Fantastic Binaries and How to Find Them

Synopsis: Binary stars are systems where two stars orbit one another under their mutual gravitational attraction. They are very common: astronomers estimate that between a third and a half of all stars are in binaries. One prominent example is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, which is a binary between a main sequence star, like our Sun, and a white dwarf star, a fossil of stellar evolution. These binaries containing a stellar fossil are of particular interest in astronomy: they can reveal the impact of binarity in the life of a star. Not only that, these systems are also potential supernovae progenitors and are sources of gravitational waves. In this talk, I will explain the effects of binarity in stellar evolution and their observational signatures. I will talk about current challenges in modelling binary systems and how present and future observations can further our understanding of binary stars.

Bio:…