The Role of Binary Stars in Understanding the Physics and Evolution of Stars

The diversity of close binary stars (CBSs) and the rich manifestation of their activity as a result of the interaction of stellar components have turned their observed family into a very developed and effective tool for studying the evolution of stars. This review presents the main features of modern ideas about the evolution of CBSs from their origin to the formation of finite compact remnants of components: degenerate dwarfs, neutron stars and stellar black holes. The main phenomena related to their interaction with each other and accompanying the process of fusion of compact components of the CBS are also listed, considering the effect of common envelopes, radiation of gravitational waves in cataclysmic and X-ray binaries, supernovae (SN Ia, SN Ib), gamma-bursters and other systems. The paper is based on a report presented at the astrophysical memorial seminar “Novelties in Understanding the Evolution of Binary Stars,” dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Professor M.A. Svechnikov.