Interacting binary stars

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An Interacting binary star is a type of binary star in which one or both of the component stars has filled or exceeded its Roche lobe. When this happens, material from one star will flow towards the other, forming an accretion disk. The physical conditions in such a system can be complex and highly variable, and they are common sources of cataclysmic outbursts.

A common type of interacting binary star is one in which one of the components is a compact object which is well within its Roche lobe, while the other is an evolved giant star. If the compact object is a white dwarf, then accretion of material from the evolved star onto the white dwarf's surface may result in its mass increasing to beyond the Chandrasekhar limit. This can lead to runaway thermonuclear reactions and the massive explosion of the star in a Type I supernova.

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