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We present Chandra and Swift X-ray observations of four extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarfs with massive companions. We place stringent limits on X-ray emission from all four systems, indicating that neutron star companions are extremely…
The aim of the project is to identify wide common proper motion companions to a sample of spectroscopically confirmed M and L metal-poor dwarfs (also known as subdwarfs) to investigate the impact of metallicity on the binary fraction of…
Understanding interactions of binary systems on the red giant branch is crucial to understanding the formation of compact stellar remnants such as helium-core white dwarfs (He-WDs) and hot subdwarfs. However, the detailed evolution of such…
This study presents observations of two possible substellar survivors of post-main sequence engulfment, currently orbiting white dwarf stars. Infrared and optical spectroscopy of GD 1400 reveal a 9.98 h orbital period, where the benchmark…
Hot subdwarf stars with F-K main sequence binary companions have been known for decades, but the first orbital periods for such systems were published just recently. Current observations suggest that most have long periods, on the order of…
Upsilon Sagittarii is a hydrogen-deficient binary that has been suggested to be in its second stage of mass transfer, after the primary has expanded to become a helium supergiant following core helium exhaustion. A tentative identification…
Binary interaction can cause stellar envelopes to be stripped, which significantly reduces the radius of the star. The orbit of a binary composed of a stripped star and a compact object can therefore be so tight that the gravitational…
We present radial velocity observations of four extremely low-mass (0.2 Msol) white dwarfs. All four stars show peak-to-peak radial velocity variations of 540 - 710 km/s with 1.0 - 5.9 hr periods. The optical photometry rules out…
I have undertaken a comprehensive statistical investigation of the ultracool dwarf companion distribution (spectral type M6 and later). Utilizing a Bayesian algorithm, I tested models of the companion distribution against data from an…
We observed spectroscopically the eclipsing binary system T-Cyg1-01385 in order to determine physical properties of the components. The double-lined nature of the system is revealed for the first time and the radial velocities are obtained…
We present ULTRACAM photometry and X-Shooter spectroscopy of the eclipsing double white dwarf binary CSS 41177, the only such system that is also a double-lined spectroscopic binary. Combined modelling of the light curves and radial…
Binary systems containing a magnetic white dwarf and a main-sequence star are considered extremely rare, perhaps non-existent. In the course of a search of magnetic fields in high-mass white dwarfs we have discovered a Sirius-like wide…
Hot subdwarfs in close binaries with either M dwarf, brown dwarf or white dwarf companions show unique light variations. In hot subdwarf binaries with M dwarf or brown dwarf companions we can observe the so-called reflection effect and in…
Symbiotic stars serve as exceptional laboratories for investigating mass transfer processes in binary systems. However, the dominant mechanism of mass transfer from the red giant donor to the compact accretor - typically a white dwarf or,…
We present ten new ultra-cool dwarfs in seven wide binary systems discovered using $\textit{Gaia}$ DR2 data, identified as part of our $\textit{Gaia}$ Ultra-Cool Dwarf Sample project. The seven systems presented here include an L1 companion…
The theory of binary evolution predicts that many massive stars should lose their hydrogen-rich envelopes via interaction with a companion -- revealing hot helium stars with masses of $\sim$2--8M$_{\odot}$. However, only one candidate…
We identify 806 ultra-cool dwarfs from their SDSS riz photometry (of which 34 are newly discovered L dwarfs) and obtain proper motions through cross matching with UKIDSS and 2MASS. Proper motion and distance constraints show that nine of…
We report the detections of a giant planet (MARVELS-7b) and a brown dwarf candidate (MARVELS-7c) around the primary star in the close binary system, HD 87646. It is the first close binary system with more than one substellar circum-primary…
I argue that cool giant companions in most symbiotic binary systems possess magnetic activity on a much higher level than isolated, or in wide binary systems, cool giants. Based on the behavior of main sequence stars, I assume that magnetic…
Symbiotic stars, which generally comprise a red giant and an accreting white dwarf, are excellent laboratories to understand mass transfer in wide binaries, with application to a wide family of systems. One of the fundamental questions is…