by A groundbreaking discovery by scientists at the University of Leeds could potentially revolutionize the way astronomers perceive massive stars in the universe. The research, conducted by PhD student Jonathan Dodd and Professor René Oudmaijer from the School of Physics and Astronomy, suggests that massive Be stars, previously believed to exist in double-star systems, could actually be part of triple-star systems.
Be stars, a subset of B stars, are surrounded by a gas disc, similar to Saturn’s rings. Despite being known to astronomers for about 150 years, the formation of these stars’ characteristic discs has remained a mystery. It was commonly accepted that these discs were a result of the rapid rotation of Be stars, potentially caused by their interaction with another star in a binary system. However, analyzing data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite revealed evidence indicating that Be stars could exist in triple systems, where three bodies interact instead of just two.
The researchers observed the movement of stars across the night sky over various periods, identifying slight wobbles or spirals that indicate the presence of more than one star. Initially, it seemed that Be stars had a lower rate of companions compared to B stars. However, further analysis showed that at larger separations, the rate of companion stars was similar between the two groups. This led the researchers to infer that in many cases, a third star in a triple system forces a companion star closer to the Be star, enabling mass transfer and the formation of the characteristic Be star disc. The companions may become too faint and small to be detected after the Be star absorbs a significant amount of their mass.
This discovery has significant implications for various areas of astronomy, including our understanding of black holes, neutron stars, and gravitational wave sources. Understanding the evolutionary processes leading to the formation of these enigmatic objects is key, and the existence of triple-star systems could provide crucial insights. The researchers believe that considering triple stars in stellar evolution is essential, as they have become a new focus within the field.
The team behind this discovery includes PhD student Jonathan Dodd, Professor René Oudmaijer, PhD student Isaac Radley, former Leeds academics Dr. Miguel Vioque, and Dr. Abigail Frost. Their research was supported by funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
This finding marks a significant advancement in our understanding of stellar evolution and opens up new avenues of exploration in the field of astrophysics. The complexities of triple-star systems are now being recognized, further expanding our knowledge of the universe and its celestial objects.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
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