Related papers: The Binary Second Sequence in Cluster Colour--Magn…
We used deep wide field photometric observations to derive the fraction of binary systems in a sample of five high-latitude Galactic open clusters. By analysing the color distribution of Main Sequence stars we derived the minimum fraction…
We have recently presented observational evidence which suggests that the origin of the second generation (G2) stars in globular clusters (GCs) is due to the binary-mediated collision of primordial (G1) low-mass main-sequence (MS) stars.…
Cosmological simulations predict significant secondary dependencies of halo clustering on internal properties and environment. Detecting these subtle signals in observational data remains challenging, with important ramifications for galaxy…
Globular clusters were thought to be simple stellar populations, but recent photometric and spectroscopic evidence suggests that the clusters' early formation history was more complicated. In particular, clusters show star-to-star abundance…
Galactic globular clusters are not simple stellar populations. And nothing is simple in their study, basically because we try to reconstruct chains of events that occurred at redshift z > 2-3 by observing these objects at z=0, after a…
The total mass of distant star clusters is often derived from the virial theorem, using line-of-sight velocity dispersion measurements and half-light radii. Although most stars form in binary systems, this is mostly ignored when…
Although globular clusters are generally chemically homogeneous, substantial abundance variations are sometimes seen even among unevolved main sequence stars, especially for the CNO group of elements. Multi-object intermediate-dispersion…
The formation of populous secondary star cluster systems is a widespread phenomenon in mergers of gas-rich galaxies. Many, if not most, of those clusters are massive and compact enough to be young globular clusters (GCs). GC systems in most…
Massive binary stars undergo qualitatively different evolution when the two components are similar in mass ('twins'), and the abundance of twin binaries is therefore important to understanding a wide range of astrophysical phenomena. We…
We review spectroscopic results concerning multiple stellar populations in globularclusters. The cluster initial mass is the most important parameter determining the fraction of second generation stars. The threshold for the onset of the…
The dynamical mass of a star cluster can be derived from the virial theorem, using the measured half-mass radius and line-of-sight velocity dispersion of the cluster. However, this dynamical mass may be a significant overestimation of the…
Characterization of the binary fractions in star clusters is of fundamental importance for many fields in astrophysics. Observations indicate that the majority of stars are found in binary systems, while most stars with masses greater than…
Massive stars can be found in wide (hundreds to thousands AU) binaries with other massive stars. We use $N$-body simulations to show that any bound cluster should always have approximately one massive wide binary: one will probably form if…
The influence of size differences, shape, mass and persistent motion on phase separation in binary mixtures has been intensively studied. Here we focus on the exclusive role of diffusivity differences in binary mixtures of equal-sized…
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 present a model for the formation of high-mass close binary systems in the context of forming massive stars through gas accretion in the centres of stellar clusters. A low-mass wide binary evolves under mass accretion towards a high-mass…
The occurrence of planets in binary star systems has been investigated via a variety of techniques that sample a wide range of semi-major axes, but with a preponderance of such results applicable to planets with semi-major axes less than a…
Binary stars play a vital role in astrophysical research, as a good fraction of stars are in binaries. Binary fraction (BF) is known to change with stellar mass in the Galactic field, but such studies in clusters require binary…
Binary stars are present in all stellar systems, yet their role is far from being fully understood. We investigate the effect of unresolved binaries in the derivation of open clusters' mass by star counts. We start from the luminosity…
Binary fraction and orbital characteristics provide indications on the conditions of star formation, as they shed light on the environment they were born in. Multiple systems are more common in low density environments rather than in higher…