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The fascinating and observationally spectacular world of binary stars is a vast and beautiful one that is a significant aspect of many astrophysical studies. Modeling and Analysis of Eclipsing Binary Stars gives a comprehensive analysis and description of the science behind eclipsing binaries. It also explores the assumptions and the difficulties that can occur when using the modeling principles of the classical codes as well as introducing PHOEBE (the PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs) – a modern suite for modeling binary stars. PHOEBE was conceived by Andrej Prša and his collaborators, and has become one of the standard tools in the eclipsing binary field.
This book provides a constructive and intriguing contribution to the expansion of the modeling approaches of binaries and our subsequent understanding of the processes that govern stellar evolution. Aimed at a wide audience, Prša provides new astronomers with the knowledge and background of eclipsing binary stars as well as facilitating researchers a better understanding of the intricate details behind eclipsing binary models.
Don’t let the (sub-)title of this book mislead you into thinking it’s a user guide for a specific piece of software — it’s much more than that. It is a comprehensive overview of the astronomy and astrophysics of eclipsing binary systems, covering the full range of observational inputs (not just spectroscopy and photometry, but also polarimetry, astrometry, and interferometry, all of which are of growing importance); the theoretical background (building up from the basic Roche model); and practical modelling considerations, including a thorough and pragmatic discussion of parameter-optimization methods.
The writing style is a pleasing combination of technical precision and easy readability; the book has all the authority of an author steeped in the details but conscious of the needs of a broader readership. Good use is made of colour in many figures (even if it seems gratuitous in some, and lacking in others), and overall production standards are high.
This book can be warmly recommended to anyone with a passing (or greater) interest in eclipsing binary stars. It will sit alongside Hilditch’s Introduction to Close Binary Stars on the small section of my bookshelf that I can reach easily from a sitting position.
Ian D. Howarth 2020 The Observatory Magazine
Chapter 1 - Introduction to the field
Part I - Observations
Chapter 2 - Observations and data acquisition
Part II - Theoretical background
Chapter 3 - geometry and dynamics of binary stars
Chapter 4 - Radiation: the basics
Chapter 5 - Radiative properties of binary stars
Chapter 6 - Advanced topics
Part III - Modeling considerations
Chapter 7 Numerical model
Chapter 8 - Approaches to solving the inverse problem
Chapter 9 - Conclusion