Poster Abstracts

Name/Affiliation:  Lisa Prato (Lowell Observatory)

Title:  Masses, Mass Ratios, Models: the Utility of Young Spectroscopic Binaries

Abstract:
Young spectroscopic binaries with fully characterized orbits provide a precise dynamical approach to the determination of young star masses, distances, and binary mass ratios. These properties drive more accurate models of young star evolution and binary formation. Yet for only about 80 pre-main sequence spectroscopic binaries have some orbital properties been determined. Of these, only about 60% are double-lined systems, yielding mass ratios. In this poster I provide an overview of spectroscopic binary statistics and measurements to date and the potential for doubling the sample over the next few years. I will highlight some particularly interesting systems, such as long-period binaries accessible to high-angular imaging techniques, and emphasize the impact of GAIA on this sample.