An International Conference entitled "Close Binaries in the 21st
Century: New Opportunities and Challenges," was held in Syros
island, Greece, from 27 to 30 June, 2005.
There are many binary star systems whose components are so close
together, that they interact in various ways. Stars in such systems
do not pass through all stages of their evolution independently of
each other; in fact their evolutionary path is significantly
affected by their companions. Processes of interaction include
gravitational effects, mutual irradiation, mass exchange, mass loss
from the system, phenomena of extended atmospheres,
semi-transparent atmospheric clouds, variable thickness disks and
gas streams.
The zoo of Close Binary Systems includes: Close Eclipsing
Binaries (Detached, Semi-detached, Contact), High and Low-Mass
X-ray Binaries, Cataclysmic Variables, RS CVn systems, Pulsar
Binaries and Symbiotic Stars. The study of these binaries triggered
the development of new branches of astrophysics dealing with the
structure and evolution of close binaries and the interaction
effects displayed by these exciting objects. Close Binaries are
classic examples of the fundamental contribution that stellar
astrophysics makes to our general understanding of physical
processes in the universe.
Ground-based and space surveys will discover many new close
binaries, which were previously unknown. In the future, new
approaches will also be possible with highly efficient photometric
searches looking for very shallow eclipses, such as those produced
by Earth-like extra-solar planets.
Contributions to this conference covered the latest achievements
in the field and reflected the state of the art of the dynamically
evolving area of binary star research.
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