Abstract
In this paper we study the formation, evolution and disruption of hierarchical systems in open clusters. With this purpose, N-body simulations of star clusters containing an initial population of binaries have been carried out using Aarseth’s NBODY4 and NBODY5 codes.
Stable triples may form from strong interactions of two binaries in which the widest pair is disrupted. The most frequent type of hierarchical systems found in the cluster models are triples in which the outer star is single, but in some cases the outer body is also a binary, giving a hierarchical quadruple. The formation of hierarchical systems of even higher multiplicity is also possible. Many triple systems are non-coplanar and the presence of even a very distant and small outer companion may affect the orbital parameters of the inner binary, including a possible mechanism of significant shrinkage if the binary experiences a weak tidal dissipation.
The main features of these systems are analyzed in order to derive general properties which can be checked by observations. The inner binaries have periods in the range 1 – 103 days, although rich clusters may have even smaller periods following common envelope evolution. For triple systems, the outer body usually has a mass less than 1/3 of the binary, but is sometimes a collapsed object with even smaller mass. The formation of exotic objects, such as blue stragglers and white dwarf binaries, inside hierarchical triple systems is particularly interesting. An efficient mechanism for generating such objects is the previous formation of a hierarchical system in which the inner binary may develop a very short period during a common envelope phase, which finally results in a stellar collision.
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De la Marcos, R.F., Aarseth, S.J., Kiseleva, L.G., Eggleton, P.P. (1997). Hierarchical Systems in Open Clusters. In: Docobo, J.A., Elipe, A., McAlister, H. (eds) Visual Double Stars: Formation, Dynamics and Evolutionary Tracks. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 223. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1477-3_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1477-3_21
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