2010/07/19 by Christopher J. Deloye, Ronald E. Taam · 1 citation
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Adiabatic process #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Binary number #Common envelope #Computational physics #Computer science #Degenerate energy levels #Demography #Envelope (radar) #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Mass ratio #Mathematics #Physics #Population #Quantum mechanics #Solar mass #Star (game theory) #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Thermodynamics #White dwarf #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/2041-8205/719/1/l28
published as Astrophysical Journal Letters 719 (2010) L28-L31 · 4 pages, 3 figures; corrected typo in equation (1); updated reference data
openalex publication_date 2010/07/19 · arxiv created 2010/07/22 · arxiv updated 2015/05/19 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We have developed a new method for calculating common envelope (CE) events based on explicit consideration of the donor star's structural response to adiabatic mass loss. In contrast to existing CE prescriptions, which specify a priori the donor's remnant mass, we determine this quantity self-consistently and find that it depends on binary and CE parameters. This aspect of our model is particularly important to realistic modeling for upper main-sequence star donors without strongly degenerate cores (and hence without a clear core/envelope boundary). We illustrate the central features of our method by considering CE events involving 10 M ☉ donors on or before their red giant branch. For such donors, the remnant core mass can be as much as 30% larger than the star's He-core mass. Applied across a population of such binaries, our methodology results in a significantly broader remnant mass and final orbital separation distribution and a 20% increase in CE survival rates as compared to previous prescriptions for the CE phase.