12/1/16: SO/NOAO Joint Colloquium Series: Maxwell Moe, Steward

Title: The Formation and Evolution of Binary Stars

Abstract:
I will present four mini-lectures on binary stars. (1) Eclipsing binaries (EBs) have historically been utilized to measure the fundamental stellar relations and distances to nearby galaxies. In the current era of time-domain astronomy, I will demonstrate how increasingly larger samples of EBs provide invaluable insight into the formation, environments, and evolution of binary stars. (2) Binaries identified via eclipses, spectroscopy, interferometry, and adaptive optics each give a unique perspective of companion star properties. By combining the various binary star surveys, a complete but complex picture emerges. I will share how the companion star statistics enlighten our understanding of the single, binary, and triple star formation processes. (3) In turn, the statistical distributions serve as initial conditions in population synthesis studies of binary star evolution. I will highlight the implications of these updated initial conditions for the predicted rates and properties of Type Ia supernovae, compact object mergers, and sources of gravitational waves detectable by advanced LIGO. (4) Finally, I will discuss a recently proposed multi-band photometric monitoring survey of the Triangulum Galaxy M33, which, over its one square degree coverage, will rival the sensitivity and cadence of LSST. The M33 survey is designed to discover exotic and new types of EBs, variables, and transients pertinent to our understanding of star / planet formation, Type Ib/c supernovae, reionization, and the cosmological distance scale.