Stellar Interactions and Transients

Stars are the fundamental building blocks of galaxies and stellar clusters. They are often part of small stellar systems, such as binaries and triples in which the stars can interact with each other. These interactions give rise to some of the most energetic events in the universe, e.g. supernovae Type Ia explosions and gravitational wave sources. The advent and development of large-scale time domain surveys are revealing the existence of a large and diverse zoo of transients, but their origin or progenitor evolution is often unknown. Here, I will present our latest results regarding the evolution of white dwarf binaries and their mergers, with implications for Galactic archaeology. Furthermore, I will discuss how triple stars can evolve differently from binary stars, and show their potential as transient progenitors. While triple star systems are common, our understanding of their evolution has lagged behind compared to single and binary stars. I will conclude with revealing a new primary channel of binary evolution towards supernova type Ia events.