Abstract
Theories of the Evolution of Binary Stars.—Revue Scientiflque for July 23 contains a discussion on this subject by Dr. P. Baize. He first discusses the capture theory, which imagines the chance approach of the two stars, constrained either by collision with each other or with secondary bodies of their systems to remain in company; it is easily shown that such collisions or appulses would be too rare to explain the immense number of binaries. The theory of neighbouring nuclei in a nebula, favoured by Sir James Jeans to explain the binaries of long period, does not meet with much favour from Dr. Baize. He suggests as an alternative an explosive expulsion from the primary, and refers in support of this view to the companion bodies of Nova Pictoris. But the products of such explosions would either recede indefinitely or would intersect the parent star on their return. Perturbations might prevent actual impact, but it would be a long step from such perilous near approaches to the safe and stable orbits of most of the known binaries. The theory of fission of the primary through rapid rotation, favoured by many cosmogonists to explain the spectroscopic binaries and other close pairs, is taken by Dr. Baize as the general mode of origin of most binaries. He is aware of the immense gap that intervenes between the initial small circular orbits and the large elongated ones, with periods of centuries, of many visual binaries; but he conjectures that loss of mass through radiation, and possible disturbances by passing stars, might bring this about in the billions of years (he says trillions, but he means British billions) which he postulates for the life of the stars.
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Astronomical Topics. Nature 130, 585 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/130585a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/130585a0