Pablo Marchant : From mass transfer to stripped stars

Speaker : Dr. Pablo Marchant (Ghent University)
Date : 15th July 2025
Title : From mass transfer to stripped stars
Abstract : Binary interactions shape the evolution of the most massive
stars, leading to significant deviations from the evolutionary pathways
possible in single star evolution. These processes impact the universe
at large scales and result in high energy events such as peculiar
supernovae and gravitational wave sources. To understand these outcomes,
it is important to assess binary evolution in early stages ranging from
pre-interaction, roche-lobe overflow and post-interaction phases. I will
discuss the current progress in our understanding of mass-transferring
binaries, covering the impact of this process on the donor star (with
the possible production of a stripped star), as well as the response of
its companion. Of particular importance in recent years is the
identification of bloated stripped stars caught immediately after
interaction which provides a snapshot of the end-states of mass
transfer, and I will discuss how their properties constrain orbital
evolution and the efficiency of mass transfer. I will also emphasize
that many of the uncertain processes in massive binary star evolution
can also be assessed through the study of intermediate mass systems, for
which the physics in early evolutionary phases does not differ
significantly.