysmic" short-period (P_orb = 3.62 hr) binary QS Vir (EC 13471-1258) revealed regular narrow X-ray eclipses when the white dwarf passed behind its M2-4 dwarf companion. The X-ray emission…

An unexpectedly slow evolution in the pre-optical-maximum phase was suggested in the very short recurrence period nova M31N 2008-12a. To obtain reasonable nova light curves we have improved our calculation method by consistently combining…

We report on a three year spectroscopic monitoring program of the H-alpha emission in the massive X-ray binary LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650, which consists of a B-supergiant and a slowly rotating X-ray pulsar. We present revised orbital…

Mass accretion from the circumstellar disk onto the protostar is a fundamental process during star formation. Measuring the mass accretion rate is particularly challenging for stars belonging to binary systems, because it is often difficult…

INTEGRAL, the European Space Agency's gamma-ray observatory, tripled the number of super-giant high-mass X-ray binaries (sgHMXB) known in the Galaxy by revealing absorbed and fast transient (SFXT) systems. In these sources, quantitative…

In this paper we study the wind accretion onto a rotating black hole in the close binary system harboring a young massive star. It is shown that the angular momentum of the accreted stellar wind material is not sufficient for the formation…

We investigate mass transfer and the formation of disc in binary systems using a combination of numerical simulations and theory. We consider six models distinguished by binary separation, secondary mass and outflow mechanisms. Each system…

We have used (a) HST ACS imaging and STIS spectroscopy, (b) ground-based PIONIER/VLT long-baseline interferometry, and (c) ground-based spectroscopy from different instruments to study the orbit of the extreme multiple system HD 93 129…