Related papers: Evolution of Cataclysmic Variables with Binary-Dri…
One of the most important problems in the context of cataclysmic variables (CVs) is the lack of observations of systems with periods between 2 and 3.12 hours, known as the period gap. The orbital evolution of CVs with periods shorter than…
Angular momentum loss through magnetic braking drives the spin-down of low-mass stars and the orbital evolution of various close binary systems. Current theories for magnetic braking, often calibrated for specific types of systems, predict…
In low-mass binary systems, mass transfer is likely to occur via a slow and dense stellar wind when one of the stars is in the AGB phase. Observations show that many binaries that have undergone AGB mass transfer have orbital periods of…
Although mass transfer (MT) has been studied primarily in circular binaries, observations show that it also occurs in eccentric systems. We investigate orbital evolution during nonconservative MT in eccentric orbits, a process especially…
We reconstruct the evolutionary path followed by cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the observed mass-radius relationship of their donor stars. Along the way, we update the semi-empirical CV donor sequence of Knigge (2006) and present a…
We present simulations of dwarf nova outbursts taking into account realistic variations of the mass loss rate from the secondary. The mass transfer variation has been derived from 20 years of visual monitoring and from X-ray observations…
The mass-loss rate of donor stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is of paramount importance in the evolution of short-period CVs. Observed donors are oversized in comparison with those of isolated single stars of the same mass, which is…
The evolution of novae and Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) is driven by changes in the binary orbital periods. In a direct and critical test for various evolution models and their physical mechanisms, I measure the sudden changes in the period…
According to standard evolutionary theory for cataclysmic variables (CVs), angular momentum loss drives CVs to initially evolve from longer to shorter orbital periods until a minimum period is reached (\approx 80 min). At roughly this…
Mass loss is a key process in the evolution of massive stars, and must be understood quantitatively to be successfully included in broader astrophysical applications. In this review, we discuss various aspects of radiation driven mass loss,…
The eruption of a (classical) nova is widely accepted to be a recurrent event in the lifetime of a cataclysmic binary star. In-between eruptions the system should therefore behave as a "normal" cataclysmic variable (CV), i.e. according to…
Binary stars commonly pass through phases of direct interaction which result in the rapid loss of mass, energy, and angular momentum. Though crucial to understanding the fates of these systems, including their potential as gravitational…
Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are binaries in which a compact white dwarf accretes material from a low-mass companion star. The discovery of two planets in orbit around the CV HU Aquarii opens unusual opportunities for understanding the…
Interacting binaries are of general interest as laboratories for investigating the physics of accretion, which gives rise to the bulk of high-energy radiation in the Galaxy. They allow us to probe stellar evolution processes that cannot be…
Recent spectroscopic observations have identified several cataclysmic variables non-solar metal abundances. We present theoretical models which examine the level of core evolution expected for CV secondaries prior to contact. Our results…
We present a model for one cycle of a classical nova outburst based on a self-consistent wind mass loss accelerated by the gradient of radiation pressure, i.e., the so-called optically thick winds. Evolution models are calculated by a…
The population of non magnetic cataclysmic variables evolving under the influence of a circumbinary disk is investigated for systems above the upper edge of the period gap at orbital periods greater than 2.75hr. For a fractional mass input…
We present the results of a systematic study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and related systems, combining detailed binary-population synthesis (BPS) models with a grid of 120 binary evolution sequences calculated with a Henyey-type stellar…
We describe the evolution of double degenerate binary systems, consisting of components obeying the zero temperature mass radius relationship for white dwarf stars, from the onset of mass transfer to one of several possible outcomes…
The population synthesis of cataclysmic variables below the period is investigated. A grid of detailed binary evolutionary sequences has been calculated and included in the simulations to take account of additional angular momentum losses…