• Corpus ID: 1988711

Origin of the Break and Mass-Dependence in the Wide-Binary Projected-Separation Distribution

@article{Gould2006OriginOT,
  title={Origin of the Break and Mass-Dependence in the Wide-Binary Projected-Separation Distribution},
  author={Andrew P. Gould and Jason D. Eastman},
  journal={arXiv: Astrophysics},
  year={2006}
}

• A. Gould, J. Eastman
• Published 26 October 2006
• Physics
• arXiv: Astrophysics

The distribution of Galactic-disk wide binaries shows a clear break in slope at projected separations of about r_\perp ~ 2500 AU in two basically independent surveys by Chaname & Gould and Lepine & Bongiorno. The latter also showed that the frequency of wide-binary companions to G-star primaries declines monotonically as a function of companion mass. We show that both effects can be explained by the operation of Heggie's law in the typical open-cluster environments where binaries form. One immediate conclusion is that most Galactic-disk stars formed in open clusters with internal dispersions of a few hundred meters per second and disruption times of a few hundred million years.