Binary Stars and Globular Cluster Dynamics

TL;DR

This paper reviews binary star dynamics in globular clusters, highlighting new comparisons between simulation methods that resolve apparent contradictions and suggest directions for future research.

Contribution

It provides a novel comparison of two different simulation techniques for binary populations in dense stellar systems, clarifying their results.

Findings

The two simulation methods may not be contradictory.

A careful comparison reveals consistency between methods.

Future work should focus on direct comparisons of simulation approaches.

Abstract

In this brief proceedings article I summarize the review talk I gave at the IAU 246 meeting in Capri, Italy, glossing over the well-known results from the literature, but paying particular attention to new, previously unpublished material. This new material includes a careful comparison of the apparently contradictory results of two independent methods used to simulate the evolution of binary populations in dense stellar systems (the direct N-body method of Hurley, et al. 2007 and the approximate Monte Carlo method of Ivanova, et al. 2005), that shows that the two methods may not actually yield contradictory results, and suggests future work to more directly compare the two methods.