Related papers: An Analytical, Statistical Approximate Solution fo…
Close interactions and mass transfer in binary stars can lead to the formation of many different exotic stellar populations, but detailed modeling of mass transfer is a computationally challenging problem. Here, we present an alternate…
(abridged) This thesis presents theoretical and statistical techniques broadly related to systems of dynamically-interacting particles composed of several different types of populations. They are applied to observations of dense star…
Early dynamical evolution of close-in planetary systems is shaped by an intricate combination of planetary gravitational interactions, orbital migration, and dissipative effects. While the process of convergent orbital migration is expected…
Binary evolution is influenced by dynamical scattering with other stars in dense environments. Heggie's law states that, due to their environments, hard binaries (whose orbital energy surpasses the typical energy of single stars) tend to…
Over two decades of exoplanetology have yielded thousands of discoveries, yet some types of systems are yet to be observed. Circumstellar planets around one star in a binary have been found, but not for tight binaries (< 5 AU).…
The gravitational three-body problem is a fundamental problem in physics and has significant applications to astronomy. Three-body configurations are often considered stable as long the system is hierarchical; that is, the two orbital…
The orbital separation of compact binary stars will shrink with time due to the emission of gravitational radiation. This inspiralling phase of a binary system's evolution generally will be very long compared to the system's orbital period,…
We present techniques for long-term, stable, and accurate evolutions of multiple-black-hole spacetimes using the `moving puncture' approach with fourth- and eighth-order finite difference stencils. We use these techniques to explore…
We investigate the secular dynamics of three-body circumbinary systems under the effect of tides. We use the octupolar non-restricted approximation for the orbital interactions, general relativity corrections, the quadrupolar approximation…
I review the evolution of binary supermassive black holes and focus on the stellar-dynamical mechanisms that may help to overcome the final-parsec problem - the possible stalling of the binary at a separation much larger than is required…
We develop a formalism for calculating probabilities for the outcomes of stellar dynamical interactions, based on results from $N$-body scattering experiments. We focus here on encounters involving up to six particles and calculate…
Intermediate-mass galaxies, including the Milky Way, typically host both a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and a nuclear stellar cluster (NSC). Binaries in an NSC evolve via close encounters with surrounding stars and secular processes…
The gravitational three-body problem is a rich open problem, dating back to Newton. It serves as a prototypical example of a chaotic system and has numerous applications in astrophysics. Generically, the motion is non-integrable and…
One hypothesis for runaway stars (RSs) is that they are ejected from star clusters with high velocities relative to the cluster center-of-mass motion. There are two competing mechanisms for their production: supernova-based ejections in…
Recent analyses have shown that close encounters between stars and stellar black holes occur frequently in dense star clusters. Depending upon the distance at closest approach, these interactions can lead to dissipating encounters such as…
We consider the planar circular equilateral restricted four body-problem where a test particle of infinitesimal mass is moving under the gravitational attraction of three primary bodies which move on circular orbits around their common…
Motivated by the current search for exomoons, this paper considers the stability of tidal equilibrium for hierarchical three-body systems containing a star, a planet, and a moon. In this treatment, the energy and angular momentum budgets…
The case of the planar circular restricted three-body problem is used as a test field in order to determine the character of the orbits of a small body which moves under the gravitational influence of the two heavy primary bodies. We…
Planetary systems with more than two bodies will experience orbital crossings at a time related to the initial orbital separations of the planets. After a crossing, the system enters a period of chaotic evolution ending in the reshaping of…
We study dynamical interactions of star--planet binaries with other single stars. We derive analytical cross sections for all possible outcomes, and confirm them with numerical scattering experiments. We find that a wide mass ratio in the…