Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis
The orbits of binary stars precess as a result of general relativistic effects, forces arising from the asphericity of the stars, and forces from additional stars or planets in the system. For most binaries, the theoretical and observed precession rates are in agreement1. One system, however—DI H...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Nature Publishing Group
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58482 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4265-047X |
| _version_ | 1826198451506905088 |
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| author | Albrecht, Simon H. Winn, Joshua Nathan Reffert, Sabine Snellen, Ignas A.G. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Albrecht, Simon H. Winn, Joshua Nathan Reffert, Sabine Snellen, Ignas A.G. |
| author_sort | Albrecht, Simon H. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The orbits of binary stars precess as a result of general relativistic effects, forces
arising from the asphericity of the stars, and forces from additional stars or planets in
the system. For most binaries, the theoretical and observed precession rates are in
agreement1. One system, however—DI Herculis—has resisted explanation for 30
years2–4. The observed precession rate is a factor of four slower than the theoretical
rate, a disagreement that once was interpreted as evidence for a failure of general
relativity5. Among the contemporary explanations are the existence of a circumbinary
planet6 and a large tilt of the stellar spin axes with respect to the orbit7,8. Here we
report that both stars of DI Herculis rotate with their spin axes nearly perpendicular
to the orbital axis (contrary to the usual assumption for close binary stars). The
rotationally induced stellar oblateness causes precession in the direction opposite to
that of relativistic precession, thereby reconciling the theoretical and observed rates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:05:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/58482 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:05:09Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/584822022-09-27T17:02:22Z Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis Albrecht, Simon H. Winn, Joshua Nathan Reffert, Sabine Snellen, Ignas A.G. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research Albrecht, Simon H. Albrecht, Simon H. Winn, Joshua Nathan The orbits of binary stars precess as a result of general relativistic effects, forces arising from the asphericity of the stars, and forces from additional stars or planets in the system. For most binaries, the theoretical and observed precession rates are in agreement1. One system, however—DI Herculis—has resisted explanation for 30 years2–4. The observed precession rate is a factor of four slower than the theoretical rate, a disagreement that once was interpreted as evidence for a failure of general relativity5. Among the contemporary explanations are the existence of a circumbinary planet6 and a large tilt of the stellar spin axes with respect to the orbit7,8. Here we report that both stars of DI Herculis rotate with their spin axes nearly perpendicular to the orbital axis (contrary to the usual assumption for close binary stars). The rotationally induced stellar oblateness causes precession in the direction opposite to that of relativistic precession, thereby reconciling the theoretical and observed rates. 2010-09-07T20:30:36Z 2010-09-07T20:30:36Z 2009-09 2009-06 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0028-0836 1476-4687 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58482 Albrecht, Simon et al. “Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI[thinsp]Herculis.” Nature 461.7262 (2009): 373-376. © 2009 Nature Publishing Group. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4265-047X en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature08408 Nature Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Nature Publishing Group Joshua Winn |
| spellingShingle | Albrecht, Simon H. Winn, Joshua Nathan Reffert, Sabine Snellen, Ignas A.G. Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis |
| title | Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis |
| title_full | Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis |
| title_fullStr | Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis |
| title_short | Misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of DI Herculis |
| title_sort | misaligned spin and orbital axes cause the anomalous precession of di herculis |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58482 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4265-047X |
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