Related papers: Contact Binary Stars as Standard Candles
Detecting binary stars in photometric time series is traditionally done by measuring eclipses. This requires the orbital plane to be aligned with the observer. A new method without that requirement uses stellar oscillations to measure…
In this work we describe a large new sample of contact binary stars extracted in a uniform manner from sky patrol data taken by the ROTSE-I telescope. Extensive ROTSE-I light curve data is combined with J, H, and K band near-infrared data…
In this paper we use coherently integrated visibilities (see separate paper in these proceedings, Jorgensen et al. 2008) to measure the properties of binary stars. We use only the phase of the complex visibility and not the amplitude. The…
A growing number of close binary stars are being discovered among central stars of planetary nebulae. Recent and ongoing surveys are finding new systems and contributing to our knowledge of the evolution of close binary systems. The push to…
Binary stars are dynamical systems formed by two stars that are physically bound by the gravitational force. Binary stars are privileged laboratories, allowing one to measure the fundamental properties of stars but also potentially changing…
The period changes of contact binaries obtained by the analysis of eclipse minima timing are found mostly chaotic in nature. However, they are representable by a few cyclic changes superposed on a secular change. The cyclic changes are…
Binary systems anchor many of the fundamental relations relied upon in asteroseismology. Masses and radii are rarely constrained better than when measured via orbital dynamics and eclipse depths. Pulsating binaries have much to offer. They…
With the advent of large-collecting-area instruments, the number of objects that can be reached by optical long-baseline interferometry is steadily increasing. We present here a few results on massive binary stars, showing the interest of…
Binary stars are pairs of stars that are gravitationally bound, providing in some cases accurate measurements of their masses and radii. As such, they serve as excellent testbeds for the theory of stellar structure and evolution. Moreover,…
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,…
Over time, tides synchronize the rotation periods of stars in a binary system to the orbital period. However, if the star exhibits differential rotation then only a portion of it can rotate at the orbital period, so the rotation period at…
Light curves of microlensing events involving stellar binaries and planetary systems can provide information about the orbital elements of the system due to orbital modulations of the caustic structure. Accurately measuring the orbit in…
The study of very short-period contact binaries provides an important laboratory in which the most important and problematic astrophysical processes of stellar evolution take place. Short-period contact systems, such as CC Com are…
Symbiotic stars are long-period interacting binary systems in which an evolved red giant star transfers material to its much hotter compact companion. Such a composition places them among the most variable stars. In addition to periodic…
Contact binary systems (also known as W UMa systems) consist of a pair of hydrogen-burning dwarf stars orbiting each other so closely that they share a common envelope. Although they are relatively common, there is as yet no established…
To determine the parameters (masses, orbital period) of a binary, one requires among others the inclination, which is best determined from a visual orbit. The next generation of interferometers can provide visual orbits for a large number…
In this paper I show that the concept of relativistic beaming -- the process by which light emitted by a fast moving sources is lensed towards the direction of motion -- can be easily extended to model the signal from both the star and any…
We analyze the observed distribution of the orbital eccentricity and period of binary radio pulsars in globular clusters using computational tools to simulate binary-single star interactions. Globular clusters have different groups of…
Shaping axi-symmetric planetary nebulae is easier if a companion interacts with a primary at the top of the asymptotic giant branch. To determine the impact of binarity on planetary nebula formation and shaping, we need to determine the…
Gravitational microlensing events are powerful tools for the study of stellar populations. In particular, they can be used to discover and study a variety of binary systems. A large number of binary lenses have already been found through…