SCYON Abstract

Received on March 5 2002

Relativistic Binaries in Globular Clusters

Authors	Matthew J. Benacquista
Affiliation	Montana State University-Billings, Billings, Montana 59101, USA
To appear in	Living Reviews in Relativity
Contact	benacquista@msubillings.edu
URL	http://www.livingreviews.org/Articles/Volume5/2002-2benacquista
Links

Abstract

The galactic population of globular clusters are old, dense star systems, with a typical cluster containing 10**4 - 10**6 stars. As an old population of stars, globular clusters contain many collapsed and degenerate objects. As a dense population of stars, globular clusters are the scene of many interesting close dynamical interactions between stars. These dynamical interactions can alter the evolution of individual stars and can produce tight binary systems containing one or two compact objects. In this review, we discuss the theoretical models of globular cluster evolution and binary evolution, techniques for simulating this evolution which lead to relativistic binaries, and current and possible future observational evidence for this population. Globular cluster evolution will focus on the properties that boost the production of hard binary systems and on the tidal interactions of the galaxy with the cluster, which tend to alter the structure of the globular cluster with time. The interaction of the components of hard binary systems alters the evolution of both bodies and can lead to exotic objects. Direct N-body integrations and Fokker -Planck simulations of the evolution of globular clusters that incorporate tidal interactions and lead to predictions of relativistic binary populations are also discussed. We discuss the current observational evidence for cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars, and low mass X-ray binaries as well as possible future detection of relativistic binaries with gravitational radiation.