Abstract
N-Body simulations have been performed to study the tidal effects of a primary stellar system on a secondary stellar system of density close to the Roche density. Two hyperbolic, one parabolic and one elliptic encounters have been simulated. The changes in energy, angular momentum, mass distribution, and shape of the secondary system have been determined in each case. The inner region containing about 40 per cent of the mass was found to be practically unchanged and the mass exterior to the tidal radius was found to escape. The intermediate region showed tidal distension. The thickness of this region decreased as we went from hyperbolic encounters to the elliptic encounter keeping the distance of closest approach constant. The numerical results for the fractional change in energy have been compared with the predictions of the available analytic formulae and the usefulness and limitations of the formulae have been discussed.
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Rao, P.D., Ramamani, N. & Alladin, S.M. N-body simulations of tidal encounters between stellar systems. J Astrophys Astron 8, 17–31 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02714249
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02714249