Astrophysics of Stellar Triples

Previous studies and large photometric surveys suggest that eclipsing binaries have a peak in the period distribution around 1 day, but binary formation theories struggle to create these short-period systems in situ. Theories have been proposed to tighten the inner-binary after its initial formation through a variety of mechanisms - some of which require the presence of a third stellar component. By identifying and then studying triple systems which can test the predictions of these theories, as well as the statistics of the multiple star population as a whole, we hope to gain a better understanding of binary formation and evolution.

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