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| Paper: |
What Massive Binaries are Telling Us |
| Volume: |
496, Living Together: Planets, Host Stars and Binaries |
| Page: |
153 |
| Authors: |
Williams, S. J. |
| Abstract: |
I discuss the observational evidence behind, and the consequences
of, the propensity of massive stars to exist in multiple systems.
I elucidate the benefits and shortcomings of both spectroscopic and
visual searches for multiplicity among massive stars and make the
case that it is likely
that all massive stars, at some point in their life, existed in a
binary or multiple system. Recent observations seem to contradict
the notion that massive binaries are dominated by a population of
“twin” systems — systems with components of nearly equal mass.
I also highlight the predictions of massive
binary interaction and evolution in the context of core collapse
supernovae counts in the nearby Universe. Lastly, I talk about the
reasons for the lack of accurate measurements of the fundamental
parameters of massive stars, which would be valuable in tests of
stellar evolution theory. In summary, all facets of our understanding
of massive stars will benefit with more data. |
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