Refining Mass Transfer and Supernova Models in Binary Stellar Populations

Interacting binary stars play a fundamental role in many areas of astrophysics, but the evolution of binaries from birth to death is not well understood. There are several analytical and numerical techniques in use to try to reduce some of the computational complexity involved in modelling interacting binaries. In this thesis, I highlight one of these techniques which I have developed and used, rapid binary population synthesis, in order to build constraints on binary mass transfer and to make testable predictions on populations of supernova explosions.