Effect of Coriolis force on the equilibrium structures of rotating stars and stars in binary systems

摘要

Kopal (Adv. Astron. Astrophys. 9:1-65, 1972) introduced the concept of Roche equipotentials to incorporate the effects of rotation and tidal distortions on the equilibrium structure and periods of small oscillations of rotating stars and stars in binary systems. However his expression for the Roche equipotential accounts for only the effects of centrifugal and gravitational forces and does not take into account the effect of Coriolis force. In this paper we have suitably modified Kopal's expression for Roche equipotentials to incorporate into it the effect of Coriolis force as well. The modified expression for the Roche equipotential has then been used to compute the equilibrium structures and shapes of polytropic models of rotating stars and stars in binary systems.