Binaries are the best single stars

S.E. de Mink, N. Langer, R.G. Izzard

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

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 languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 39th Liège Astrophysical Colloquium, held in Liège 12-16 July 2010
EditorsG. Rauw, M. De Becker, Y. Nazé, J.M. Vreux, P. Williams
Place of PublicationLiège
PublisherSociété Royale des Sciences de Liège
Pages543-548
Number of pages6
Publication statusPublished - 12 Jul 2010

Bibliographical note

The multi-wavelength view of hot, massive stars

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Binaries are the best single stars'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this