Understanding Stellar Evolution Through Numerical Simulations of Binary Star Systems

Most stars form in binary or multiple systems. At least half of all solar-like stars have companions and that fraction approaches 100% for massive stars. A large fraction of these systems will interact in some way and change the evolution of the companions, leading to the production of exotic objects beyond standard stellar evolution models. Binary star evolution can lead to the formation of exotic objects such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and sources of gravitational wave progenitors. We used the binary_c code for binary stellar evolution to simulate stars ranging from 0.5 to 100 Msun and investigate the endpoints of stellar evolution. We focus on understanding the final stages of the evolution of massive stars.