Binary systems: implications for outflows & periodicities relevant to masers

TL;DR

This paper investigates how binary star systems influence bipolar outflows and maser variability, combining analytical and numerical methods to understand observed periodicities and their implications.

Contribution

It introduces a combined analytical and numerical approach to study the effects of binary systems on outflows and maser variability, addressing recent observational challenges.

Findings

Binary systems can induce periodic outflows and maser variability.

Rotating wind models explain observed maser periodicities.

Numerical simulations support analytical predictions.

Abstract

Bipolar molecular outflows have been observed and studied extensively in the past, but some recent observations of periodic variations in maser intensity pose new challenges. Even quasi-periodic maser flares have been observed and reported in the literature. Motivated by these data, we have tried to study situations in binary systems with specific attention to the two observed features, i.e., the bipolar flows and the variabilities in the maser intensity. We have studied the evolution of spherically symmetric wind from one of the bodies in the binary system, in the plane of the binary. Our approach includes the analytical study of rotating flows with numerical computation of streamlines of fluid particles using PLUTO code. We present the results of our findings assuming simple configurations, and discuss the implications.