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Fragile Binaries: Observational Leverage on Difficult Astrophysical Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2007

T.D. Oswalt ,
K.B. Johnston ,
M. Rudkin ,
T. Vaccaro  and
D. Valls-Gabaud
T.D. Oswalt
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Florida Institute of Technology 150West University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901 email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
K.B. Johnston
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Florida Institute of Technology 150West University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901 email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
M. Rudkin
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Florida Institute of Technology 150West University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901 email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
T. Vaccaro
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Florida Institute of Technology 150West University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901 email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
D. Valls-Gabaud
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique UMR CNRS 5572, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, F-31400 Toulouse Cdx, France. email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Loosely bound, fragile binary stars, whose separations may reach ∼ 0.1 pc, are like open clusters with two coeval components. They provide a largely overlooked avenue for the investigation of many astrophysical questions. For example, the orbital distribution of fragile binaries with two long-lived main-sequence components provides a sensitive test of the cumulative effects of the Galactic environment. In pairs where one component is evolved, the orbits have been amplified by post-main-sequence mass loss, potentially providing useful constraints on the initial-to-final mass relation for white dwarfs. The nearly featureless spectra of cool white dwarfs usually provide little information about intrinsic radial velocity, full space motion, population membership, metallicity, etc. However, distant main sequence companions provide benchmarks against which those properties can be determined. In addition, the cooling ages of white dwarf components provide useful limits on the ages of their main sequence companions, independent of other stellar age determination methods. This paper summarizes some of the ways fragile binaries provide useful leverage on these and other problems of interest.

Keywords

binaries: common proper motion - stars: white dwarfs
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 2 , Symposium S240: Binary Stars as Critical Tools & Tests in Contemporary Astrophysics , August 2006 , pp. 300 - 305
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

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