Case 6 (mp4 file): Head-on collision with a velocity at infinity of 3500 km/s. The stars merge to form a 0.48 solar mass product.
Case 32 (mp4 file): An off-axis (specifically, 0.7 solar radius periastron separation) collision with a 5000 km/s velocity at infinity, resulting in two collisionally stripped stars. The panel on the left focuses on material from the 3 solar mass parent star, while the panel on the right focuses on that of the 2 solar mass parent.
Case 33 (mp4 file): This is like the previous off-axis collision (still a 0.7 solar radius periastron separation) but now at 6000 km/s. Only a single stripped star results, as the lower mass star is destroyed by the encounter.
mpeg file (76 MB): The merger of two identical red giant stars, each with a core mass equal to 20% of its total mass, from initial conditions just inside the Roche limit (that is, the innermost equilibrium configuration). The centers of the stars are initially separated by 2.20 times the radius each would have in isolation. Mass shedding through the outer Lagrangian points drives a rapid merger. The frame rotates with a period of ~14 in our units. See Figure 12 and the associated text of Lombardi et. al (2011) for more details.
mpeg file (7.2 MB): In contrast to the preceeding visualization, which is at a slightly smaller initial separation, this red giant contact binary at a separation of 2.22 is in a stable equilibrium state. The frame rotates with a period of ~15, which nearly matches the orbital period of the binary. During the ~30 orbits covered by the visualization, there are no significant changes to the stucture of the binary.
mpeg file (83 MB): The merger of two identical stars, each with a core mass equal to 5% of its total mass, in an unstable contact binary. The centers of the stars are initially separated by 2.54 times the radius each would have in isolation. The mass transfer develops slowly at first, but the merger itself is rapid. The time in the visualization (see the upper left corner) advances less quickly during the merger simply to make the fluid motion during that interval easier to observe. The frame rotates with a period of ~18 in our units. See Figure 10 and the associated text of Lombardi et. al (2011) for more details.
mpeg file (26 MB): In contrast to the preceeding visualization, which is at a slightly smaller separation, this contact binary with initial separation 2.56 is stable. The frame rotates with a period of ~18. During the nearly 100 orbits covered by the visualization, there are no significant changes to the stucture of the binary.
Outreach links: Popular short summaries, informative pictures and animations, and press release type statements relevant to MODEST (Modeling Dense Stellar Systems).
Stellar collision research at Allegheny: Links regarding our group's research.