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1 - The Zoo of Binary Stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2019

Giacomo Beccari
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Garching
Henri M. J. Boffin
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Garching
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Summary

Stars are mostly found in binary and multiple systems, as at least 50% of all solarlike stars have companions – a fraction that goes up to 100% for the most massive stars. Moreover, a large fraction of them will interact in some way or another: at least half of the binary systems containing solarlike stars, in particular when the primary will evolve on the Asymptotic Giant Branch and at least 70% of all massive stars. Such interactions can, and often will, alter the structure and evolution of both components in the system. This will, in turn, lead to the production of exotic objects whose existence cannot be explained by standard stellar evolution models. Moreover, the chapter explores one of the most luminous stars in our Galaxy, Eta Carinae. The year 2016 saw the first ever announcement of the detection of gravitational waves, coming from the merging of a binary black hole. In this chapter, the author leads the reader through a walk in the zoo of binary stars, highlighting some specific examples.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • The Zoo of Binary Stars
  • Edited by Giacomo Beccari, European Southern Observatory, Garching, Henri M. J. Boffin, European Southern Observatory, Garching
  • Book: The Impact of Binary Stars on Stellar Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 April 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108553070.003
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  • The Zoo of Binary Stars
  • Edited by Giacomo Beccari, European Southern Observatory, Garching, Henri M. J. Boffin, European Southern Observatory, Garching
  • Book: The Impact of Binary Stars on Stellar Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 April 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108553070.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Zoo of Binary Stars
  • Edited by Giacomo Beccari, European Southern Observatory, Garching, Henri M. J. Boffin, European Southern Observatory, Garching
  • Book: The Impact of Binary Stars on Stellar Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 April 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108553070.003
Available formats
×