Abstract
Brief reviews of the classical ‘angular momentum problem’ and the statistics of upper-main-sequence binaries are presented as background for the suggestion that the close, early-type, binaries are produced by fission of rapidly rotating protostars.
Next, theoretical sequences of contracting, rotating stars are described. Recent work demonstrates that the zero-viscosity, polytropic sequences, have essentially the same properties as the McLaurin sequence. Thus, fission is possible for centrally condensed stars. Observations of close early-type binaries are compared with theoretical predictions for the minimum angular momentum in binary systems of given total mass; the agreement is excellent.
Finally, the existing theoretical objections to the fission hypothesis for the origin of binary stars are reviewed, and it is concluded that, although fission remains unproven, there are now no strong theoretical arguments against the process, and there is considerable observational support for its existence.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Blaauw, A.: 1961, Bull. Astron. Inst. Neth. 15, 265.
Blaauw, A. and Van Albada, T. S.: 1969, Bull. Astron. Inst. Neth. (in press).
Bodenheimer, P.: 1969, paper presented at the 16th Liege Symposium.
Bodenheimer, P. and Ostriker, J. P.: 1970, Astrophys. J. (in press).
Cartän, E.: 1922, Bull. Sci. Math. 2e Ser. 46, 316, 356.
Chandrasekhar, S.: 1967, Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 20, 251.
Darwin, G. H.: 1916, Collected Works, Vol. III.
Fujimoto, M.: 1968, Astrophys. J. 152, 523.
Hardorp, J. and Strittmatter, P. A.: 1968, Astrophys. J. 153, 465.
James, R. A.: 1964, Astrophys. J. 140, 552.
Jeans, J. H.: 1919 Problems of Cosmogony and Stellar Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Jeans, J. H.: 1929, Astronomy and Cosmology (reprinted by Dover Publications: New York, 1961), Chap. X.
Kraft, R. P.: 1969, Otto Struve Memorial (ed. by G. Herbig) (in press).
Kuiper, G. P.: 1935, Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 47, 121.
Larson, R. B.: 1968, Thesis, Cal. Inst, of Technology.
Lebovitz, N. R.: 1961, Astrophys. J. 134, 500.
Lyttleton, R.: 1953, The Stability of Rotating Liquid Masses, Cambridge Univ. Press., Cambridge.
McCrea, W. H.: 1961, Proc. Roy. Soc. (London) A260, 152.
Ostriker, J. P. and Bodenheimer, P.: 1968, Astrophys. 151, 1089.
Ostriker, J. P. and Mark, J. W-K.: 1968, Astrophys. J. 151, 1075.
Ostriker, J. P. and Tassoul, J. L.: 1969, Astrophys. J. 155, 987.
Rossner, L. F.: 1967, Astrophys. J. 149, 145.
Roxburgh, I.: 1966, Astrophys. J. 143, 111.
Schatzman, E.: 1962, Ann. Astrophys. 25, 18.
Spitzer, L.: 1968, Stars and Stellar Systems, Vol. VII (ed. by B. M. Middlehurst and L. H. Aller), University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Chap. 1.
Tassoul, J. L. and Ostriker, J. P.: 1968, Astrophys. J. 154, 613.
Tassoul, J. L. and Ostriker, J. P.: 1970, Astron. Astrophys. (in press).
Van Albada, T. S.: 1968a, Bull. Astron. Inst. Neth. 20, 47.
Van Albada, T. S.: 1968b, Bull. Astron. Inst. Neth. 20, 57.
Von Weizsäcker, C. F.: 1947, Z. Astrophys. 24, 181.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1970 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht-Holland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ostriker, J.P. (1970). Fission and the Origin of Binary Stars. In: Slettebak, A. (eds) Stellar Rotation. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-3299-5_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-3299-5_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-3301-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-3299-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive