Binaries as Tracers of Stellar Formation

More than two-thirds of stars belong to multiple stellar systems. Binary stars are considered now as one of the best constraints on stellar formation models. Not only do binaries keep memory of their birth conditions but their orbit will also be subjected to changes by tidal effects, wind accretion and encounters in clusters. Certainly the correlation between orbital eccentricity and period is a clue to our understanding of double star history. These proceedings aim to disentangle evidence of stellar formation from later physical evolution. Each article in this 1992 volume is a paper that was read at a meeting organized to honour Dr Roger Griffin of the University of Cambridge for his pioneer work in galactic astronomy, dynamics of clusters and study on binary stars due to his cross-correlation technique to determine stellar radial velocities.