Abstract
Stellar models of massive single stars are still plagued by major uncertainties. Testing and calibrating
against observations is essential for their reliability. For this purpose one preferably uses observed stars that
have never experienced strong binary interaction, i.e. “true single stars”. However, the binary fraction among
massive stars is high and identifying “true single stars” is not straight forward. Binary interaction affects
systems in such a way that the initially less massive star becomes, or appears to be, single. For example, mass
transfer results in a widening of the orbit and a decrease of the luminosity of the donor star, which makes it
very hard to detect. After a merger or disruption of the system by the supernova explosion, no companion will
be present.
The only unambiguous identification of “true single stars” is possible in detached binaries, which contain
two main-sequence stars. For these systems we can exclude the occurrence of mass transfer since their birth.
A further advantage is that binaries can often provide us with direct measurements of the fundamental stellar
parameters. Therefore, we argue these binaries are worth the effort needed to observe and analyze them. They
may provide the most stringent test cases for single stellar models.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 39th Liège Astrophysical Colloquium, held in Liège 12-16 July 2010 |
Editors | G. Rauw, M. De Becker, Y. Nazé, J.M. Vreux, P. Williams |
Place of Publication | Liège |
Publisher | Société Royale des Sciences de Liège |
Pages | 543-548 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Publication status | Published - 12 Jul 2010 |