Stellar structure and evolution is a major theory in astrophysics, which is based on hydrostatic equilibrium and energy supply from thermonuclear reactions; and gives the internal physical structure and evolution of stars and explains many of the observed phenomena and the general law of the stellar world. However, half of the stars are in pairs, in which the two stars orbit each other due to gravitation. Binary interactions complicate stellar evolution, leading to the appearance of most exotic celestial objects and strange observational phenomena. Binary stars are the cornerstone of the understanding of stellar evolutionary theory and play an essential role in cosmic distance measurement, galactic evolution, nucleosynthesis and the formation of objects such as millisecond pulsars, X-ray binaries, Type Ia supernovae, double black holes, double neutron stars, and double white dwarfs. In this talk, I will focus on the recent progress in binary interactions, the formation of type Ia supernovae (cosmological distance indicators), and the formation of double white dwarfs (gravitational wave sources for future space-borne gravitational wave detectors). I will also discuss how binary evolution impacts our understanding of galaxy evolution and cosmic reionization.

编辑：吴良秀