Date of Award

12-2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Sciences

First Advisor

Terry D. Oswalt

Second Advisor

Stephane Vermes

Third Advisor

Matthew A. Wood

Fourth Advisor

Michael H. Slotkin

Abstract

Post main sequence (MS) mass loss causes orbital separation amplification in fragile (i.e. common proper motion) binary star systems. Components typically have separations around -1000 a.u. Such wide pairs experience negligible tidal interactions and mass transfer between companions; they evolve as two separate but coeval stars. In this paper we will attempt to model how post-MS mass loss statistically distorts a frequency distribution of fragile binary separations. Understanding this process provides a robust test of current theories of stellar evolution and sets constraints on the dynamics of the Galactic disk.

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