Abstract

Invited Talk - Plenary

Wednesday, 11 September 2024, 11:00   (Aula 1&2 / virtual plenum)

A cosmic dance – constraining binary interaction physics with post-interaction systems

Julia Bodensteiner
European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Massive stars are chemical factories producing key elements, they are progenitors of supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes, they are potential gravitational wave sources, and they play a crucial role in the formation and evolution of galaxies. Given their prevalence in binary systems, interactions with their companion stars during their life cycles can drastically alter the evolution of both stars. Yet, the complex interaction physics as well as the outcome of the interactions remain poorly understood. One way of constraining those is by observing post-interaction binaries. In my talk, I will introduce classical Be stars, which are rapidly rotating early types stars that were proposed to be mass gainers in previous binary interactions. I will present observational evidence suggesting that the binary channel is indeed predominant in the formation of massive Be stars, and will show that the few known Be binaries are exotic systems with stripped or compact companions. I will furthermore discuss what those systems can teach us about binary interaction physics, and thus about massive-star evolution in general, and what implication such post-interaction binaries have for other areas of modern astrophysics.