Related papers: Gaia's binary star renaissance
The second data release of ESA's Gaia satellite (Gaia DR2) revolutionised astronomy by providing accurate distances, proper motions, apparent magnitudes, and in many cases temperatures and radial velocities for an unprecedented number of…
We aim to measure very precise and accurate model-independent masses and distances of detached binary stars. Precise masses at the $< 1$% level are necessary to test and calibrate stellar interior and evolution models, while precise and…
In astrometric binaries, the presence of a dark, unseen star can be inferred from the gravitational pull it induces on its luminous binary companion. While the orbit of such binaries can be characterized with precise astrometric…
Recent advances from astronomical surveys have revealed spatial, chemical, and kinematical inhomogeneities in the inner region of the stellar halo of the Milky Way Galaxy. In particular, large spectroscopic surveys, combined with Gaia…
The gravitational pull of an unseen companion to a luminous star is well-known to cause deviations to the parallax and proper motion of a star. In a previous paper in this series, we argue that the astrometric mission Gaia can identify…
Precise measurement of the fundamental parameters of stellar systems, including mass and radius, depends critically on how well the stellar distances are known. Astrometry from space provides parallax measurements of unprecented accuracy,…
White dwarf stars are the most common endpoint of stellar evolution. Therefore, these old, numerous and compact objects provide valuable information on the late stages of stellar evolution, the physics of dense plasma and the structure and…
We construct from Gaia eDR3 an extensive catalog of spatially resolved binary stars within $\approx$ 1 kpc of the Sun, with projected separations ranging from a few au to 1 pc. We estimate the probability that each pair is a chance…
Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) was used to select a sample of 211 central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe) with good quality astrometric measurements, that we refer to as GAPN, Golden Astrometry Planetary Nebulae. Gaia astrometric and…
We present our models of the effect of binaries on high-resolution spectroscopic surveys. We want to determine how many binary stars will be observed, whether unresolved binaries will contaminate measurements of chemical abundances, and how…
The nature of the binary systems giving rise to Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) remains an unsolved problem. In this {\it Letter} we calculate, from the statistics of initial conditions (masses and binary separations), the mass, luminosity, and…
The Pleiades is the most prominent open star cluster visible from Earth and an important benchmark for simple stellar populations, unified by common origin, age, and distance. Binary stars are its essential ingredient, yet their…
White dwarfs (WDs) are powerful tools to study the evolutionary history of stars and binaries in the Galaxy. But do we understand their multiplicity from a theoretical point of view? This can be tested by a comparison with the sample of WDs…
Approximately one-third of luminous pulsating red giant stars exhibit long secondary periods (LSPs): stable photometric variability with periods of several months to years in addition to their much shorter primary pulsation cycles. Now…
We study the orbital evolution of wide binary stars in the solar neighborhood due to gravitational perturbations from passing stars. We include the effects of the Galactic tidal field and continue to follow the stars after they become…
The formation of massive stars is one of the major unsolved problems in stellar astrophysics. However, only few if any of these are found as single stars, on average massive stars have more than one companion. Many of them are born in dense…
The orbital parameter space of wide, weakly bound binary stars has been shaped by the still poorly known circumstances of their formation, as well as by subsequent dynamical evolution in parent clusters and in the field. The advance of the…
Many, possibly most, stars form in binary and higher-order multiple systems. Therefore, the properties and frequency of binary systems provide strong clues to the star-formation process, and constraints on star-formation models. However,…
We use the framework of microlensing to show that observations of binary systems, such as those made by {\it Gaia}, combined with follow-up weak lensing measurements, can provide a means to probe halos of exotic matter, possibly clumped…
Planetary nebulae are traditionally considered to represent the final evolutionary stage of all intermediate-mass stars ($\sim$0.7-8Msol). Recent evidence seems to contradict this picture. In particular, since the launch of the Hubble Space…