Stellar cannibalism

The Institute of Physics is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland, inspiring people to develop their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of physics.

Institute of Physics: Oxford Centre

... and the messy etiquette of the universe's most extreme stars

The Institute of Physics and Oxford University are pleased to be hosting Dr. Jakob van den Eijnden.Living on Earth, we are used to a single star, the Sun, rising and setting every day. That is quite unique, however, as most stars in the Universe live in pairs. While those binary stars often co-exist peacefully, their relation can turn violent: if the stars are orbiting each other in close proximity, the star with the strongest gravity can strip the other star of its outer layers, slowly devouring its companion. Stars are no neat diners, though, and tend to spit out most of this stellar material across many light years into surrounding space. In this seminar, I will describe what extreme physics, beyond the reach of laboratories on Earth, can be learned from observing these systems. I will also delve into the more practical aspects of observing: how do we study these double stars with satellites and large arrays of building-sized telescopes, especially when we cannot predict when they start their dinner?Dr. Jakob van den Eijnden is a Postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics in the Oxford University Physics Department. His research focusses on binary star systems involving highly dense neutron stars as one of the partners. He uses data from radio and X-ray observations to study how the neutron stars &#x27;canabalise&#x27; their neighbours.The event will be held online. Further details to be announced.

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Stellar cannibalism

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