The J vs. M Relation for Binary Stars

Binary vs. non-binary constraints

There are two well known transformations from non-binary constraints to binary constraints applicable to constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) with finite domains: the dual transformation and the hidden (variable) transformation. We perform a detailed formal comparison of these two transformations. Our comparison focuses on two backtracking algorithms that maintain a local consistency propert...

Coalescing Binary Neutron Stars

Coalescing compact binaries with neutron star or black hole components provide the most promising sources of gravitational radiation for detection by the LIGO/VIRGO/GEO/TAMA laser interferometers now under construction. This fact has motivated several different theoretical studies of the inspiral and hydrodynamic merging of compact binaries. Analytic analyses of the inspiral waveforms have been...

Polarimetry of Binary Stars

Astronomical polarimetry is a powerful technique that can provide physical information sometimes difficult or impossible to obtain by any other type of observation. Almost every class of binary star can benefit from polarimetric observations: pre-main-sequence objects, close or contact binaries, mass-transfer systems, evolved binaries, cataclysmic variables, eclipsing binaries, etc. In these sy...

Searches for Binary Stars in Globular Clusters

The Formation of Massive Binary Stars

The formation of massive stars in close binary systems is complicated due to their high radiation pressure, the crowded environment and the expected minimum separation for fragmentation being many times greater than the orbital separation. I discuss how massive star formation can be understood as being due to competitive accretion in stellar clusters. Massive binary systems are then formed due ...