Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Aug 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007iaus..240..254r&link_type=abstract
Binary Stars as Critical Tools & Tests in Contemporary Astrophysics, Proceedings of IAU Symposium #240, held 22-25 August, 2006
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
1
Scientific paper
Stellar multiplicity is a fundamental astrophysical property. Apart from being the only physical basis for accurate mass determination, this parameter is believed to influence important processes such as planet formation. While early expectations indicated that multiple star systems are not suitable environments for planet formation, recent studies have shown that about 25% of the planetary systems reside in multiple star systems. Duquennoy & Mayor (1991, hereafter DM) is the seminal effort on stellar multiplicity of solar type stars. However, this work is quite dated, and even the basic sample of targets per their selection criteria has changed substantially. Using Hipparcos parallaxes, one finds that 135 stars fit DM's sample selection criteria, while their sample, based on parallaxes in the Gliese catalogue, consisted of 164 primary stars. Moreover, 35 targets of the updated sample were not included in the DM sample, showing that their sample excluded ˜26% of the legitimate targets, and included ˜40% that are now known to reside outside their volume limit. Furthermore, their study was primarily based on a single technique of companion detection - radial velocities. We are working on a modern update to this seminal effort, selecting a volume limited sample using Hipparcos parallaxes. Our sample restricts targets to a B-V range of 0.5 - 1.0, parallax of greater than 40 mas (distance up to 25 pc), and within 2 magnitudes above or 1.5 magnitudes below the main sequence. These criteria result in the selection of 454 primary stars with total luminosity in the range of 0.1 - 10 L[Sun], giving us a physical basis of our definition of "solar type". We are conducting a comprehensive multiplicity survey leveraging prior studies based on radial velocity, speckle, adaptive optics, interferometry, and common proper motion, and augmenting these with additional observations based on common proper motion detection for which companionship is confirmed by photometry, speckle, and long baseline interferometry. The details of our survey methods and some preliminary results will be presented at the IAU Symposium.
Henry Todd J.
Mason Brian D.
McAlister Harold A.
Raghavan Deepak
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