4 research outputs found
Bimodal Brightness Oscillations in Models of Young Binary Systems
We consider a model for the cyclic activity of young binary stars that
accrete matter from the remnants of a protostellar cloud. If the orbit of such
a binary system is inclined at a small angle to the line of sight, then the
streams of matter and the density waves excited in the circumbinary disk can
screen the primary component of the binary from the observer. To study these
phenomena by the SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) method, we have computed
grids of hydrodynamic models for binary systems based on which we have
constructed the light curves as a function of the orbital phase.The main
emphasis is on investigating the properties of the brightness oscillations.
Therefore, the model parameters were varied within the following ranges: the
component mass ratio q = M2 : M1 = 0.2 - 0.5 and the eccentricity e = 0 - 0.7.
The parameter that defined the binary viscosity was also varied. We adopted
optical grain characteristics typical of circumstellar dust. Our computations
have shown that bimodal oscillations are excited in binaries with eccentric
orbits, provided that the binary components do not differ too much in mass. In
this case, the ratios of the periods and amplitudes of the bimodal oscillations
and their shape depend strongly on the inclination of the binary plane and its
orientation relative to the observer. Our analysis shows that the computed
light curves can be used in interpreting the cyclic activity of UX Ori stars.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl