Kouwenhoven, M.B.N., Goodwin, S.P., Parker, R.J. et al. (3 more authors) (2010) The origin of very wide binary systems. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 5 (S266). pp. 438-441. ISSN 1743-9213
Abstract
The majority of stars in the Galactic field and halo are part of binary or multiple systems. A significant fraction of these systems have orbital separations in excess of thousands of astronomical units, and systems wider than a parsec have been identified in the Galactic halo. These binary systems cannot have formed through the 'normal' star-formation process, nor by capture processes in the Galactic field. We propose that these wide systems were formed during the dissolution phase of young star clusters. We test this hypothesis using N-body simulations of evolving star clusters and find wide binary fractions of 1-30%, depending on initial conditions. Moreover, given that most stars form as part of a binary system, our theory predicts that a large fraction of the known wide 'binaries' are, in fact, multiple systems.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © International Astronomical Union 2010. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | binaries: generalstars: formationstellar dynamicsmethods: N-body simulations |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 17 Aug 2017 10:39 |
Last Modified: | 14 May 2020 13:03 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921309991633 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S1743921309991633 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:120229 |