Close Orbits Research Articles

Onset of common envelope evolution during a core helium flash by rapid envelope expansion

ABSTRACT We suggest that the vigorous core convection during core helium flash on the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) of low-mass stars excites waves that carry energy to the envelope and inflate it for few years to increase the number of extreme horizontal branch (EHB; sdB and sdO) stars with masses of $\simeq 0.47 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ with respect to canonical binary evolution. Using the open-source mesa-binary, we follow the evolution of a number of eccentric binary systems with an initial primary stellar mass of $1.6 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$. The energy that the waves carry to the envelope leads to envelope expansion at the tip of the RGB. The inflated RGB star engulfs many secondary stars to start a CEE that otherwise would not occur. If the secondary star manages to remove most of the RGB envelope the primary evolves to become an EHB star with a mass of $\simeq 0.47 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$. However, we expect that in most cases the secondary star does not have time to spiral-in to close orbits. It rather ends at a large orbit and leaves a massive enough envelope for the primary star to later evolve along the asymptotic giant branch and to engulf the secondary star, therefore forming a non-spherical planetary nebula.

The high energy spectrum of Proxima Centauri simultaneously observed at X-ray and FUV wavelengths

The M dwarf Proxima Centauri, the Sun’s closest stellar neighbour, is known to be magnetically active and it hosts a likely Earth-like planet in its habitable zone. High-energy radiation from the host star can significantly alter planetary atmospheres in close orbits. Frequent flaring may drive radiation-induced effects such as rapid atmospheric escape and photochemical changes. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of stellar radiation by understanding the properties of the emitting plasma is of paramount importance for a proper assessment of the conditions on Proxima Centauri b and exoplanets around M dwarfs in general. This work determines the temperature structure of the coronal and transition region plasma of Proxima Centauri from simultaneous X-ray and far-ultraviolet (FUV) observations. The differential emission measure distribution (DEM) was constructed for flaring and quiescent periods by analysing optically thin X-ray and FUV emission lines. Four X-ray observations of Proxima Centauri were conducted by the LETGS instrument on board of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and four FUV observations were carried out using the STIS spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. From the X-ray light curves, we determined a variation of the quiescent count rate by a factor of two within 20% of the stellar rotation period. To obtain the DEM, 18 optically thin emission lines were analysed (12 X-ray and six FUV). The flare fluxes differ from the quiescence fluxes by factors of 4–20 (FUV) and 1–30 (X-ray). The temperature structure of the stellar corona and transition region was determined for both the quiescence and flaring state by fitting the DEM(T) with Chebyshev polynomials for a temperature range log T = 4.25–8. Compared to quiescence, the emission measure increases during flares for temperatures below 0.3 MK (FUV dominated region) and beyond 3.6 MK (X-ray dominated region). The reconstructed DEM shape provides acceptable line flux predictions compared to the measured values. Using the DEM we provide synthetic spectra at 1–1700 Å, which may be considered as representative for the high-energy irradiation of Proxima Cen b during quiescent and flare periods. In future work these values can be used for planet atmosphere calculations which will ultimately provide information about how habitable Proxima Centauri b is.

Dust Accretion onto Exoplanets

Accretion of interplanetary dust onto gas giant exoplanets is considered. Poynting–Robertson drag causes dust particles from distant reservoirs to slowly inspiral toward the star. Orbital simulations for the three-body system of the star, planet, and dust particle show that a significant fraction of the dust may accrete onto massive planets in close orbits. The deceleration of the supersonic dust in the planet’s atmosphere is modeled, including ablation by thermal evaporation and sputtering. The fraction of the accreted dust mass deposited as gas-phase atoms is found to be large for close-in orbits and massive planets. If mass outflow and vertical mixing are sufficiently weak, the accreted dust produces a constant mixing ratio of atoms and remnant dust grains below the stopping layer. When vertical mixing is included along with settling, the solutions interpolate between the mixing ratio due to the meteoric source above the homopause, and that of the well-mixed deeper atmosphere below the homopause. The line opacity from atoms and continuum opacity from remnant dust may be observable in transmission spectra for sufficiently large dust accretion rates, a grain size distribution tilted toward the blowout size, and sufficiently weak vertical mixing. If mixing is strong, the meteoric source may still act to augment heavy elements mixed up from the deep atmosphere as well as provide nucleation sites for the formation of larger particles. The possible role of the Lorentz drag force in limiting the flow speeds and mixing coefficient for pressures ≲1 mbar is discussed.

Law of Gravity Blurred by Perturbed Planetary Orbits for Alien Observers

The Fermi paradox is the contradiction between the high probability for aliens and its lack of evidence. This is perhaps the most significant of all questions in astronomy. Nowadays, thousands of exoplanets have been detected, providing us more information directly from alien planets to revisit Fermi paradox. Over recent years, the detection of habitable exoplanets has grown rapidly, and most of them in multi-planet system with fairly compact structures, which is partly due to our observational techniques. In such systems, planets’ orbits are significantly perturbed by gravitational interactions from each other. To travel within or out of a planetary system, one must understand the law governing planetary motion, but can extraterrestrials deduce the universal law of gravitation by observing planets in their system, as Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton had done? Here we show that due to the close planetary orbits in systems hosting habitable exoplanets, planetary orbits significantly deviate from the Keplerian orbit. In our N-body simulation over a period of 300 days, out of the ten planetary systems which all include habitable exoplanets in our sample, the mean anomaly deviates from a Keplerian orbit by more than 5 degrees while the system remains stable as the semi-major axis remains relatively constant. This would significantly complicate what the observers on those planets observe as the motion in the system would not appear to have a pattern periodically. Although planets indeed affect each other in all systems, the compact nature of these systems have magnified the effect and provide no way for the extraterrestrials inhabiting those planets to discover the universal law of gravitation. Extraterrestrials lacking the law of gravity definitely cannot facilitate traveling beyond their planets. That could be one possible resolution of Fermi paradox, reducing the population of high-developed civilization in Universe.

HD 83443c: A Highly Eccentric Giant Planet on a 22 yr Orbit

We report the discovery of a highly eccentric long-period Jovian planet orbiting the hot-Jupiter host HD 83443. By combining radial velocity data from four instruments (AAT/UCLES, Keck/HIRES, HARPS, Minerva-Australis) spanning more than two decades, we find evidence for a planet with m sin M J, moving on an orbit with a = 8.0 ± 0.8 au and eccentricity e = 0.76 ± 0.05. We combine our radial velocity analysis with Gaia eDR3 /Hipparcos proper motion anomalies and derive a dynamical mass of . We perform a detailed dynamical simulation that reveals locations of stability within the system that may harbor additional planets, including stable regions within the habitable zone of the host star. HD 83443 is a rare example of a system hosting a hot Jupiter and an exterior planetary companion. The high eccentricity of HD 83443c suggests that a scattering event may have sent the hot Jupiter to its close orbit while leaving the outer planet on a wide and eccentric path.

The effects of LMC-mass environments on their dwarf satellite galaxies in the FIRE simulations

ABSTRACTCharacterizing the predicted environments of dwarf galaxies like the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is becoming increasingly important as next-generation surveys push sensitivity limits into this low-mass regime at cosmological distances. We study the environmental effects of LMC-mass haloes (M200m ∼ 1011 M⊙) on their populations of satellites (M⋆ ≥ 104 M⊙) using a suite of zoom-in simulations from the Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. Our simulations predict significant hot coronas with T ∼ 105 K and Mgas ∼ 109.5 M⊙. We identify signatures of environmental quenching in dwarf satellite galaxies, particularly for satellites with intermediate mass (M⋆ = 106–107 M⊙). The gas content of such objects indicates ram pressure as the likely quenching mechanism, sometimes aided by star formation feedback. Satellites of LMC-mass hosts replicate the stellar mass dependence of the quiescent fraction found in satellites of Milky Way-mass hosts (i.e. that the quiescent fraction increases as stellar mass decreases). Satellites of LMC-mass hosts have a wider variety of quenching times when compared to the strongly bimodal distribution of quenching times of nearby centrals. Finally, we identify significant tidal stellar structures around four of our six LMC analogues, suggesting that stellar streams may be common. These tidal features originated from satellites on close orbits, extend to ∼80 kpc from the central galaxy, and contain ∼106–107 M⊙ of stars.

HR 6819 is a binary system with no black hole

Context. Two scenarios have been proposed to match the existing observational constraints of the object HR 6819. The system could consist of a close inner B-type giant plus a black hole (BH) binary with an additional Be companion in a wide orbit. Alternatively, it could be a binary composed of a stripped B star and a Be star in a close orbit. Either scenario makes HR 6819 a cornerstone object as the stellar BH closest to Earth, or as an example of an important transitional, non-equilibrium phase for Be stars with solid evidence for its nature. Aims. We aim to distinguish between the two scenarios for HR 6819. Both models predict two luminous stars but with very different angular separations and orbital motions. Therefore, the presence of bright sources in the 1−100 milliarcsec (mas) regime is a key diagnostic for determining the nature of the HR 6819 system. Methods. We obtained new high-angular resolution data with VLT/MUSE and VLTI/GRAVITY of HR 6819. The MUSE data are sensitive to bright companions at large scales, whilst the interferometric GRAVITY data are sensitive down to separations on mas scales and large magnitude differences. Results. The MUSE observations reveal no bright companion at large separations and the GRAVITY observations indicate the presence of a stellar companion at an angular separation of ∼1.2 mas that moves on the plane of the sky over a timescale compatible with the known spectroscopic 40-day period. Conclusions. We conclude that HR 6819 is a binary system and that no BH is present in the system. The unique nature of HR 6819, and its proximity to Earth make it an ideal system for quantitatively characterising the immediate outcome of binary interaction and probing how Be stars form.

Stability of planetary systems within the S-star cluster: the Solar system analogues

ABSTRACT A dynamically relaxed dense cluster comprised of about 40 stars (the so-called S-stars) inhabits the central region of our Galaxy. Their stars revolve around the Sgr A* massive object. To understand the dynamical evolution of planetary systems in a particular environment like that around Sgr A*, we carry out direct N-body simulations of planetary systems embedded in the S-star cluster. In this work, we investigate the short-term stability of the planets orbiting around S-stars after their close interactions with the central massive black hole of our Galaxy. We find that planetary systems go through encounters with the supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the nearby stars. We determine the frequency and the strength of planetary systems’ encounters with the nearby stars as these encounters remarkably increase for systems assigned to S-stars closer to the SMBH. The SMBH severely destabilizes the planetary systems, though we noted that the small oscillations in the mutual eccentricity and inclination of the planetary system could be caused by the planet–planet coupling and the near-resonance effect between the two planets. We obtain estimates of the fraction of survivor planets ($\sim 51{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$), and find that planets stripped from their hosting star are generally captured on close orbits around Sgr A*. We notify while gas giants are tidally disrupted, terrestrial planets do not. We estimate that Sgr A* flares can be due to the tidal disruption events of starless giant planets.

Long-Term Studies of Cyg X-3 High-Mass X-ray Binary

Cyg X-3 is the famous binary system containing a black hole that is actively studied through a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio wavelengths to ultra-high-energy gamma-rays, but still not well-understood. The Cyg X-3 focusing investigations obtained from the long-term observations at 800 GeV–100 TeV energies with the SHALON telescope are presented. The modulation of the γ-ray emission detected in these studies with an orbital period of 4.8 h was found, proving the identity of the observed object with Cyg X-3. The comparison of light curves in the wide energy range from radio to very high energy γ-rays, folded on the Cyg X-3 orbital period, revealed the differences in the modulation amplitude and phase shifts. The studies of Cyg X-3 activity at very-high energies, including information about TeV and MeV-GeV flare and quenched states and the relationship between the ones in the entire wide energy range, are presented. The modulation of TeV γ-ray flux with orbit along with the high luminosity of the companion star of Cyg X-3 and the close orbit of binary leads to an efficient generation of the part of γ-ray emission in the inverse Compton scattering. The correlation of TeV fluxes with the flaring activity of Cyg X-3 at X-ray and radio ranges could be related to processes of powerful mass ejections from the central regions around the black hole.

3D accuracy display evaluation of the relief elements at the Earth's surface by space remote sensing systems

A methodology has been developed for estimating the error of three-dimensional mapping of the elements of the relief of the Earth's surface during its remote sensing by space radio interferometers, the equipment of which is placed on two separate platforms flying in close orbits. Numerical results of statistical analysis of the influence of deviations of interferometer parameters from nominal values on the accuracy of target positioning during the entire period of the platforms' orbits are presented. The first section describes a method for solving the navigation problem of determining the position of the target in interferometric mode with the given values of three vector parameters of the problem (the position of the platform, base and speed of the reference antenna) and four scalar (slant range to the target, Doppler frequency, phase shift and wavelength). The relations for calculating the dependence of the sensitivity of the interferometer on the variations of its parameters are given in the second section. The third section is devoted to solving issues related to the positioning of the target relative to the surface of the geoid. The fourth and fifth sections describe two procedures: setting the targeting vector of the radio interferometer antenna pattern to the Earth's surface and analyzing the orientation and kinematics of its base. The simulation results are presented in the sixth section of the article. Statistical analysis in the given example showed that in order to achieve the submeter accuracy of positioning the elements of the relief of the earth's surface, it is necessary that the errors in setting the parameters of the navigation task to be solved do not exceed: 0,5 m on the slant range, 5 mm on the base, 0,25 m/s on the speed of the support platform and 7º on the phase shift.

Relativistic hydrodynamical simulations of the effects of the stellar wind and the orbit on high-mass microquasar jets

ABSTRACT High-mass microquasar jets, produced in an accreting compact object in orbit around a massive star, must cross a region filled with stellar wind. The combined effects of the wind and orbital motion can strongly affect the jet properties on binary scales and beyond. The study of such effects can shed light on how high-mass microquasar jets propagate and terminate in the interstellar medium. We study for the first time, using relativistic hydrodynamical simulations, the combined impact of the stellar wind and orbital motion on the properties of high-mass microquasar jets on binary scales and beyond. We have performed 3-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic simulations, using the PLUTO code, of a microquasar scenario in which a strong weakly relativistic wind from a star interacts with a relativistic jet under the effect of the binary orbital motion. The parameters of the orbit are chosen such that the results can provide insight on the jet-wind interaction in compact systems like for instance Cyg X-1 or Cyg X-3. The wind and jet momentum rates are set to values that may be realistic for these sources and lead to moderate jet bending, which together with the close orbit and jet instabilities could trigger significant jet precession and disruption. For high-mass microquasars with orbit size a ∼ 0.1 AU, and (relativistic) jet power $L_j\sim 10^{37}(\dot{M}_w/10^{-6}\, {\rm M}_\odot \, {\rm yr}^{-1})$ erg s−1, where $\dot{M}_w$ is the stellar wind mass rate, the combined effects of the stellar wind and orbital motion can induce relativistic jet disruption on scales ∼1 AU.

Electromagnetic uncoordinated control of a ChipSats swarm using magnetorquers

A swarm of ChipSats equipped with miniature magnetorquers is considered, the electromagnetic interaction force is used for relative motion control at extremely short relative distances up to several centimetres. A ChipSat is a satellite printed on 3.5 × 3.5 cm circuit board with a set of sensors, solar panels, onboard computer, and communication system. Assuming the relative motion between each satellite is known, a Lyapunov-based control algorithm is proposed to achieve bounded relative trajectories. A centralized and a decentralized control approaches are implemented. For the centralized approach, a CubeSat is considered as the main satellite after swarm deployment, producing a high value magnetic dipole moment which interacts with the magnetic dipole of the surrounding ChipSats in order to stop relative drift. For the decentralized approach, the ChipSats are linked in interchangeable pairs in order to apply the electromagnetic control force and reduce the relative drift between the satellites to the vicinity of zero. Two different pairing selection methods are proposed in the paper, based on the closest satellite and on the satellite with highest relative drift. Both translational and rotational motion of satellites are considered. The magnetic dipole moments are used for angular velocity damping when orbit control is not required, and a repulsive collision avoidance electromagnetic control is applied when two ChipSats are within dangerously close proximity to each other. The proposed control schemes performance is studied numerically with different algorithm and ChipSats parameters. The influence of these parameters on the swarm separation is obtained using Monte-Carlo simulations.

A relic from a past merger event in the Large Magellanic Cloud

According to the standard cosmological scenario, the large galaxies that we observe today have reached their current mass via mergers with smaller galaxy satellites1. This hierarchical process is expected to take place on smaller scales for the satellites themselves, which should build up from the accretion of smaller building blocks2. The best chance we have to test this prediction is by looking at the most massive satellite of the Milky Way: the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Smaller galaxies have been revealed to orbit around the LMC3,4, but so far the only evidence for mutual interactions is related to the orbital interplay with the nearby Small Magellanic Cloud, which is the most massive LMC satellite. In this work, we report the likely discovery of a past merger event that the LMC experienced with a galaxy with a low star formation efficiency and likely a stellar mass similar to those of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. This former LMC satellite has now completely dissolved, depositing the old globular cluster NGC 2005 as part of its debris. This globular cluster, the only surviving witness of this ancient merger event, is recognizable through its peculiar chemical composition. This discovery is observational evidence that the process of hierarchical assembly has worked also in shaping our closest satellites. Globular cluster NGC 2005 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) bears the elemental hallmarks of being an accreted object: a surviving fragment of a galaxy that fell into the LMC long enough ago to have erased any dynamical signature of accretion.

MaNGA galaxies with off-centered spots of enhanced gas velocity dispersion

Off-centered spots of the enhanced gas velocity dispersion,σ, are revealed in some galaxies from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey (MaNGA). Aiming to clarify the origin of the spots of enhancedσ, we examine the distributions of the surface brightness, the line-of-sight velocity, the oxygen abundance, the gas velocity dispersion, and the Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich spaxel classification in seven galaxies. We find that the enhancedσspots in six galaxies can be attributed to a (minor) interaction with a satellite. Three galaxies in our sample have a very close satellite (the separation in the sky plane is comparable to the optical radius of the galaxy). The spots of enhancedσin those galaxies are located at the edge of the galaxy close to the satellite. The spots of enhancedσin three other galaxies are related to bright spots in the photometricBband within the galaxy, which can be due to the projection of a satellite in the line of sight of the galaxy. The oxygen abundances in the spots in these three galaxies are reduced. This suggests that the low-metallicity gas from the satellite is mixed with the interstellar medium of the disk, that is, the gas exchange between the galaxy and its satellite takes place. The spectra of the spaxels within a spot are usually H II-region-like, suggesting that the interaction (gas infall) in those galaxies does not result in appreciable shocks. In contrast, the spot of the enhancedσin the galaxy M-8716-12703 is associated with an off-centered active galactic nucleus-like radiation distribution. One can suggest that the spot of the enhancedσin the M-8716-12703 galaxy is different in origin, or that the characteristics of gas infall in this case differs from that in other galaxies.

The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs

Context. M dwarfs are ideal targets for the search of Earth-size planets in the habitable zone using the radial velocity method, and are attracting the attention of many ongoing surveys. One of the expected results of these surveys is that new multiple-star systems have also been found. This is the case also for the CARMENES survey, thanks to which nine new double-line spectroscopic binary systems have already been announced. Aims. Throughout the five years of the survey the accumulation of new observations has resulted in the detection of several new multiple-stellar systems with long periods and low radial-velocity amplitudes. Here we newly characterise the spectroscopic orbits and constrain the masses of eight systems and update the properties of a system that we had reported earlier. Methods. We derived the radial velocities of the stars using two-dimensional cross-correlation techniques and template matching. The measurements were modelled to determine the orbital parameters of the systems. We combined CARMENES spectroscopic observations with archival high-resolution spectra from other instruments to increase the time span of the observations and improve our analysis. When available, we also added archival photometric, astrometric, and adaptive optics imaging data to constrain the rotation periods and absolute masses of the components. Results. We determined the spectroscopic orbits of nine multiple systems, eight of which are presented for the first time. The sample is composed of five single-line binaries, two double-line binaries, and two triple-line spectroscopic triple systems. The companions of two of the single-line binaries, GJ 3626 and GJ 912, have minimum masses below the stellar boundary, and thus could be brown dwarfs. We found a new white dwarf in a close binary orbit around the M star GJ 207.1, located at a distance of 15.79 pc. From a global fit to radial velocities and astrometric measurements, we were able to determine the absolute masses of the components of GJ 282 C, which is one of the youngest systems with measured dynamical masses.

Global simulations of tidal disruption event disc formation via stream injection in GRRMHD

ABSTRACT We use the general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamics code KORAL to simulate the accretion disc formation resulting from the tidal disruption of a solar mass star around a supermassive black hole (BH) of mass 106 M⊙. We simulate the disruption of artificially more bound stars with orbital eccentricity e ≤ 0.99 (compared to the more realistic case of parabolic orbits with e = 1) on close orbits with impact parameter β ≥ 3. We use a novel method of injecting the tidal stream into the domain, and we begin the stream injection at the peak fallback rate in this study. For two simulations, we choose e = 0.99 and inject mass at a rate that is similar to parabolic TDEs. We find that the disc only becomes mildly circularized with eccentricity e ≈ 0.6 within the 3.5 d that we simulate. The rate of circularization is faster for pericenter radii that come closer to the BH. The emitted radiation is mildly super-Eddington with $L_{\rm {bol}}\approx 3{-}5\, L_{\rm {Edd}}$ and the photosphere is highly asymmetric with the photosphere being significantly closer to the inner accretion disc for viewing angles near pericenter. We find that soft X-ray radiation with Trad ≈ 3–5 × 105 K may be visible for chance viewing angles. Our simulations suggest that TDEs should be radiatively inefficient with η ≈ 0.009–0.014.

Populating the brown dwarf and stellar boundary: Five stars with transiting companions near the hydrogen-burning mass limit

We report the discovery of five transiting companions near the hydrogen-burning mass limit in close orbits around main sequence stars originally identified by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) as TESS objects of interest (TOIs): TOI-148, TOI-587, TOI-681, TOI-746, and TOI-1213. Using TESS and ground-based photometry as well as radial velocities from the CORALIE, CHIRON, TRES, and FEROS spectrographs, we found the companions have orbital periods between 4.8 and 27.2 days, masses between 77 and 98 MJup , and radii between 0.81 and 1.66 RJup . These targets have masses near the uncertain lower limit of hydrogen core fusion (~73-96 MJup ), which separates brown dwarfs and low-mass stars. We constrained young ages for TOI-587 (0.2 ± 0.1 Gyr) and TOI-681 (0.17 ± 0.03 Gyr) and found them to have relatively larger radii compared to other transiting companions of a similar mass. Conversely we estimated older ages for TOI-148 and TOI-746 and found them to have relatively smaller companion radii. With an effective temperature of 9800 ± 200 K, TOI-587 is the hottest known main-sequence star to host a transiting brown dwarf or very low-mass star. We found evidence of spin-orbit synchronization for TOI-148 and TOI-746 as well as tidal circularization for TOI-148. These companions add to the population of brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars with well measured parameters ideal to test formation models of these rare objects, the origin of the brown dwarf desert, and the distinction between brown dwarfs and hydrogen-burning main sequence stars.

Global dynamics of a Beddington–DeAngelis amensalism system with weak Allee effect on the first species

In this paper, we study the global dynamics for a Beddington–DeAngelis amensalism model with strong Allee effect on the second species. We treat the maximum value (which per capita reduction rate of the first species) δ as a bifurcation parameter to analyze various possible bifurcations of the system. We analyze the existence and stability of boundary equilibria, positive equilibria and infinite singularity. Additionally, we show that the system under study can not possess global asymptotic stability by the existence of two stable equilibria in the first quadrant. By the existence of all possible equilibria and their stability, saddle connection and the non-existence of close orbits, we derive two conditions for two transcritical bifurcations. Meanwhile, we offer the global phase portraits of this system. Furthermore, we comprise weak Allee effect on the harmed species and offer a new analysis of equilibria and dynamical discussion of the system. Finally, some numerical simulations are offered to support our main theoretical results.

Influence of Irradiation-driven Winds on the Evolution of Intermediate-mass Black Hole X-ray Binaries

Abstract In young dense clusters, an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) may get a companion star via exchange encounters or tidal capture and then evolve toward the IMBH X-ray binary by the Roche lobe overflow. It is generally thought that IMBH X-ray binaries are potential ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs); hence, their evolution is very significant. However, the irradiation-driven winds by the strong X-ray flux from the accretion disks around the IMBHs play an important role in determining the evolution of IMBH X-ray binaries and should be considered in the detailed binary evolution simulation. Employing the models with the MESA code, we focus on the influence of irradiation-driven winds on the evolution of IMBH X-ray binaries. Our simulations indicate that a high wind-driving efficiency (f = 0.01 for Z = 0.02, and f = 0.002 for Z = 0.001) substantially shortens the duration in the ULX stage of IMBH X-ray binaries with an intermediate-mass (5 M ⊙) donor star. However, this effect can be ignored for high-mass (10 M ⊙) donor stars. The irradiation effect (f = 0.01 or 0.002) markedly shrinks the initial parameter space of IMBH binaries evolving toward ULXs with high luminosity (L X > 1040 erg s−1) and hyperluminous X-ray sources in the donor-star mass versus orbital period diagram. Furthermore, the irradiation effect results in an efficient angular momentum loss, yielding to IMBH X-ray binaries with relatively close orbits. In our simulated parameter space, about 1% of IMBH binaries would evolve toward compact X-ray sources owing to short initial orbital periods, some of which might be detected as low-frequency gravitational-wave sources.

Hot planets around cool stars – two short-period mini-Neptunes transiting the late K-dwarf TOI-1260

ABSTRACT We present the discovery and characterization of two sub-Neptunes in close orbits, as well as a tentative outer planet of a similar size, orbiting TOI-1260 – a low metallicity K6 V dwarf star. Photometry from Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS) yields radii of Rb = 2.33 ± 0.10 and Rc = 2.82 ± 0.15 R⊕, and periods of 3.13 and 7.49 d for TOI-1260 b and TOI-1260 c, respectively. We combined the TESS data with a series of ground-based follow-up observations to characterize the planetary system. From HARPS-N high-precision radial velocities we obtain Mb = $8.6 _{ - 1.5 } ^ { + 1.4 }$ and Mc = $11.8 _{ - 3.2 } ^ { + 3.4 }$ M⊕. The star is moderately active with a complex activity pattern, which necessitated the use of Gaussian process regression for both the light-curve detrending and the radial velocity modelling, in the latter case guided by suitable activity indicators. We successfully disentangle the stellar-induced signal from the planetary signals, underlining the importance and usefulness of the Gaussian process approach. We test the system’s stability against atmospheric photoevaporation and find that the TOI-1260 planets are classic examples of the structure and composition ambiguity typical for the 2–3 R⊕ range.