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Wednesday 13 Jan 2010: The Donor Stars and Evolution of Cataclysmic Variables
Dr. Christian Knigge - University of Southampton, UK
Physics, 4th Floor interaction area 12:00-13:00
I will review what we know about the secondary stars of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and their relation to CV evolution. In particular, I will show how the mass-loss-induced bloating of CV donor stars can be exploited to construct a complete, semi-empirical evolution track for CVs. Along the way, I will also explore whether models of low-mass stars can reliably predict stellar radii and whether we understand the physics of magnetic braking, which is a crucial angular momentum loss mechanism for both single and binary stars.
