双星轨道拟合的研究进展

双星轨道拟合是天文学的一项基础性研究工作。其主要目的是给出双星系统的二体轨道参数,这些参数不仅是高精度、高网格密度星表参考架的必要组成部分,而且也为理解各种有关观测现象提供了必要的动力学基础;更重要的是,双星轨道拟合可以直接估计恒星物理和星系天文学等领域极有应用价值的恒星质量参数。因此,长期以来双星轨道拟合工作一直受到研究者的广泛关注。近年来,随着高精度的恒星运动学观测资料的大量积累,双星轨道拟合更成为天体测量和天体力学的一个共同的热点课题,有关研究也有了长足的进展。综述了双星轨道拟合的历史及现状,其中着重介绍了目前所用的主要观测资料和各种具体的拟合模型、拟合方法;简要描述了几种主要的双星星表;展望了今后双星轨道拟合工作的发展趋势。     

A New Algorithm in Computations of Binary Stars’ Observational Quantities and Its Application

The determination of the orbital parameters of binaries is an important constituent of fundamental astronomy. It is the only reliable way to determine the stellar mass, which is crucial for the studies of stellar dynamics and evolution. And the orbital parameters can be used to compute the motions of component stars, which could improve the population of reference stars in the bright star catalogue reference frame. However, the previous studies on the determination of binaries’ orbital parameters adopted some approximations in the computation of observational quantities. According to the statistical results of hundreds of binaries with bright component stars, it could be found that the approximations in the variation of the tangent plane and the prospective effect of the reference plane have made the deviations of computed observational quantities become larger than the present observational precision (1 mas). In this paper, a new algorithm based on the two-body model and the rigorous relation of solid geometry for computing observational quantities is presented. This new algorithm has been verified by fitting the simulation and actually-observed data. And the fitting results show that the fitted parameters solved by the new algorithm usually have a higher confidence than that solved by the approximate algorithm. Therefore, the new algorithm has certain improvements in the determination of the orbital parameters of binaries, especially, for the wide binaries nearby the solar system.     

On the mass determination of collapsed objects in close binaries: Applications to black-holes and neutron stars

Observational information required for determination of the masses of collapsed objects in close binaries is examined. Assumptions commonly used to evaluate the masses or thier lower limits, in the absence of the required observational data, are critically discussed. A reliable determination of the mass of a collapsed object in X-ray emitting binaries is yet to be made. No definitive case has been made for or against the existence of a black-hole in CygX-1.     

GAIA and Population II Visual Binaries

The results of a kinematical population classification of 497 Hipparcos orbital binaries are discussed. Less than 10% of the stars from the sample belong to the thick disk. Only seven stars have halo kinematics. There are no direct dynamical mass determinations for extreme halo stars. Some suggestions, concerning Population II visual binaries for which ground-based astrometric observations in combination with GAIA data will be useful in the future for the better determination of orbits for long period Population II binaries, are offered. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detached binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Analysis of the radial-velocity and light curves of detached eclipsing binaries allows to derive stellar masses and radii and, in consequence, enables to find their distances. This method has been already applied to several LMC binaries, but in order to have the distance to the LMC determined with good accuracy, the study needs to be extended to a larger number of eclipsing systems. As a first step, we present results of the analysis of the photometry of over 80 detached binaries in the LMC selected from the OGLE-II catalog of 53,000 candidates for variables. If possible, we combine the OGLE-II data with the photometry from other projects (MACHO and EROS). As a result, we present the list of the brightest eclipsing binaries in the LMC suitable for distance determination.     

Eclipsing binaries as accurate distance indicators to nearby galaxies

We discuss the potential for using extragalactic eclipsing binaries with well-determined physical properties as standard candles to improve the extragalactic distance scale. The advent of high quantum efficiency/low noise CCDs has now made it possible to obtain high precision light and radial velocity curves for the more luminous OB-type eclipsing binaries in the Magellanic Clouds with even small to moderate size (1–2m) telescopes. This can lead to the determination of distance moduli (m-M)₀ to the LMC and SMC with precisions of about 0^m.15 for individual binaries.These distances are essentially free from the assumptions made using other distance indicators.     

Extragalactic eclipsing binaries: astrophysical laboratories

Extragalactic eclipsing binaries open a new perspective on the study of stellar structure and evolution. Stars in different galaxies have formed and evolved in environments with chemical histories that may differ from those of the solar neighborhood. For example, the LMC and SMC contain low-metallicity, young massive stars that are no longer found in our Galaxy. Eclipsing binaries, yielding accurate determinations of masses, radii and temperatures, allow for critical tests of, e.g., convective overshooting, mass loss, and internal structure. In addition, they provide an empirical calibration of the mass-luminosity relationship. In this paper, I present some results from ongoing programs on the determination of physical properties and distances to eclipsing binaries in the LMC, the SMC, and M31. In particular, I focus on aspects relevant to stellar astrophysics, and on the contributions of these eclipsing binaries to our understanding of the structure and chemical evolution of the host galaxies.     

The Impact of CoRoT on Close Binary Research

The space experiment CoRoT will provide continuous monitoring and high accuracy light curves of about sixty thousand stars. Selected binary systems will be observed in the Additional Program frame as targets of long and continuous pointed observations. Moreover, thousands of new binaries will certainly be detected and hundreds of them will have extremely accurate light curves. This will allow studies of fine effects on the light curves, monitoring of stellar activity and, in combination with ground-based observations, will provide exquisite determination of stellar parameters. Among the new discoveries of interesting systems of special value will be those of low mass binaries.     

Astrometric parameters of visual double stars derived from simulated hipparcos measurements

Summary In the course of the reduction ofHipparcos data the astrometric parameter determination of visual binaries is reduced to the parameter determination of single stars. This approach assumes that the off-set of the binary components with respect to the conventional light point directly measured by the Hipparcos telescope are known on the individual scanning circles. The computer algorithms are outlined, preliminary results based on simulated measurements are discussed. Presented by H.-H. Bernstein.     

First photometric analysis of the two EW binaries ZTF J214226.88+435827.1 and KAO-EGYPT J214216.38+440015.1

The EW-type eclipsing binaries are strongly interacting systems known to have often both component stars filling their crucial Roche lobes and having a common envelope. We present new BVRI light curves of the eclipsing binaries ZTF J214226.88+435,827.1 (ZTF21+43) and KAO-EGYPT J214216.38+440,015.1 (KAO21+44) based on CCD observations acquired with the 1.88-m Kottamia Astronomical Observatory (KAO) at Newtonian and Cassegrain telescope focus. The modeling results show that these two systems are to be W UMa contact binaries belonging to EW subtypes. All the light curves show the inverse O'Connell effect. We computed new ephemeris for each system using our times of minima and that available in the literature. Using our new times of minima and epochs for both systems from all available observations, the orbital period changes of these structures are studied for our systems. Using the PHOEBE package, a preliminary determination of the two systems' photometric orbital and physical parameters has been present. The positions of the systems were also depicted on the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R), M-L, and T_eff-L diagrams to test their evolutionary status.     

On the determination of double star orbits

It is proposed to improve the convergence of the determination of the elements of the orbits of visual binaries by using not only first, but second-order derivatives in the development of the appropriate equations of condition. Also, some improvements of the Kowalsky-Seeliger method are suggested which improve the accuracy of the orbit used as first approximation.     

Observations of double stars at Pulkovo with 65 cm Zeiss refractor

Some results of the photographic observations of double stars with 65 cm refractor of Pulkovo observatory are presented. We use the apparent motion parameters (AMP) method which allows to determine the orbits and to carry out the dynamical investigation of wide binaries on the basis of a short arc of their orbital motion. We have determined more than 40 orbits for wide pairs and also the sum of masses and in some cases—the mass-ratio of components. The references to our works and the basic results of observations are contained in Kisselev et al. [2004. Catalogue of relative positions of visual double stars made on the observations with 26^″ refractor of Pulkovo observatory. Strassbourg, I/297]. We apply two ways of revealing the hidden mass of our stars, namely: revealing of possible perturbations from comparison of observational and calculated positions using differences O-C (for instance, perturbations in the orbital motion of ADS 15571) and also by means of comparison of the sum of the masses obtained by us and the sum of the masses obtained by means of the mass-luminosity relation. An excess of masses of about 1-3 solar masses is detected for binaries: ADS 497, ADS 8450 and ADS 10329 by means of last method.The estimations of the masses for some binaries are discussed. Also we justify the necessity of precise parallaxes and relative radial velocities of stars, which could be measured by space telescopes such as the GAIA as the additional parameters for determination of orbits of binaries.     

Magellanic Cloud WC/WO Wolf–Rayet stars – II. Colliding winds in binaries

A search for evidence of colliding winds is undertaken among the four certain Magellanic Cloud WC/WO spectroscopic binaries found in the companion Paper I, as well as among two Galactic WC/WO binaries of very similar subtype. Two methods of analysis, which allow the determination of orbital inclination and parameters relating to the shock cone from spectroscopic studies of colliding winds, are attempted. In the first method, Lührs' spectroscopic model is fitted to the moderately strong C  iii 5696-Å excess line emission arising in the shock cone for the stars Br22 and WR 9. The four other systems show only very weak C  iii 5696-Å emission. Lührs' model follows well the mean displacement of the line in velocity space, but is unable to reproduce details in the line profile and fails to give a reliable estimate of the orbital inclination. In the second method, an alternative attempt is also made to fit the variation of more global quantities, full width at half-maximum and radial velocity of the excess emission, with phase. This method also gives satisfactory results in a qualitative way, but shows numerical degeneracy with orbital inclination. Colliding wind effects on the very strong C  iv 5808-Å Wolf–Rayet emission line, present in all six binaries, are also found to behave qualitatively as expected. After allowing for line enhancement in colliding wind binaries, it now appears that all Magellanic Cloud WC/WO stars occupy a very narrow range in spectral subclass: WC4/WO3.     

The spectroscopic study of astrometric binaries

The spectroscopic observations of several astrometric binaries, obtained by the author during the past 20 years, are described. Main emphasis is placed on the determination of orbital elements of visual binaries, and the detection of unseen companions.Communication presented at the International Conference on Astrometric Binaries, held on 13–15 June, 1984, at the Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg, Germany, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (1784–1846).     

An analysis of close binaries (CB) based on photometric measurements

The subject of the paper is the problem of stellar differntial rotation in close binaries (CB) ofRS CV n type. The differential-rotation parameters we find on the basis of the migration of the depression in the light curves caused by the spot effect over the orbital phase. For that purpose, a simple model (Bussoet al., 1985) and inverse-problem procedure, based on the Marquardt (1963) algorithm, are used. To verify the obtained solutions, the SIMPLEX algorithm (Torczon, 1991) is applied, suitable for the nonlinear parameter optimisation. This algorithm enables a correct solution of the nonlinear equation system describing the differential rotation. The procedure is applied in the determination of the parameters of differential rotation forCV Cam, VV Mon andSS Boo binaries.     

A stochastic Monte Carlo approach to model real star cluster evolution – II. Self-consistent models and primordial binaries

The new approach outlined in Paper I to follow the individual formation and evolution of binaries in an evolving, equal point-mass star cluster is extended for the self-consistent treatment of relaxation and close three- and four-body encounters for many binaries (typically a few per cent of the initial number of stars in the cluster mass). The distribution of single stars is treated as a conducting gas sphere with a standard anisotropic gaseous model. A Monte Carlo technique is used to model the motion of binaries, their formation and subsequent hardening by close encounters, and their relaxation (dynamical friction) with single stars and other binaries. The results are a further approach towards a realistic model of globular clusters with primordial binaries without using special hardware. We present, as our main result, the self-consistent evolution of a cluster consisting of 300 000 equal point-mass stars, plus 30 000 equal-mass binaries over several hundred half-mass relaxation times, well into the phase where most of the binaries have been dissolved and evacuated from the core. The cluster evolution is about three times slower than found by Gao et al. Other features are rather comparable. At every moment we are able to show the individual distribution of binaries in the cluster.     

The Coma Morphology Due to an Extended Active Region and the Implications for the Spin State of Comet Hale-Bopp

We have compared the kinematics and metallicity of the main-sequence binary and single uvby F stars from the Hipparcos catalog to see if the populations of these stars originate from the same statistical ensemble. The velocity dispersions of the known unresolved binary F stars have been found to be dramatically smaller than those of the single F stars. This suggests that the population of these binaries is, in fact, younger than that of the single stars, which is further supported by the difference in metal abundance: the binaries turn out to be, on average, more metal rich than the single stars. So, we conclude that the population of these binaries is indeed younger than that of the single F stars. Comparison of the single F stars with the C binaries (binary candidates identified in Suchkov & McMaster) has shown, on the other hand, that the latter stars are, on average, older than the single F stars. We suggest that the age difference between the single F stars, known unresolved binaries, and C binaries is associated with the fact that stellar evolution in a binary systems depends on the binary components' mass ratio and separation, with these parameters being statistically very different for the known binaries and C binaries (e.g., mostly substellar secondaries in C binaries vs. stellar secondaries in known binaries). In general we conclude that the populations of known binaries, C binaries, and single F stars do not belong to the same statistical ensemble. The implications of the discovered age difference between these populations along with the corresponding differences in kinematics and metallicity should be important not only for understanding the evolution of stars but also for the history of star formation and the evolution of the local Galactic disk.     

Massive stars

We describe the present state of massive star research seen from the viewpoint of stellar evolution, with special emphasis on close binaries. Statistics of massive close binaries are reasonably complete for the Solar neighbourhood. We defend the thesis that within our knowledge, many scientific results where the effects of binaries are not included, have an academic value, but may be far from reality. In chapter I, we summarize general observations of massive stars where we focus on the HR diagram, stellar wind mass loss rates, the stellar surface chemistry, rotation, circumstellar environments, supernovae. Close binaries can not be studied separately from single stars and vice versa. First, the evolution of single stars is discussed (chapter I). We refer to new calculations with updated stellar wind mass loss rate formalisms and conclusions are proposed resulting from a comparison with representative observations. Massive binaries are considered in chapter II. Basic processes are briefly described, i.e. the Roche lobe overflow and mass transfer, the common envelope process, the spiral-in process in binaries with extreme mass ratio, the effects of mass accretion and the merging process, the implications of the (asymmetric) supernova explosion of one of the components on the orbital parameters of the binary. Evolutionary computations of interacting close binaries are discussed and general conclusions are drawn. The enormous amount of observational data of massive binaries is summarized. We separately consider the non-evolved and evolved systems. The latter class includes the semi-detached and contact binaries, the WR binaries, the X-ray binaries, the runaways, the single and binary pulsars. A general comparison between theoretical evolution and observations is combined with a discussion of specially interesting binaries: the evolved binaries HD 163181, HD 12323, HD 14633, HD 193516, HD 25638, HD 209481, Per and Sgr; the WR+OB binary V444 Cyg; the high mass X-ray binaries Vela X-1, Wray 977, Cyg X-1; the low mass X-ray binaries Her X-1 and those with a black hole candidate; the runaway Pup, the WR+compact companion candidates Cyg X-3, HD 50896 and HD 197406. We finally propose an overall evolutionary model of massive close binaries as a function of primary mass, mass ratio and orbital period. Chapter III deals with massive star population synthesis with a realistic population of binaries. We discuss the massive close binary frequency, mass ratio and period distribution, the observations that allow to constrain possible asymmetries during the supernova explosion of a massive star. We focuss on the comparison between observed star numbers (as a function of metallicity) and theoretically predicted numbers of stellar populations in regions of continuous star formation and in starburst regions. Special attention is given to the O-type star/WR star/red supergiant star population, the pulsar and binary pulsar population, the supernova rates. Received 17 July 1998     

Contact Binaries: A Study of the Proximity Effects and Gravity Darkening Based on Kopal’s Fourier Method

A new method for the determination of the proximity effects and gravity darkening exponents in contact binaries of W UMa type is presented. The method is based on Kopal’s method of Fourier analysis of the light changes of eclipsing variables in the Frequency Domain. The method was applied to 36 W UMa systems for which geometric and photometric elements have been derived by the most powerful techniques. The derived values are very close to those predicted by the existing theory of radiative transfer or convective equilibrium.     

Frequency of Be and Ae stars in spectroscopic binaries

The frequency of Be and Ae stars in spectroscopic binaries and Algol binaries is examined based on the available catalogue data, and compared with that of stars in theBright Star Catalogue. It is shown that in binary systems Be and Ae stars reveal different statistical behaviours. The frequency of Be stars in spectroscopic binaries shows a notable peak in its orbital-period distribution in the range of 100–300 days, suggesting a statistical group separated from Algol systems. In contrast, most of Ae stars in spectroscopic binaries belong to the Algol systems.