Physics Colloquium
Friday, September 9th, 2005,
4:00 P.M.
E300 Math/Science
Center; Refreshments at 3:30 P.M. in
Room E200
Jim Sowell
Georgia Institute of Technology
A Menagerie of Close Binary Systems
Binary stars are extremely important objects because they are used to determine stellar masses. However, for systems with extremely short periods (under a day), the two stellar components can influence each other in a variety of ways. For example, as one star begins to evolve and expand in size, the Roche gravitational limit can be reached. Then substantial stellar mass might be transferred from the larger star to the smaller one or it might be completely lost from the system; either event can alter the system's orbital period. Shape distortions and magnetic fields may also play roles in these dynamic binary systems. A variety of types of close binary systems will be presented along with evidence for orbital period changes.
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