Related papers: Mass estimates in short-period compact binaries

We apply the new generation of theoretical models of low-mass stars to secondaries in CVs, focussing on systems above the period gap. The models confirm that the spectral type should be a good indicator of the donor mass. The orbital…

We investigate why the spectral type of most cataclysmic variable (CV) secondaries is significantly later than that of a ZAMS star with the same mean density. Using improved stellar input physics, tested against observations of low-mass…

W UMa type binaries have two defining characteristics. These are (i) the effective temperatures of both components are very similar, and (ii) the secondary (currently less massive) component is overluminous for its current mass. We consider…

We give a global analysis of mass transfer variations in low-mass X-ray binaries and cataclysmic variables whose evolution is driven by the nuclear expansion of the secondary star. We show that limit cycles caused by irradiation of the…

Knowing the masses of the components of binary systems is very useful to constrain the possible scenarios that could lead to their existence. While it is sometimes possible to determine the mass of the primary star, for single-lined…

We report infrared spectroscopic observations of a large, well-defined sample of main-sequence, single-lined spectroscopic binaries in order to detect the secondaries and derive the mass ratio distribution of short-period binaries. The…

We compile observations of early-type binaries identified via spectroscopy, eclipses, long-baseline interferometry, adaptive optics, common proper motion, etc. Each observational technique is sensitive to companions across a narrow…

We study the reaction of low-mass stars to anisotropic irradiation and its importance for the long-term evolution of compact binaries binaries. We show by means of a simple homology model that if the energy outflow through the surface…

Using results of Chandra observations of old stellar systems in eleven nearby galaxies of various morphological types and the census of LMXBs in the Milky Way, we study the population of low mass X-ray binaries and their relation to the…

The mass-luminosity relation for late-type stars has long been a critical tool for estimating stellar masses. However, there is growing need for both a higher-precision relation and a better understanding of systematic effects (e.g.,…

This review summarizes the observational constraints on the mass spectrum of compact objects in X-ray binaries. We currently have 20 X-ray binaries with confirmed black holes, based on dynamical information (i.e. mass in excess of 3 Msun).…

This paper describes our study of the astrophysics of individual components in close pre-main-sequence binaries. We observed both stars in 17 systems, located in 4 nearby star forming regions, using low-resolution (R=760), infrared…

Thermal timescale mass transfer generally occurs in close binaries where the donor star is more massive than the accreting star. The mass transfer rates are usually estimated in terms of the Kelvin-Helmholtz timescale of the donor star. But…

We selected mass-transferring binary candidates from the catalog of Kepler eclipsing binary stars and investigated the dependence of the mass-transfer rate on several astrophysical quantities, including orbital period, semi-major axis, mass…

We critically re-examine the available data on the spectral types, masses and radii of the secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) and low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), using the new catalogue of Ritter & Kolb (1998) as a starting…

Binary stars and higher-order multiple systems are an ubiquitous outcome of star formation, especially as the system mass increases. The companion mass-ratio distribution is a unique probe into the conditions of the collapsing cloud core…

In this Letter we examine the idea that a subset of short-period black-hole low-mass X-ray binaries could be powered by the mass transfer from pre-main sequence donors. As the star contracts towards the main sequence, the strong magnetic…

We consider constraints on the formation of low-mass X-ray binaries containing neutron stars (NLMXBs) arising from the presence of soft X-ray transients among these systems. We show that in short-period systems driven by angular momentum…

Deriving the distribution of binary parameters for a particular class of stars over the full range of orbital separations usually requires the combination of results from many different observing techniques (radial velocities,…

This paper describes a high-resolution, infrared spectroscopic survey of young, low-mass stars designed to identify and characterize pre-main-sequence spectroscopic binaries. This is the first large infrared radial velocity survey of very…