Related papers: Wide sdB binaries. I. Orbital and atmospheric para…
Hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars are post-main-sequence stars of high temperature and gravity. Approximately 30$\%$ of sdBs exhibit stable pressure and/or gravity-mode pulsations, which can be used via the timing method to test for companion…
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…
Mounting evidence from subdwarf B (sdB) stars in the galactic field and their recently discovered counterparts in old open clusters indicates that at least two thirds of local disk sdB stars are binaries. Our recent radial velocity survey…
The project Massive Unseen Companions to Hot Faint Underluminous Stars from SDSS (MUCHFUSS) aims at finding hot subdwarf stars with massive compact companions like massive white dwarfs (M>1.0 M$_\odot$), neutron stars, or stellar-mass black…
Multiple radial velocity observations have been obtained for a large sample of local field subdwarf B (sdB) stars over a period of two years. SdB stars appear to fall into three distinct groups based on their kinematic and spectroscopic…
The project Massive Unseen Companions to Hot Faint Underluminous Stars from SDSS (MUCHFUSS) aims at finding hot subdwarf stars with massive compact companions like massive white dwarfs (M > 1.0 Msun), neutron stars or stellar mass black…
The masses of compact objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes are fundamental to astrophysics, but very difficult to measure. We present the results of an analysis of subluminous B (sdB) stars in close binary systems with…
The predicted orbital-period distribution of the subdwarf-B (sdB) population is bi-modal with a peak at short (< 10 days) and long (> 500 days) periods. Observationally, many short-period sdB systems are known, but only few wide sdB…
We present the analysis of a high-resolution, high-quality sample of optical spectra for 76 subdwarf B (sdB) stars from the ESO Supernova Ia Progenitor Survey (SPY). Effective temperature, surface gravity, and photospheric helium abundance…
Models of binary star interactions have been successful in explaining the origin of field hot subdwarf (sdB) stars in short period systems, but longer-period systems that formed via Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) mass transfer from the present…
The predicted orbital period distribution of the subdwarf-B (sdB) population is bi-modal with a peak at short (< 10 days) and long (> 250 days) periods. Observationally, many short-period sdB systems are indeed known. The predicted long…
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…
It has been suggested that besides stellar companions, substellar objects in close orbits may be able to trigger mass loss in a common envelope phase and form hot subdwarfs. In an ongoing project we search for close substellar companions…
Using TESS 20-sec cadence data, we have discovered an unusual combination of pulsating stars in what we infer to be a binary system. The binary consists of a standard $\delta$ Scuti star with pulsations over the range 32-41 d$^{-1}$; this…
The project Massive Unseen Companions to Hot Faint Underluminous Stars from SDSS (MUCHFUSS) aims at finding hot subdwarf stars (sdBs) with massive compact companions such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or stellar-mass black holes. In a…
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) in close binary systems are assumed to be formed via common envelope ejection. According to theoretical models, the amount of energy and angular momentum deposited in the common envelope scales with the mass of…
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are helium-burning stars with thin hydrogen-rich envelopes. Their most widely accepted formation channels involve binary evolution and progenitors near the tip of the red giant branch, thus studying these objects…
Hot subdwarfs are considered to be the compact helium cores of red giants, which lost almost their entire hydrogen envelope. What causes this enormous mass loss is still unclear. Binary interactions are invoked and a significant fraction of…
Binary systems consisting of a white dwarf and a main-sequence companion with orbital periods up to $\approx 100$ d are often thought to be formed through common envelope evolution which is still poorly understood. To provide new…
Hot subdwarfs (sdBs) are core helium-burning stars, which lost almost their entire hydrogen envelope in the red-giant phase. Since a high fraction of those stars are in close binary systems, common envelope ejection is an important…