Thesis Supervisor: Henri Boffin

Abstract

Symbiotic stars are the interacting binaries with the longest orbital periods (several hundred days) and consist of a cool red giant and a hotter star, surrounded by a nebula. The main question about these systems is the origin of the mass transfer - by wind, Roche lobe overflow, or something in between. To probe this, the most powerful method is interferometry. We propose to use PIONIER and CHARA observations of such systems to allow us to provide further insights into the mass transfer and to detect possible tidal deformation of the giant stars.

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