Related papers: Fast rotating Blue Stragglers prefer loose cluster…
Two blue-straggler sequences discovered in globular cluster M30 provide a strong constraint on the formation mechanisms of blue stragglers. We study the formation of the blue-straggler binaries through binary evolution, and find that binary…
This chapter describes the current state of models of individual blue stragglers. Stellar collisions, binary mergers (or coalescence), and partial or ongoing mass transfer have all been studied in some detail. The products of stellar…
This chapter presents an overview of the main observational results obtained to date about Blue Straggler Stars (BSSs) in Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs). The BSS specific frequency, radial distribution, chemical composition and rotational…
In this chapter we consider two formation channels for blue straggler stars: 1) the merger of two single stars via a collision, and 2) those produced via mass transfer within a binary. We review how computer simulations show that stellar…
Recent high-resolution observations of the central region of Galactic globular clusters have shown the presence of a large variety of exotic stellar objects whose formation and evolution may be strongly affected by dynamical interactions.…
Although the formation of blue straggler stars (BSSs) is routinely attributed to stellar interactions in binary systems, the relative importance of the direct collision and slow(er) stellar coalescence formation channels is still poorly…
We measure the projected rotational velocities ($v \sin i$) of the solar-like blue straggler stars (BSSs) in the old ($\geq4$ Gyr) open clusters M67, NGC 188, and NGC 6791. We find that the BSS rotation distribution shows a Kraft break…
By using high-resolution spectra acquired with FLAMES-GIRAFFE at the ESO/VLT, we measured radial and rotational velocities of 115 stars in the Galactic globular cluster M55. After field decontamination based on the radial velocity values,…
We have surveyed the blue straggler star population of the Galactic globular cluster M5 using high-resolution images of the core along with wide-field ground-based images reaching to more than 19 core radii. To gauge M5's relative…
In this paper I present an overview of the main observational properties of a special class of exotic objects (the so-called Blue Straggler Stars, BSSs) in Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs). The BSS specific frequency and their radial…
High-resolution {\sl Hubble Space Telescope} imaging observations show that the radial distribution of the field-decontaminated sample of 162 'blue straggler' stars (BSs) in the $11.7^{+0.2}_{-0.1}$ Gyr-old Large Magellanic Cloud cluster…
Luminous compact blue galaxies (LCBGs) are a diverse class of galaxies characterized by high luminosities, blue colors, and high surface brightnesses. Residing at the high luminosity, high mass end of the blue sequence, LCBGs sit at the…
We investigate the structure and evolution of blue stragglers stars which were formed from direct stellar collisions between main sequence stars in globular clusters. In particular, we look at the rotational evolution of the products of…
Recent observations of blue stragglers by De Marco et al. (2004) have revealed continuum deficits on the blue side of the Balmer discontinuity, leading these authors to infer the presence of discs around the stars. This intriguing…
We present and discuss new BVI CCD photometry in the field of the globular cluster Arp~2, which is considered a member of the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy. The main goal of this investigation is to study of the statistics and spatial…
Context. Origin and evolution of blue stragglers in globular clusters is still a matter of debate. Aims. The aim of the present investigation is to reproduce the evolutionary history of four binary blue stragglers in four different…
We have analyzed populations of blue straggler stars (BSSs) in 24 Magellanic Cloud star clusters using multi-passband Hubble Space Telescope images. We compiled a homogeneous BSS database, containing both traditional and evolved BSSs. We…
We investigate the effects of changes in the blue straggler formation rate in globular clusters on the blue straggler distribution in the color-magnitude diagram. We find that the blue straggler distribution is highly sensitive to the past…
Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) are an extreme star-bursting population of galaxies that were far more common at earlier epochs than today. Based on spectroscopic and photometric measurements of LCBGs in massive (M >10^15 M_sun),…
This chapter explores how we might use the observed {\em statistics} of blue stragglers in globular clusters to shed light on their formation. This means we will touch on topics also discussed elsewhere in this book, such as the discovery…