Related papers: Barrel Instability in Binary Asteroids
Hills breakup of binary systems allows massive black holes (MBH) to produce hyper-velocity stars (HVSs) and tightly bound stars. The long timescale of orbital relaxation means that binaries must spend numerous orbits around the MBH before…
We provide a generalized discussion of tidal evolution to arbitrary order in the expansion of the gravitational potential between two spherical bodies of any mass ratio. To accurately reproduce the tidal evolution of a system at separations…
An asteroid pair consists of two unbound objects with almost identical heliocentric orbital elements that were formed when a single "rubble pile" asteroid failed to remain bound against an increasing rotation rate. Models suggest that the…
Neutron stars in binary orbit emit gravitational waves and spiral slowly together. During this inspiral, they are expected to have very little vorticity. It is in fact a good approximation to treat the system as having zero vorticity, i.e.,…
We investigate the equilibrium and stability of supermassive stars of mass $M \agt 10^5M_{\odot}$ in binary systems. We find that corotating binaries are secularly unstable for close, circular orbits with $r \alt 4R(M/10^6M_{\odot})^{1/6}$…
We present the first relativistic calculations of the final phase of inspiral of a binary system consisting of two stars built predominantely of strange quark matter (strange quark stars). We study the precoalescing stage within the…
Newtonian point mass binaries can be brought into arbitrarily close circular orbits. Neutron stars and black holes, however, are extended, relativistic objects. Both finite size and relativistic effects make very close orbits unstable, so…
Short-period binary star systems dissipate orbital energy through tidal interactions that lead to tighter, more circular orbits. When at least one star in a binary has evolved off of the main sequence, orbital circularization occurs for…
The rotational state of asteroids is controlled by various physical mechanisms including collisions, internal damping and the Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect. We have analysed the changes in magnitude between consecutive…
Binary systems of rapidly spinning compact objects, such as black holes or neutron stars, are prime targets for gravitational wave astronomers. The dynamics of these systems can be very complicated due to spin-orbit and spin-spin couplings.…
The present dynamical configuration of planets in binary star systems may not reflect their formation process since the binary orbit may have changed in the past after the planet formation process was completed. An observed binary system…
Eccentric binaries known as heartbeat stars experience strong dynamical tides as the stars pass through periastron, providing a laboratory to study tidal interactions. We measure the rotation periods of 24 heartbeat systems, using the…
Rotating axisymmetric objects amplify incoming waves by superradiant scattering. When enclosed in a cavity, the repeated interaction of a confined field with the object may trigger superradiant instabilities. Rotating binaries are…
Binaries are not always neatly aligned. Previous observations of the DI Her system showed that the spin axes of both stars are highly inclined with respect to one another and the orbital axis. Here we report on a measurement of the…
The dynamical evolution of binary asteroid systems is deeply influenced by spin-orbit resonances. However, their domains of influence and mutual interactions remain elusive, in particular in the space where multiple resonant modes coexist.…
The binary Yarkovsky effect on the secondary asteroid (BYS) was recently discovered to influence binary asteroid systems by pushing the secondary asteroid toward a synchronous orbit on a short timescale. However, the binary Yarkovsky effect…
The presence of a stellar companion can place constraints on occurrence and orbital evolution of satellites orbiting exoplanets, i.e., exomoons. In this work we revise earlier orbital stability limits for retrograde orbits in the case of a…
In this paper we investigate the formation of narrow planetary rings such as those found around Uranus and Saturn through the tidal disruption of a weak, gravitationally bound satellite that migrates within its Roche limit. Using $N$-body…
Close to the Roche radius of a white dwarf (WD), an asteroid on a circular orbit sheds material that then adopts a very similar orbit. Observations of the resulting debris show a periodic behavior and changes in flux on short timescales,…
The overall shape, internal structure and surface morphology of small bodies such as asteroids and comets are determined to a large degree by the last global-scale impact or disruption event. Depending on the specific energy, impacts lead…