Zdenek Kopal's Binary Star Legacy

An international conference entitled "Zdenek Kopal's Binary Star Legacy" was held on the occasion of the late Professor Kopal's 90th birthday in his home town of Litomyl/Czech Republic and dedicated to the memory of one of the leading astronomers of the 20th century.

Professor Kopal, who devoted 60 years of his scientific life to the exploration of close binary systems, initiated a breakthrough in this field with his description of binary components as non-spherical stars deformed by gravity, with surfaces following Roche equipotentials. Such knowledge triggered the development of new branches of astrophysics dealing with the structure and evolution of close binaries and the interaction effects displayed by exciting objects such as cataclysmic variables, symbiotic stars or X-ray binaries.

Contributions to this conference included praise of the achievements of a great astronomer and personal reminiscences brought forward by Kopal's former students and colleagues, and reflected the state of the art of the dynamically evolving field of binary research, which owes so much to the pioneering work of Zdenek Kopal.

Covers the appreciation of the achievements of the great astronomer, Zdenek Kopal Personal reminiscences brought forward by Kopal's former students and colleagues Reflects the state of the art of the dynamically evolving field of binary research, which owes so much to the pioneering work of Zdenek Kopal

Contenu
Introduction: Reminiscences and Appreciation of a Great Astronomer.- Digging Foundations for the Royal Road.- One Fellow's View of the Royal Road.- Reminiscences of a Japanese Contemporary.- RR CrB and Algol The First and Last Star in Zden?k Kopal's Life with Binaries.- Atmospheric Eclipses in WR+O Binaries: From Kopal and Shapley to Present Days.- Binary Star Morphology and Dymamical Aspects.- Resolving the Algol Paradox and Kopal's Classification of Close Binaries with Evolutionary Implications.- Global Solution of Dynamical Systems A Report to Z. Kopal, on What Followed Since.- Period Changes of Close Binary Systems.- The Eclipsing Binary BX Andromedae and its Orbital Period Behaviour.- The Unique Binary Star ? Coronae Borealis.- The Eccentric Eclipsing Binary V889 Aquilae.- Triple and Multiple Systems.- Estimation of Light Time Effects for Close Binaries in Triple Systems.- Eclipsing Binaries Showing Light-Time Effect.- Astrometric Solution of the Multiple System XY Leo.- V475 Sct (Nova Scuti 2003) Binary or Triple System?.- Photometric Observations and Apsidal Motion Study of V1143 Cyg.- Intrinsic Variables as Components of Close Binaries.- Preliminary Analysis of V and Hp Light Curves of 26 Carbon Miras.- Non-Radial Pulsations in Components of Symbiotic Stars.- Be Stars in Binaries.- Orbital Parameters of the Binary Companion in o and Using Spectrum Disentangling.- Spectrum Disentangling and Orbital Solution for ? Dra.- An Outburst Detected in the Spectrum of HD 6226.- Bimodal Structure of Gas Streams in Interacting Binaries.- Energy Transfer in W UMa Systems.- In Between ? Lyrae and Algol: The Case of V356 Sgr.- Mathematical Physics and Numerical Modeling.- EB Light Curve Models What's Next?.- Basic Functions of the LightCurve Analysis of Eclipsing Variables in the Frequency Domain.- Photometric Mass Ratios of Eclipsing Binary Stars.- The OGLE-TR-56 Star-Planet System.- Light Curve Analysis of Early-Type Close LMC Binaries.- New Techniques and Limitations of Light Curve Analysis.- A New Package of Computer Codes for Analyzing Light Curves of Eclipsing Pre-Cataclysmic Binaries.- Light Curve Analysis of Early-Type Overcontact Systems.- A Photometric Study of the Activity of SW Lac.- CCD Photometry and Modeling of the Overcontact Binary Systems NN Vir and YY CrB.- Radial Velocity and Light Curve Analysis of the Eclipsing Binary NN Vir.- On the Overcontact Binary V2388 Oph and an Improved MR Relation for LTCBs.- AQ Psc Analysis of New Light Curves.- CCD Photometry of the Neglected Contact Binaries V344 Lac and V1191 Cyg.- CCD Photometry of Neglected Eclipsing Binaries KZ Dra, LR Cam and IM Vul.- An Observational Study of Contact Binaries with Large Temperature Differences Between Components.- Photometric Solution of the Eclipsing Binary V351 Pegasi.- V2213 Cyg is a New W UMa-Type System.- Light Curve Analysis of Two New W UMa Stars in M15.- First Ground-Based Photometry and Light Curve Analysis of the Recently Discovered Contact Binary HX UMa.- UBV(RI)C Photometry of the Contact W UMa Binary BD + 14°5016.- UV Leo: The Binary with the Two Suns.- Influence of Interstellar and Atmospheric Extinction on Light Curves of Eclipsing Binaries.- Results of Light Curve Analysis of the Massive Binary Cyg X-1/V1357 Cyg in Primary Minimum.- Evolutionary Processes in Low-Mass Binary Systems.- The Evolution of Massive Close Binaries.- Binary Evolution Compared to Observed Algols.- Contact Binaries: A Study of the Proximity Effects and Gravity Darkening Based on Kopal's Fourier Method.-Multi-Facility Study of the Algol-Type Binary ? Librae.- Numerical Modeling of Mass Transfer in Close Binaries.- Doppler Tomography.- Indirect Imaging of the Accretion Disk Rim in W Crucis.- Present Understanding of the Light Curves of Symbiotic Binaries.- On the Asynchronous Rotation of Accretors in Interacting Binaries.- Photometric Evolution of the Orbital Light Curves of the Slow Nova V723 Cas.- Optical and X-ray Observations of the Symbiotic System AG Draconis During Quiescence and Outburst.- Towards an Understanding of Radial Velocity Shift in UV Spectra of Symbiotic Stars.- Preliminary Photometric Results for the 2003 Eclipse of EE Cep.- Spectroscopic Observations of the EE Cep Eclipse in 2003.- BM Cas: A Long-Period Eclipsing Binary with a Supergiant and a Common Envelope.- MV Lyr: Transition from Low to High Brightness State.- Preliminary Analysis of Photometric Variations of the Central Star of the Planetary Nebula Sh 271.- Observations of the Deeply Eclipsing Dwarf Nova GY Cnc.- Wavelength Dependence of the Orbital Variability of the Eclipsing Nova-Like Object DW UMa.- Flickering in the Magnetic CV Star AM Herculis.- Post-Common-Envelope Binaries with Distorted Secondaries.- Search for Correlations Between Batse Gamma-Ray Bursts and Supernovae.