Roche ellipsoid
E469384
A Roche ellipsoid is an equilibrium shape assumed by a self-gravitating fluid body that is tidally distorted by a nearby massive companion, important in the study of close binary systems and tidal interactions.
Statements (42)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astrophysical concept
ⓘ
equilibrium figure ⓘ theoretical model ⓘ |
| appliesTo | close binary systems with strong tidal forces ⓘ |
| approaches |
highly elongated shape when tidal forces are strong
ⓘ
spherical shape when tidal forces are weak ⓘ |
| assumes |
fluid body of uniform density in simplest models
ⓘ
synchronous rotation with orbital motion in many treatments ⓘ |
| belongsTo | theory of rotating fluid masses ⓘ |
| characterizedBy |
balance of pressure, self-gravity, tidal and centrifugal forces
ⓘ
three unequal principal axes ⓘ |
| contrastsWith | isolated spherical equilibrium configuration ⓘ |
| definedBy | hydrostatic equilibrium in combined gravitational and centrifugal potentials ⓘ |
| describes |
equilibrium shape of a tidally distorted planet
ⓘ
equilibrium shape of a tidally distorted star ⓘ |
| generalizationOf |
Jacobi ellipsoid
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Maclaurin spheroid NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasCause | gravitational field of a nearby massive companion ⓘ |
| hasComponent |
centrifugal potential due to rotation
ⓘ
self-gravity of the fluid body ⓘ tidal potential of the companion ⓘ |
| hasFieldEquation | hydrostatic equilibrium equation in Roche potential ⓘ |
| hasLimitingCase | Roche lobe filling configuration ⓘ |
| hasProperty |
self-gravitating fluid body
ⓘ
tidally distorted ⓘ |
| hasShape | triaxial ellipsoid ⓘ |
| isSolutionOf | equations of motion in rotating frame with tidal potential ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Édouard Roche NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Roche limit
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Roche lobe NERFINISHED ⓘ Roche potential NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| requires | gravitational dominance of central body over internal pressure gradients ⓘ |
| studiedIn |
astrophysics
ⓘ
celestial mechanics ⓘ theory of figures of equilibrium ⓘ |
| usedFor |
estimating mass transfer onset in close binaries
ⓘ
modeling light-curve distortions in eclipsing binaries ⓘ studying tidal locking effects ⓘ |
| usedIn |
modeling of distorted planets
ⓘ
modeling of distorted stars ⓘ study of close binary star systems ⓘ study of tidal interactions ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.