Thank you for posting this, Libwhacker - the simulation is fascinating! These astronomers seem like pretty sharp people; I wonder if they’ve been able to predict when the two stars will merge ..
I chased down some of the links (to ESO and the preprint, etc.) and they’re saying there is a “paucity of data” at the moment. So no, I don’t believe they know that yet, although ESO has always been stingy about sharing its data with others. I’m sure once Hubble gets on it, we’ll have an answer shortly.