Çanakkale Astrophysics Workshop - 2002

New Directions for Close Binary Studies : The Royal Road to the Stars

Preface


Copyright by COMU Astrohysics Research Center
ISBN: 975 - 8100 - 33 - 5

COMU Astrophysics Research Center

Çanakkale, 17100, TURKEY

 

PREFACE

The Workshop "New Directions for Close Binary Studies: The Royal Road to the Stars" was organized to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Onsekiz Mart University of Çanakkale, and the opening of its observatory. We also dedicated this international meeting to the memory of the late Professor Zdenek Kopal, who spent more than half a century in studying close binary systems and contributing essential concepts to the field.

Apart from his scientific achievements, Professor Zdenek Kopal is also remembered as a great teacher and research supervisor. There was some kind of "mini-United-Nations" atmosphere in his old department in Manchester University, even for students from states that had, officially, not so friendly relations with each other. It was a place to realize the truly international nature of science and human efforts to understand the Universe, at least in physical terms. So we were very happy to greet Prof. Kopal's two daughters Zdenka and Georgiana, among the participants.

Close, interacting binaries show up the full three-dimensional picture of the gravity and radiation fields around them. Henry Norris Russell, in the early years of the twentieth century, was among the first to realize this important point. He later referred to this rich and rewarding subject for astrophysical investigation as the Royal Road.

The expression "Royal Road" was a great favourite of Kopal, and seems to reflect his own indebtedness to Russell and the other pioneers of astrophysics. As we came to the beginning of a new century in planning this meeting, it seemed both relevant and appropriate to add the expression to our title. We wanted to call together active students of the field to assess the current position and try to plot courses ahead. The meeting turned out to be a great pleasure, as well as a scientific challenge. Altogether we came to about a hundred individuals, half postgraduate students; from seventeen different countries, near and far. We were together for five days to exchange ideas and discuss new advances in stellar astrophysics.

The focus of the meeting was primarily on the new information and recent progress in stellar astrophysics achieved through studying close interacting binary star systems. In reviewing and evaluating current understanding and thence proceeding toward the challenge of new directions, we divide the programme into four main sections with short additions for extras and posters. The section dealing with the effects of magnetic fields in close binary systems also proved highly stimulative toward growth areas in present research. The massive and high-energy systems took us on, not only to new advances in theory, but to wider ranges of observational information across the whole spectrum.

Just one of the various tangible by-products coming from the human interactions developed in this conference is the incorporation of new data-handing software into the computers of the Ulupinar Astrophysics Observatory. The forthcoming re-edition of the Catalogue of Algol Type Binary Systems (detailed in A Erdem?s paper) is another result than can be closely associated with the background to the meeting. Further and wider developments, such as those alluded to by Professor Kitamura, or the interesting historical researches following from Dr Theodossiou's presentations, are also expected. The meeting also gave opportunities to talk about follow-up conferences that participants can look forward to.

This meeting could not have been organized without the support of the Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University and the Turkish Research Council, TUBITAK. We fully appreciate their support. We would like to thank the members of the SOC and LOC for their contribution to the success of this meeting. There was a very enjoyable social programme, which included, as well as generous cullinary hospitality, a special chance to visit the unique, world-famous location of Ancient Troy. The speakers and participants, who made the meeting such a pleasant and memorable success are thanked wholeheartedly. Finally, our sincere thanks to Faruk Soydugan and Esin Soydugan for their excellent editorial assistance.

February 2003,

Osman DEMIRCAN
Edwin BUDDING

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter I

SETTING the STAGE - CLOSE BINARY STARS                                                                                                                     Page Number



Chapter II

DYNAMICS of BINARY SYSTEMS




Chapter III

MAGNETIC FIELDS in BINARY SYSTEMS



Chapter IV

MASSIVE and HIGH ENERGY BINARIES



Chapter V

MISCELLANEOUS




Chapter VI

POSTERS






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