Abstract
Rapid mass transfer in a binary system can drive the accreting star out of thermal equilibrium, causing it to expand. This can lead to a contact system, strong mass loss from the system and possibly merging of the two stars. In low metallicity stars the timescale for heat transport is shorter due to the lower opacity. The accreting star can therefore restore thermal equilibrium more quickly and possibly avoid contact.We investigate the effect of accretion onto main sequence stars with radiative envelopes with different metallicities. We find that a low metallicity (Z
| Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | FIRST STARS III: First Stars II Conference, Santa Fe (New Mexico) |
| Editors | B.W. O'Shea, A. Heger, T. Abel |
| Place of Publication | Melville, New York |
| Publisher | American Institute of Physics |
| Pages | 217-219 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jul 2007 |