Orbital angular momentum loss via gravitational radiation and mass-transfer rates in close binary systems

1978 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
pp. 1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Y. Chau
1992 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 167-173
Author(s):  
Peter P. Eggleton

Cool stars show evidence of dynamo activity which is stronger with more rapid rotation. Tidal friction in a moderately close binary can be a cause of relatively rapid rotation, so that cool components in such binaries are presumably liable to stronger stellar winds than single cool stars. As a consequence, the binary can be subject to orbital angular momentum loss. Both the mass loss and the orbital angular momentum loss can be on a timescale comparable to nuclear evolution in a red subgiant, or even faster. RS CVn stars probably give the best possibility of measuring these processes, although some observational data are difficult to reconcile with simple theories.Barium stars, and symbiotics, may both be affected by these processes. They must be the products of evolution of moderately wide binaries, as must such objects as cataclysmic variables. I attempt to define the ranges of zero-age parameters necessary to produce such varied objects. A simplistic model of the distribution of stars brighter than 6th magnitude (a ‘Theoretical Bright Star Catalogue’) suggests that for every three Ba stars with a measurable orbit, there should be one main sequence ‘Ba star’.


2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A50 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Saladino ◽  
O. R. Pols ◽  
E. van der Helm ◽  
I. Pelupessy ◽  
S. Portegies Zwart

In low-mass binary systems, mass transfer is likely to occur via a slow and dense stellar wind when one of the stars is in the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. Observations show that many binaries that have undergone AGB mass transfer have orbital periods of 1–10 yr, at odds with the predictions of binary population synthesis models. In this paper we investigate the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss via wind mass transfer in AGB binary systems and we use these quantities to predict the evolution of the orbit. To do so, we perform 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the stellar wind lost by an AGB star in the time-dependent gravitational potential of a binary system, using the AMUSE framework. We approximate the thermal evolution of the gas by imposing a simple effective cooling balance and we vary the orbital separation and the velocity of the stellar wind. We find that for wind velocities higher than the relative orbital velocity of the system the flow is described by the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton approximation and the angular-momentum loss is modest, which leads to an expansion of the orbit. On the other hand, for low wind velocities an accretion disk is formed around the companion and the accretion efficiency as well as the angular-momentum loss are enhanced, implying that the orbit will shrink. We find that the transfer of angular momentum from the binary orbit to the outflowing gas occurs within a few orbital separations from the centre of mass of the binary. Our results suggest that the orbital evolution of AGB binaries can be predicted as a function of the ratio of the terminal wind velocity to the relative orbital velocity of the system, v∞/vorb. Our results can provide insight into the puzzling orbital periods of post-AGB binaries. The results also suggest that the number of stars entering into the common-envelope phase will increase, which can have significant implications for the expected formation rates of the end products of low-mass binary evolution, such as cataclysmic binaries, type Ia supernovae, and double white-dwarf mergers.


1989 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 348-349
Author(s):  
Bruce J. Hrivnak

Recent theories of the origin and evolution of contact binaries suggest that the two stars evolve into contact through angular momentum loss (AML; Mochnacki 1981, Vilhu 1982). When in contact, the system then evolves toward smaller mass ratio through mass transfer from the secondary to the primary component (Webbink 1976, Rahunen and Vilhu 1982). Most contact binaries have mass ratios of 0.3 to 0.5.


2019 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. A68 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Saladino ◽  
O. R. Pols ◽  
C. Abate

Wind mass transfer in binary systems with asymptotic giant branch (AGB) donor stars plays a fundamental role in the formation of a variety of objects, including barium stars and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. In an attempt to better understand the properties of these systems, we carry out a comprehensive set of smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of wind-losing AGB stars in binaries for a variety of binary mass ratios, orbital separations, initial wind velocities, and rotation rates of the donor star. The initial parameters of the simulated systems are chosen to match the expected progenitors of CEMP stars. We find that the strength of interaction between the wind and the stars depends on the ratio of wind velocity to orbital velocity (v∞/vorb) and on the binary mass ratio. Strong interaction occurs for close systems and comparable mass ratios, and gives rise to a complex morphology of the outflow and substantial angular-momentum loss, which leads to a shrinking of the orbit. As the orbital separation increases and the mass of the companion star decreases, the morphology of the outflow and the angular-momentum loss become more similar to the spherically symmetric wind case. We also explore the effects of tidal interaction and find that for orbital separations up to 7−10 AU, depending on mass ratio, spin-orbit coupling of the donor star occurs at some point during the AGB phase. If the initial wind velocity is relatively low, we find that corotation of the donor star results in a modified outflow morphology that resembles wind Roche-lobe overflow. In this case the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss differ from those found for a non-rotating donor. Finally, we provide relations for the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss as a function of v∞/vorb and the binary mass ratio that can be easily implemented in a population synthesis code to study populations of barium stars, CEMP stars, and other products of interaction in AGB binaries, such as cataclysmic binaries and type Ia supernovae.


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