Three top experts report in this book on observational and theoretical findings relating to binary stars. This knowledge is essential for a better understanding of stellar evolution. The book fills a gap in the existing astrophysical literature, and furthermore the three contributions are presented in a pedagogical style making them a valuable source not only for researchers but also for students and amateur astronomers.

Klappentext

Observational and theoretical issues of interacting binarieswas the topic of the 22nd of the renowned Advanced Course ofthe Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy. The threecontributions by outstanding experts collected in this bookdeal with observations, symbiotic stars, cataclysmicvariables, massive binaries and X-ray binaries thus fillinga gap in the existing literature. The articles review thestate of the art and address both students and researchers.The accessible and didactic approach makes the book avaluable source for future work on interacting binary starswhose study is essential for a better understandingofstellar evolution.

Inhalt
Observations and Physical Processes in Binary Stars.- Topics in the Theory of Cataclysmic Variables and X-Ray Binaries.- Interacting Binaries: Topics In Close Binary Evolution.