Post-merger evolution of carbon–oxygen + helium white dwarf binaries and the origin of R Coronae Borealis and extreme helium stars

Abstract

Orbital decay by gravitational-wave radiation will cause some close-binary white dwarfs (WDs) to merge within a Hubble time. The results from previous hydrodynamical WD-merger simulations have been used to guide calculations of the post-merger evolution of carbon-oxygen + helium (CO+He) WD binaries. Our models include the formation of a hot corona in addition to a Keplerian disk. We introduce a 'destroyeddisk' model to simulate the effect of direct disk ingestion into the expanding envelope. These calculations indicate significant lifetimes in the domain of the rare R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars, before a fast evolution through the domain of the hotter extreme helium (EHe) stars. Surface chemistries of the resulting giants are in partial agreement with the observed abundances of RCB and EHe stars. The production of 3He, 18O and 19F are discussed. Evolutionary timescales combined with binary white-dwarf merger rates from binary-star population synthesis are consistent with present-day numbers of RCBs and EHes, provided that the majority come from relatively recent (< 2Gyr) star formation. However, most RCBs should be produced by CO-WD + low-mass HeWD mergers, with the He-WD having a mass in the range 0.20-0.35 Msolar. Whilst, previously, a high He-WD mass (> 0.40 Msolar) was required to match the carbon-rich abundances of RCB stars, the 'destroyed-disk' model yields a high-carbon product with He-WD mass > 0.30 Msolar, in better agreement with population synthesis results.