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Eccentricity of binary systems is not a gauge invariant quantity, but has an important impact on the observed gravitational wave signal of such systems, generating power in all possible harmonics of the orbital period. We here clarify the…
Eccentricity of wide binaries is difficult to measure due to their long orbital periods. With Gaia's high-precision astrometric measurements, eccentricity of a wide binary can be constrained by the angle between the separation vector and…
Stellar-mass binary black holes (BBHs) embedded in active galactic nucleus (AGN) discs offer a distinct dynamical channel to produce black hole mergers detected in gravitational waves by LIGO/Virgo. To understand their orbital evolution…
We present an analytical and numerical study of a system composed of a stellar binary pair and a massless, locally isothermal viscous accretion disk that is coplanar to the binary orbital plane. Analytically, we study the effect of the…
Stellar activity is ubiquitous in late-type stars. The special geometry of eclipsing binary systems is particularly advantageous to study the stellar surfaces and activity. We present a detailed study of the 145 d CoRoT light curve of the…
The most general bound binary black hole (BBH) system has an eccentric orbit and precessing spins. The detection of such a system with significant eccentricity close to the merger would be a clear signature of dynamical formation. In order…
In this paper we continue the first ever study of magnetized mini-disks coupled to circumbinary accretion in a supermassive binary black hole (SMBBH) approaching merger reported in Bowen et al. 2018. We extend this simulation from 3 to 12…
Supermassive black hole binaries are likely to accrete interstellar gas through a circumbinary disk. Shortly before merger, the inner portions of this circumbinary disk are subject to general relativistic effects. To study this regime, we…
The detection of gravitational-wave signals from coalescing eccentric binary black holes would yield unprecedented information about the formation and evolution of compact binaries in specific scenarios, such as dynamical formation in dense…
Compact binary systems coalesce over time due to the radiation of gravitational waves, following the field equations of general relativity. Conservation of energy and angular momentum gives a mathematical description for the evolution of…
Building initial conditions for generic binary black-hole evolutions without initial spurious eccentricity remains a challenge for numerical-relativity simulations. This problem can be overcome by applying an eccentricity-removal procedure…
Recent observations show that planet can reside in close binary systems with stellar separation of only about 20 AU. However, planet formation in such close binary systems is a challenge to current theory. One of the major theoretical…
Orbital eccentricity is a key signature of dynamical binary black hole formation. The gravitational waves from a coalescing binary contain information about its orbital eccentricity, which may be measured if the binary retains sufficient…
Common envelope evolution (CEE) is believed to be an important stage in the evolution of binary/multiple stellar systems. Following this stage, the CE is thought to be ejected, leaving behind a compact binary (or a merger product). Although…
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been proposed as environments that can facilitate the capture of extreme-mass-ratio binaries and accelerate their inspiral beyond the rate expected from gravitational wave emission alone. In this work, we…
Many astrophysical environments, from star clusters and globular clusters to the disks of Active Galactic Nuclei, are characterized by frequent interactions between stars and the compact objects that they leave behind. Here, using a suite…
With 16-month Kepler data, 14 long-period (40 d - 265 d) eclipsing binaries on highly eccentric orbits (minimum e between 0.5 and 0.85) are recognized from their closely separated primary and secondary eclipses (\Delta t_I,II = 3 d - 10 d).…
Periodic increases in luminosity arising from variable accretion rates have been predicted for some close pre-main sequence binary stars as they grow from circumbinary disks. The phenomenon is known as "pulsed accretion" and can affect the…
We use three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations to show that an initially mildly misaligned circumbinary accretion disk around an eccentric binary can evolve to an orientation that is perpendicular to the orbital plane of the binary…
Accreting massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) often display periodic variations in their emitted radiation, providing a distinctive signature for their identification. In this work, we explore the MBHBs identification via optical…