The Binary Star Inventory of Omega Centauri

While globular clusters have long been considered simple stellar populations, observations have revealed anomalies such as chemical anti-correlations and multiple stellar populations. The discoveries suggest the presence of multiple populations of different compositions, contradicting the long-held assumptions. A particularly intriguing explanation for these anomalies is given by stellar interactions in binary star systems. Non-canonical stellar types such as blue stragglers, extrinsic S-type stars and the presence of short-period binaries such as W Ursa Majoris variables suggest that interactions like mass transfer or mergers are commonplace in the dense environments of globular cluster, and may provide a solution to the multiple population enigma. In this project, I work on identifying binary stars in NGC 5139 (Omega Centauri) by using archival data - including FLAMES@VLT GIRAFFE spectra and Gaia photometry - to determine radial velocities and important stellar parameters and RAVEN, a statistical method of identifying binary candidates based on their radial velocity distribution.