Question: 2 Interacting binary ( 1 5 pts ) Two stars with masses M 1 and M 2 are in a binary orbit with separation a

2 Interacting binary (15 pts) Two stars with masses M1 and M2 are in a binary orbit with separation a. Star 1 reaches the end of its main sequence lifetime and expands to become a red giant. This expansion causes star 1 to overflow its Roche lobe and begin to accrete matter onto star 2 at rate M9. Total mass M1` M2 is conserved, so M91M9 and M92`M9. a. Derive a differential equation to describe how the separation evolves with time. (You dont need to solve this equation.) b. If M1 M2, do the stars grow closer together or further apart? c. How does this affect the orbital period or angular velocity of the binary? Hint: Angular momentum is conserved in this system. The angular momentum of the binary is given by J I where you can assume the moment of inertia is that of a sphere of uniform density, and the angular velocity can be comp

Step by Step Solution

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer
Step: 1 Unlock blur-text-image
Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock
Step: 3 Unlock

Students Have Also Explored These Related Physics Questions!