Detection methods of binary stars with low- and intermediate-mass components

Abstract

This paper reviews methods which can be used to detect binaries involving low- and intermediate-mass stars, with special emphasis on evolved systems. Besides the traditional methods involving radial-velocity or photometric monitoring, the paper discusses as well less known methods involving astrometry or maser (non-)detection. An extensive list of internet resources (mostly catalogues/databases of orbits and individual measurements) for the study of binary stars is provided at the end of the paper.

53 pages, 30 figures. v2: Eq. 7 modified. A file with full-resolution figures is available at http://www.astro.ulb.ac.be/Html/ps.html#Binaries To appear in P. Pellegrini (ed.), XII Special Courses at the National Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, AIP Conference Proceedings. After it is published, it will be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?apc