CAOSP abstracts, Volume: 55, No.: 3, year: 2025

Author(s): Karczmarek, P.
Journal: Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso, vol. 55, no. 3, p. 152-164.
Date: 04/2025
Title: Binary Cepheids: Insights from a simulation-based approach
Keyword(s): astronomical simulations, Delta Cepheid variable stars, binary stars, Cepheid distance
Pages: 152 -- 164
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/caosp.2025.55.3.152
NASA ADS Abstract Service: 2025CoSka..55c.152K
Citation:
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Abstract: The growing evidence that the majority of stars are born in binary or multiple stars is causing a paradigm shift in our thinking about Cepheids from single to binary and possible multiple systems, and calls for action to include the presence and influence of companion(s) in the theories of stellar evolution and pulsations. Companions might alter every parameter of pulsating stars, from their apparent magnitude, to their pulsation cycles and internal structure, including mass gain/loss. These changes -- to some degree -- should affect every Cepheid, and anticipating them through simulations, as well as discovering them though observations, is paramount for refining models of stellar pulsations and gaining detailed knowledge about pulsation mechanisms. I present the current state of knowledge regarding binary Cepheids, discuss the strengths and limitations of various detection techniques, and explore how simulations can help observations by providing insights that are currently unattainable through observational means alone.