Physics Seminar: "The Great Escape: A Tale of Runaway Binary Starts and Their Evolution"

02/27/09

Contributed by Rebecca Peter

Ginny McSwain, Lehigh University
"The Great Escape: A Tale of Runaway Binary Starts and Their Evolution"
Tuesday, March 3, 12:10 p.m.
Center for Natural Sciences 204

This seminar is free and open to the public. Pizza and refreshments will be available. Please remember to bring a cup and $1 donation.

Synopsis

"Runaway stars are ejected from the cluster of their birth either by gravitational interactions or a supernova in a close binary system. While runaway binaries are rare, these systems offer key insights into the evolution of close binary stars and open clusters. I will present a combination of radio, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray data for three runaway binaries that reveal clues about their origins. One system, LS 5039, was clearly ejected by a supernova because the neutron star remains gravitationally bound to the star. In addition, I will discuss evidence for and against both ejection mechanisms in the runaway binaries HD 14633 and HD 15137."

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