Author:
Viazminsky, Caesar P
Category:
Research Papers
Sub-Category:
Astrophysics
Date Published:
November 27, 2023
Keywords:
binary stars’ orbits, laws of equivalent orbits, nested
Abstract:
It is shown that the characteristics of a binary star’s relative orbit are independent of the distribution of the total mass between its two components. Moreover, the same relative orbit can occur for different total mass, but with a different initial relative velocity. The characteristics of the orbits of a binary star’s components depend however on the latter masses. The type of components’ orbits is nested, tangential, or intersecting according to the eccentricity being less than, equal to, or greater than a specified threshold value. Utilizing mass-independent characterizations of relative orbits we derive the laws of equivalent orbits which relate the values of the same physical observables on two equivalent orbits to the corresponding total masses; they include the laws of velocity, angular velocity, radial velocity, areal velocity, acceleration, period, energy and angular momentum.
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