Physics Seminar: "The Great Escape: A Tale of Runaway Binary Starts and Their Evolution"
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."
Originally published in Intercom: Physics Seminar: "The Great Escape: A Tale of Runaway Binary Starts and Their Evolution".