No Arabic abstract
We know from observations that globular clusters are very efficient catalysts in forming unusual short-period binary systems or their offspring, such as low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs; neutron stars accreting matter from low-mass stellar companions), cataclysmic variables (CVs; white dwarfs accreting matter from stellar companions), and millisecond pulsars (MSPs; rotating neutron stars with spin periods of a few ms). Although there has been little direct evidence, the overabundance of these objects in globular clusters has been attributed by numerous authors to the high densities in the cores, which leads to an increase in the formation rate of exotic binary systems through close stellar encounters. Many such close binary systems emit X-radiation at low luminosities (L_x < 10^{34} erg/s) and are being found in large numbers through observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Here we present conclusive observational evidence for a link between the number of close binaries observed in X-rays in a globular cluster and the stellar encounter rate of the cluster. We also make an estimate of the total number of LMXBs in globular clusters in our Galaxy.
Globular clusters are among the most congested stellar systems in the Universe. Internal dynamical evolution drives them toward states of high central density, while simultaneously concentrating the most massive stars and binary systems in their cores. As a result, these clusters are expected to be sites of frequent close encounters and physical collisions between stars and binaries, making them efficient factories for the production of interesting and observable astrophysical exotica. I describe some elements of the competition among stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, and other processes that control globular cluster dynamics, with particular emphasis on pathways that may lead to the formation of blue stragglers.
The evolution of a star of initial mass 10 $M_{odot}$, and metallicity $Z = 0.02$ in a Close Binary System (CBS) is followed from its main sequence until an ONe degenerate remnant forms. Restrictions have been made on the characteristics of the companion as well as on the initial orbital parameters in order to avoid the occurrence of reversal mass transfer before carbon is ignited in the core. The system undergoes three mass loss episodes. The first and second ones are a consequence of a case B Roche lobe overflow. During the third mass loss episode stellar winds may play a role comparable to, or even more important than Roche lobe overflow. In this paper, we extend the previously existing calculations of stars of intermediate mass belonging to close binary systems by following carefully the carbon burning phase of the primary component. We also propose different possible outcomes for our scenario and discuss the relevance of our findings. In particular, our main result is that the resulting white dwarf component of mass $1.1 M_odot$ more likely has a core composed of oxygen and neon, surrounded by a mantle of carbon-oxygen rich material. The average abundances of the oxygen-neon rich core are $X({rm O}^{16})=0.55$, $X({rm Ne}^{20})=0.28$, $X({rm Na}^{23})=0.06$ and $X({rm Mg}^{24})=0.05$. This result has important consequences for the Accretion Induced Collapse scenario. The average abundances of the carbon-oxygen rich mantle are $X({rm O}^{16})=0.55$, and $X({rm C}^{12})=0.43$. The existence of this mantle could also play a significant role in our understanding of cataclysmic variables.
We first present the results of numerical simulations on formation processes and physical properties of old globular clusters (GCs) located within clusters of galaxies (``intracluster GCs) and in between clusters of galaxies (``intercluster GCs). Our high-resolution cosmological simulations with models of GC formation at high redshifts ($z>6$) show that about 30 % of all GCs in a rich cluster can be ragarded as intracluster GCs that can freely drift being trapped by gravitational potential of the cluster rather than by the cluster member galaxies. The radial surface density profiles of the simulated intracluster GCs are highly likely to be flatter than those of GCs within cluster member galaxies. We also find that about 1% of all GCs formed before $z>6$ are not located within any virialized halos and can be regarded as ``intercluster (or ``intergalactic) GCs. We discuss the dependences of physical properties of intracluster and intercluster GCs on the initial density profiles of GCs within low-mass dark matter halos at high redshifts ($z>6$).
We study the excitation and damping of tides in close binary systems, accounting for the leading order nonlinear corrections to linear tidal theory. These nonlinear corrections include two distinct effects: three-mode nonlinear interactions and nonlinear excitation of modes by the time-varying gravitational potential of the companion. This paper presents the formalism for studying nonlinear tides and studies the nonlinear stability of the linear tidal flow. Although the formalism is applicable to binaries containing stars, planets, or compact objects, we focus on solar type stars with stellar or planetary companions. Our primary results include: (1) The linear tidal solution often used in studies of binary evolution is unstable over much of the parameter space in which it is employed. More specifically, resonantly excited gravity waves are unstable to parametric resonance for companion masses M > 10-100 M_Earth at orbital periods P = 1-10 days. The nearly static equilibrium tide is, however, parametrically stable except for solar binaries with P < 2-5 days. (2) For companion masses larger than a few Jupiter masses, the dynamical tide causes waves to grow so rapidly that they must be treated as traveling waves rather than standing waves. (3) We find a novel form of parametric instability in which a single parent wave excites a very large number of daughter waves (N = 10^3[P / 10 days]) and drives them as a single coherent unit with growth rates that are ~N times faster than the standard three wave parametric instability. (4) Independent of the parametric instability, tides excite a wide range of stellar p-modes and g-modes by nonlinear inhomogeneous forcing; this coupling appears particularly efficient at draining energy out of the dynamical tide and may be more important than either wave breaking or parametric resonance at determining the nonlinear dissipation of the dynamical tide.
The evolution of a star of initial mass 9 M_s, and Z = 0.02 in a Close Binary System is followed in the presence of different mass companions in order to study their influence on the final evolutionary stages and, in particular, on the structure and composition of the remnant components. We study two extreme cases. In the first one the mass of the secondary is 8 M_s, whereas in the second one the mass was assumed to be 1 M_s. For the first of those cases we have also explored the possible outcomes of both conservative and non-conservative mass-loss episodes. During the first mass transfer episode, several differences arise between the models. The system with the more extreme mass ratio is not able to survive the 1st. Roche lobe overflow, and spiral-in of the secondary onto the envelope of the primary is most likely. The system formed by two stars of comparable mass undergoes two mass transfer episodes in which the primary is the donor. We have performed two sets of calculations corresponding to this case in order to account for conservative and non-conservative mass transfer during the first mass loss episode. One of our main results is that for the non-conservative case the secondary becomes a Super-AGB. Such a star undergoes a final dredge-up episode, similar to that of a single star of comparable mass. The primary components do not undergo a Super-AGB phase, but instead a carbon-oxygen white dwarf is formed in both cases, before reversal mass transfer occurs. However, given the extreme mass ratios at this stage between the components of the binary system, the possibility of merger episodes remains likely. We also discuss the presumable final outcomes of the system and possible observational counterparts.