Pre-main sequence multiple systems

It is now well established that the majority of young stars are found in multiple systems, so that any theory of stellar formation must account for their existence and properties. Studying the properties of multiple star systems therefore represents a very powerful approach to place observational constraints on star formation theories. Additionally, multiple systems offer other advantages. They provide the most accurate and unambiguous way to measure masses, using orbital fitting and Kepler’s laws, and even the stellar radius in the special case of eclipsing binaries. They also allow to compare the properties of 2 coeval objects with different masses, providing important tests for the evolutionary models.