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SUMMARY:Beyond Isolation: Rethinking Interacting Stars - Silvia Toonen Uni
 versity of Amsterdam
DTSTART:20260319T160000Z
DTEND:20260319T170000Z
UID:TALK244861@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Matthew Grayling
DESCRIPTION:Stars are the fundamental building blocks of galaxies\, yet ma
 ny do not evolve in isolation. Instead\, they reside in interacting system
 s—binaries\, triples\, and higher-order multiples—where stellar intera
 ctions can radically alter stellar evolution\, trigger dramatic transients
 \, and lead to bursts of gravitational wave emission. The rise of large-sc
 ale time-domain surveys has transformed this field\, delivering unpreceden
 ted samples of stellar systems\, electromagnetic transients\,  and gravita
 tional wave events while simultaneously raising the bar for theoretical mo
 deling.\n\nIn this talk\, I focus on two key challenges. Firstly\, I exami
 ne the population of wide post-interaction binaries. Recent observations s
 how that they are overwhelmingly eccentric rather than circular\, yet orbi
 tal eccentricity has been largely neglected in binary evolution models. Wh
 at are we missing? \n\nSecond\, I move beyond the traditional focus on sin
 gles and binaries to examine triple systems. They  are increasingly recogn
 ized as common but remain poorly understood. I highlight recent progress\,
  open questions\, and how triples may emerge as key progenitors of future 
 transient discoveries in the era of next-generation surveys.\n
LOCATION:Hoyle Lecture Theatre\, Institute of Astronomy
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