Evolution Of Massive Stars Research Articles

Spectroscopic evolution of massive stars near the main sequence at low metallicity

Context.The evolution of massive stars is not fully understood. Several physical processes affect their life and death, with major consequences on the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae, long-soft gamma-ray bursts, and compact-object mergers leading to gravitational wave emission.Aims.In this context, our aim is to make the prediction of stellar evolution easily comparable to observations. To this end, we developed an approach called “spectroscopic evolution” in which we predict the spectral appearance of massive stars through their evolution. The final goal is to constrain the physical processes governing the evolution of the most massive stars. In particular, we want to test the effects of metallicity.Methods.Following our initial study, which focused on solar metallicity, we investigated the lowZregime. We chose two representative metallicities: 1/5 and 1/30Z⊙. We computed single-star evolutionary tracks with the code STAREVOL for stars with initial masses between 15 and 150M⊙. We did not include rotation, and focused on the main sequence (MS) and the earliest post-MS evolution. We subsequently computed atmosphere models and synthetic spectra along those tracks. We assigned a spectral type and luminosity class to each synthetic spectrum as if it were an observed spectrum.Results.We predict that the most massive stars all start their evolution as O2 dwarfs at sub-solar metallicities contrary to solar metallicity calculations and observations. The fraction of lifetime spent in the O2V phase increases at lower metallicity. The distribution of dwarfs and giants we predict in the SMC accurately reproduces the observations. Supergiants appear at slightly higher effective temperatures than we predict. More massive stars enter the giant and supergiant phases closer to the zero-age main sequence, but not as close as for solar metallicity. This is due to the reduced stellar winds at lower metallicity. Our models with masses higher than ∼60M⊙should appear as O and B stars, whereas these objects are not observed, confirming a trend reported in the recent literature. AtZ = 1/30Z⊙, dwarfs cover a wider fraction of the MS and giants and supergiants appear at lower effective temperatures than atZ = 1/5Z⊙. The UV spectra of these low-metallicity stars have only weak P Cygni profiles. He II1640 sometimes shows a net emission in the most massive models, with an equivalent width reaching ∼1.2 Å. For both sets of metallicities, we provide synthetic spectroscopy in the wavelength range 4500−8000 Å. This range will be covered by the instruments HARMONI and MOSAICS on the Extremely Large Telescope and will be relevant to identify hot massive stars in Local Group galaxies with low extinction. We suggest the use of the ratio of He I7065 to He II5412 as a diagnostic for spectral type. Using archival spectroscopic data and our synthetic spectroscopy, we show that this ratio does not depend on metallicity. Finally, we discuss the ionizing fluxes of our models. The relation between the hydrogen ionizing flux per unit area versus effective temperature depends only weakly on metallicity. The ratios of He Iand He IIto H ionizing fluxes both depend on metallicity, although in a slightly different way.Conclusions.We make our synthetic spectra and spectral energy distributions available to the community.

Pre-supernova evolution, compact-object masses, and explosion properties of stripped binary stars

The era of large transient surveys, gravitational-wave observatories, and multi-messenger astronomy has opened up new possibilities for our understanding of the evolution and final fate of massive stars. Most massive stars are born in binary or higher-order multiple systems and exchange mass with a companion star during their lives. In particular, the progenitors of a large fraction of compact-object mergers, and Galactic neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs) have been stripped of their envelopes by a binary companion. Here, we study the evolution of single and stripped binary stars up to core collapse with the stellar evolution code MESA and their final fates with a parametric supernova (SN) model. We find that stripped binary stars can have systematically different pre-SN structures compared to genuine single stars and thus also different SN outcomes. These differences are already established by the end of core helium burning and are preserved up to core collapse. Consequently, we find that Case A and B stripped stars and single and Case C stripped stars develop qualitatively similar pre-SN core structures. We find a non-monotonic pattern of NS and BH formation as a function of CO core mass that is different in single and stripped binary stars. In terms of initial mass, single stars of ≳35 M⊙ all form BHs, while this transition is only at about 70 M⊙ in stripped stars. On average, stripped stars give rise to lower NS and BH masses, higher explosion energies, higher kick velocities, and higher nickel yields. Within a simplified population-synthesis model, we show that our results lead to a significant reduction in the rates of BH–NS and BH–BH mergers with respect to typical assumptions made on NS and BH formation. Therefore, our models predict lower detection rates of such merger events with for example the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) than is often considered. Further, we show how certain features in the NS–BH mass distribution of single and stripped stars relate to the chirp-mass distribution of compact object mergers. Further implications of our findings are discussed with respect to the missing red-supergiant problem, a possible mass gap between NSs and BHs, X-ray binaries, and observationally inferred nickel masses from Type Ib/c and IIP SNe.

Is GW190521 the merger of black holes from the first stellar generations?

ABSTRACT GW190521 challenges our understanding of the late-stage evolution of massive stars and the effects of the pair instability in particular. We discuss the possibility that stars at low or zero metallicity could retain most of their hydrogen envelope until the pre-supernova stage, avoid the pulsational pair-instability regime, and produce a black hole with a mass in the mass gap by fallback. We present a series of new stellar evolution models at zero and low metallicity computed with the geneva and mesa stellar evolution codes and compare to existing grids of models. Models with a metallicity in the range 0–0.0004 have three properties that favour higher black hole (BH) masses. These are (i) lower mass-loss rates during the post main sequence phase, (ii) a more compact star disfavouring binary interaction, and (iii) possible H–He shell interactions which lower the CO core mass. We conclude that it is possible that GW190521 may be the merger of black holes produced directly by massive stars from the first stellar generations. Our models indicate BH masses up to 70–75 M⊙. Uncertainties related to convective mixing, mass loss, H–He shell interactions, and pair-instability pulsations may increase this limit to ∼85 M⊙.

On mass distribution of coalescing black holes

Available data on the chirp mass distribution of the coalescing black hole binaries in O1-O3 LIGO/Virgo runs are analyzed and compared statistically with the distribution calculated under the assumption that these black holes are primordial with a log-normal mass spectrum. The theoretically calculated chirp mass distribution with the inferred best acceptable mass spectrum parameters, M0=17 M⊙ and γ=0.9, perfectly describes the data. The value of M0 very well agrees with the theoretically expected one. On the opposite, the chirp mass distribution of black hole binaries originated from massive binary star evolution requires additional model adjustments to reproduce the observed chirp mass distribution.

The Effect of Supernovae on the Turbulence and Dispersal of Molecular Clouds

Abstract We study the impact of supernovae on individual molecular clouds, using a high-resolution magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a 250 pc region where we resolve the formation of individual massive stars. The supernova feedback is implemented with real supernovae, meaning supernovae that are the natural evolution of the resolved massive stars, so their position and timing are self-consistent. We select a large sample of molecular clouds from the simulation to investigate the supernova energy injection and the resulting properties of molecular clouds. We find that molecular clouds have a lifetime of a few dynamical times, less than half of them contract to the point of becoming gravitationally bound, and the dispersal time of bound clouds of order one dynamical time is a factor of 2 shorter than that of unbound clouds. We stress the importance of internal supernovae, that is, massive stars that explode inside their parent cloud, in setting the cloud dispersal time, and their huge overdensity compared to models where the supernovae are randomly distributed. We also quantify the energy injection efficiency of supernovae as a function of supernova distance to the clouds. We conclude that intermittent driving by supernovae can maintain molecular cloud turbulence and may be the main process for cloud dispersal and that the full role of supernovae in the evolution of molecular clouds cannot be fully accounted for without a self-consistent implementation of the supernova feedback.

The origin and impact of Wolf-Rayet-type mass loss

AbstractClassical Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars mark an important stage in the late evolution of massive stars. As hydrogen-poor massive stars, these objects have lost their outer layers, while still losing further mass through strong winds indicated by their prominent emission line spectra. Wolf-Rayet stars have been detected in a variety of different galaxies. Their strong winds are a major ingredient of stellar evolution and population synthesis models. Yet, a coherent theoretical picture of their strong mass-loss is only starting to emerge. In particular, the occurrence of WR stars as a function of metallicity (Z) is still far from being understood.To uncover the nature of the complex and dense winds of Wolf-Rayet stars, we employ a new generation of model atmospheres including a consistent solution of the wind hydrodynamics in an expanding non-LTE situation. With this technique, we can dissect the ingredients driving the wind and predict the resulting mass-loss for hydrogen-depleted massive stars. Our modelling efforts reveal a complex picture with strong, non-linear dependencies on the luminosity-to-mass ratio and Z with a steep, but not totally abrupt onset for WR-type winds in helium stars. With our findings, we provide a theoretical motivation for a population of helium stars at low Z, which cannot be detected via WR-type spectral features. Our study of massive He-star atmosphere models yields the very first mass-loss recipe derived from first principles in this regime. Implementing our first findings in stellar evolution models, we demonstrate how traditional approaches tend to overpredict WR-type mass loss in the young Universe.

High-resolution spectroscopic study of massive blue and red supergiants in Perseus OB1

Context.The Perseus OB1 association, including thehandχPersei double cluster, is an interesting laboratory for the investigation of massive star evolution as it hosts one of the most populous groupings of blue and red supergiants (Sgs) in the Galaxy at a moderate distance and extinction.Aims.We discuss whether the massive O-type, and blue and red Sg stars located in the Per OB1 region are members of the same population, and examine their binary and runaway status.Methods.We gathered a total of 405 high-resolution spectra for 88 suitable candidates around 4.5 deg from the center of the association, and compiled astrometric information fromGaiaDR2 for all of them. This was used to investigate membership and identify runaway stars. By obtaining high-precision radial velocity (RV) estimates for all available spectra, we investigated the RV distribution of the global sample (as well as different subsamples) and identified spectroscopic binaries (SBs).Results.Most of the investigated stars belong to a physically linked population located atd= 2.5 ± 0.4 kpc. We identify 79 confirmed or likely members, and 5 member candidates. No important differences are detected in the distribution of parallaxes when stars inhandχPersei or the full sample are considered. In contrast, most O-type stars seem to be part of a differentiated population in terms of kinematical properties. In particular, the percentage of runaways among them (45%) is considerable higher than for the more evolved targets (which is lower than ∼5% in all cases). A similar tendency is also found for the percentage of clearly detected SBs, which already decreases from 15% to 10% when the O star and B Sg samples are compared, respectively, and practically vanishes in the cooler Sgs. Concerning this latter result, our study illustrates the importance of taking the effect of the ubiquitous presence of intrinsic variability in the blue-to-red Sg domain into account to avoid the spurious identification of pulsating stars as SBs.Conclusions.All but 4 stars in our working sample (including 10 O giants/Sgs, 36 B Sgs, 9 B giants, 11 A/F Sgs, and 18 red Sgs) can be considered as part of the same (interrelated) population. However, any further attempt to describe the empirical properties of this sample of massive stars in an evolutionary context must take into account that an important fraction of the O stars is or likely has been part of a binary/multiple system. In addition, some of the other more evolved targets may have also been affected by binary evolution. In this line of argument, it is also interesting to note that the percentage of spectroscopic binaries within the evolved population of massive stars in Per OB1 is lower by a factor 4−5 than in the case of dedicated surveys of O-type stars in other environments that include a much younger population of massive stars.

Several QRPA method calculations of the Gamow–Teller strength distributions in $$^{62{-}72}$$Ge

Studies of exotic nuclei are currently one of the most prolific in nuclear physics. Weak rates in germanium isotopes have a fundamental role in the dynamics of supernovae. Electron capture and beta-decay of germanium isotopes, specified by Gamow–Teller transitions, importantly modify the lepton fraction of the stellar matter. In this study, Gamow–Teller Transitions (GT) for $$^{62{-}72}$$ Ge are calculated using QRPA methods. The GT strength distributions are calculated using eight different QRPA models. QRPA models, namely single quasi-particle (sqp), Pyatov method (PM) and the schematic model (SM), are further divided into four subcategories. Using these models, Gamow–Teller distribution, total GT strengths along electron capture direction ( $$\sum $$ B(GT) $$_+$$ ) and Ikeda sum rule are calculated. The results of sqp, PM, and SM are also compared with previous theoretical calculations and measured strength distributions wherever available. It is expected that this study of GT properties would gain favor and may help to a better understanding of the presupernova evolution of massive stars.

Convective H–He interactions in massive population III stellar evolution models

ABSTRACT In Pop III stellar models, convection-induced mixing between H- and He-rich burning layers can induce a burst of nuclear energy and thereby substantially alter the subsequent evolution and nucleosynthesis in the first massive stars. We investigate H–He shell and core interactions in 26 stellar evolution simulations with masses 15–140, M⊙, using five sets of mixing assumptions. In 22 cases H–He interactions induce local nuclear energy release in the range $\sim 10^{9}\!-\!10^{13.5}\, \mathrm{L}_{\odot }$. The luminosities on the upper end of this range amount to a substantial fraction of the layer’s internal energy over a convective advection time-scale, indicating a dynamic stellar response that would violate 1D stellar evolution modelling assumptions. We distinguish four types of H–He interactions depending on the evolutionary phase and convective stability of the He-rich material. H-burning conditions during H–He interactions give 12C/13C ratios between ≈ 1.5 to ∼1000 and [C/N] ratios from ≈ −2.3 to ≈ 3 with a correlation that agrees well with observations of CEMP (carbon-enhanced metal-poor) no stars. We also explore Ca production from hot CNO breakout and find the simulations presented here likely cannot explain the observed Ca abundance in the most Ca-poor CEMP-no star. We describe the evolution leading to H–He interactions, which occur during or shortly after core-contraction phases. Three simulations without an H–He interaction are computed to Fe-core infall and a $140\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ simulation becomes pair unstable. We also discuss present modelling limitations and the need for 3D hydrodynamic models to fully understand these stellar evolutionary phases.

Asteroseismology of High-Mass Stars: New Insights of Stellar Interiors With Space Telescopes

Massive stars are important metal factories in the Universe. They have short and energetic lives, and many of them inevitably explode as a supernova and become a neutron star or black hole. In turn, the formation, evolution and explosive deaths of massive stars impact the surrounding interstellar medium and shape the evolution of their host galaxies. Yet the chemical and dynamical evolution of a massive star, including the chemical yield of the ultimate supernova and the remnant mass of the compact object, strongly depend on the interior physics of the progenitor star. We currently lack empirically calibrated prescriptions for various physical processes at work within massive stars, but this is now being remedied by asteroseismology. The study of stellar structure and evolution using stellar oscillations -- asteroseismology -- has undergone a revolution in the last two decades thanks to high-precision time series photometry from space telescopes. In particular, the long-term light curves provided by the MOST, CoRoT, BRITE, Kepler/K2 and TESS missions provided invaluable data sets in terms of photometric precision, duration and frequency resolution to successfully apply asteroseismology to massive stars and probe their interior physics. The observation and subsequent modelling of stellar pulsations in massive stars has revealed key missing ingredients in stellar structure and evolution models of these stars. Thus asteroseismology has opened a new window into calibrating stellar physics within a highly degenerate part of the Hertzsprung--Russell diagram. In this review, I provide a historical overview of the progress made using ground-based and early space missions, and discuss more recent advances and breakthroughs in our understanding of massive star interiors by means of asteroseismology with modern space telescopes.

Progenitor properties of type II supernovae: fitting to hydrodynamical models using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods

Context.The progenitor and explosion properties of type II supernovae (SNe II) are fundamental to understanding the evolution of massive stars. Particular attention has been paid to the initial masses of their progenitors, but despite the efforts made, the range of initial masses is still uncertain. Direct imaging of progenitors in pre-explosion archival images suggests an upper initial mass cutoff of ∼18M⊙. However, this is in tension with previous studies in which progenitor masses inferred by light-curve modelling tend to favour high-mass solutions. Moreover, it has been argued that light-curve modelling alone cannot provide a unique solution for the progenitor and explosion properties of SNe II.Aims.We develop a robust method which helps us to constrain the physical parameters of SNe II by simultaneously fitting their bolometric light curve and the evolution of the photospheric velocity to hydrodynamical models using statistical inference techniques.Methods.We created pre-supernova red supergiant models using the stellar evolution code MESA, varying the initial progenitor mass. We then processed the explosion of these progenitors through hydrodynamical simulations, where we changed the explosion energy and the synthesised nickel mass together with its spatial distribution within the ejecta. We compared the results to observations using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods.Results.We apply this method to a well-studied set of SNe with an observed progenitor in pre-explosion images and compare with results in the literature. Progenitor mass constraints are found to be consistent between our results and those derived by pre-SN imaging and the analysis of late-time spectral modelling.Conclusions.We have developed a robust method to infer progenitor and explosion properties of SN II progenitors which is consistent with other methods in the literature. Our results show that hydrodynamical modelling can be used to accurately constrain the physical properties of SNe II. This study is the starting point for a further analysis of a large sample of hydrogen-rich SNe.

(Sub)stellar companions shape the winds of evolved stars.

Binary interactions dominate the evolution of massive stars, but their role is less clear for low- and intermediate-mass stars. The evolution of a spherical wind from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star into a nonspherical planetary nebula (PN) could be due to binary interactions. We observed a sample of AGB stars with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and found that their winds exhibit distinct nonspherical geometries with morphological similarities to planetary nebulae (PNe). We infer that the same physics shapes both AGB winds and PNe; additionally, the morphology and AGB mass-loss rate are correlated. These characteristics can be explained by binary interaction. We propose an evolutionary scenario for AGB morphologies that is consistent with observed phenomena in AGB stars and PNe.

Will Betelgeuse Explode?

Since October 2019, Betelgeuse began to dim noticeably and by January 2020 its brightness had dropped by a factor of approximately 2.5, demoting it from the position of the top (apparent) brightest 11th star to the 21st! Astronomers were excited and thought of it as the lull before the storm, Betelgeuse was ready to go supernova! This article is aimed more as a case study where we show how this question was answered using scientific arguments and data. It will also highlight the importance of supernovae to human existence and give a brief discussion on the evolution of massive stars. And also, answer the question!

Massive Black Holes Regulated by Luminous Blue Variable Mass Loss and Magnetic Fields

Abstract We investigate the effects of mass loss during the main-sequence (MS) and post-MS phases of massive star evolution on black hole (BH) birth masses. We compute solar metallicity Geneva stellar evolution models of an 85 star with mass-loss rate ( ) prescriptions for MS and post-MS phases and analyze under which conditions such models could lead to very massive BHs. Based on the observational constraints for of luminous stars, we discuss two possible scenarios that could produce massive BHs at high metallicity. First, if a massive BH progenitor evolves from the observed population of massive MS stars known as WNh stars, we show that its average post-MS mass-loss rate has to be less than . However, this is lower than the typical observed mass-loss rates of luminous blue variables (LBV). Second, a massive BH progenitor could evolve from a yet undetected population of 80–85 stars with strong surface magnetic fields, which could quench mass loss during the evolution. In this case, the average mass-loss rate during the post-MS LBV phase has to be less than 5 × 10−5 to produce 70 BHs. We suggest that LBVs that explode as SNe have large envelopes and small cores that could be prone to explosion, possibly evolving from binary interaction (either mergers or mass gainers that do not fully mix). Conversely, LBVs that directly collapse to BHs could have evolved from massive single stars or binary-star mergers that fully mix, possessing large cores that would favor BH formation.

A spectroscopic multiplicity survey of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars

Context. It is now well established that the majority of massive stars reside in multiple systems. However, the effect of multiplicity is not sufficiently understood, resulting in a plethora of uncertainties about the end stages of massive-star evolution. In order to investigate these uncertainties, it is useful to study massive stars just before their demise. Classical Wolf-Rayet stars represent the final end stages of stars at the upper-mass end. The multiplicity fraction of these stars was reported to be ∼0.4 in the Galaxy but no correction for observational biases has been attempted. Aims. The aim of this study is to conduct a homogeneous radial-velocity survey of a magnitude-limited (V ≤ 12) sample of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars to derive their bias-corrected multiplicity properties. The present paper focuses on 12 northern Galactic carbon-rich (WC) Wolf-Rayet stars observable with the 1.2 m Mercator telescope on the island of La Palma. Methods. We homogeneously measured relative radial velocities (RVs) for carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet stars using cross-correlation. Variations in the derived RVs were used to flag binary candidates. We investigated probable orbital configurations and provide a first correction of observational biases through Monte-Carlo simulations. Results. Of the 12 northern Galactic WC stars in our sample, seven show peak-to-peak RV variations larger than 10 km s−1, which we adopt as our detection threshold. This results in an observed spectroscopic multiplicity fraction of 0.58 with a binomial error of 0.14. In our campaign, we find a clear lack of short-period (P < ∼100 d), indicating that a large number of Galactic WC binaries likely reside in long-period systems. Finally, our simulations show that at the 10% significance level, the intrinsic multiplicity fraction of the Galactic WC population is at least 0.72.

The astrophysical odds of GW151216

ABSTRACT The gravitational-wave candidate GW151216 is a proposed binary black hole event from the first observing run of the Advanced LIGO detectors. Not identified as a bona fide signal by the LIGO–Virgo collaboration, there is disagreement as to its authenticity, which is quantified by pastro, the probability that the event is astrophysical in origin. Previous estimates of pastro from different groups range from 0.18 to 0.71, making it unclear whether this event should be included in population analyses, which typically require pastro > 0.5. Whether GW151216 is an astrophysical signal or not has implications for the population properties of stellar-mass black holes and hence the evolution of massive stars. Using the astrophysical odds, a Bayesian method that uses the signal coherence between detectors and a parametrized model of non-astrophysical detector noise, we find that pastro = 0.03, suggesting that GW151216 is unlikely to be a genuine signal. We also analyse GW150914 (the first gravitational-wave detection) and GW151012 (initially considered to be an ambiguous detection) and find pastro values of 1 and 0.997, respectively. We argue that the astrophysical odds presented here improve upon traditional methods for distinguishing signals from noise.

Dust in the Wolf–Rayet nebula M 1-67

ABSTRACT The Wolf–Rayet nebula M 1-67 around WR 124 is located above the Galactic plane in a region mostly empty of interstellar medium, which makes it the perfect target to study the mass-loss episodes associated with the late stages of massive star evolution. Archive photometric observations from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer(WISE), Spitzer (MIPS), and Herschel (PACS and SPIRE) are used to construct the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the nebula in the wavelength range of 12–500 μm. The infrared (photometric and spectroscopic) data and nebular optical data from the literature are modelled simultaneously using the spectral synthesis code cloudy, where the free parameters are the gas density distribution and the dust grain-sized distribution. The infrared SED can be reproduced by dust grains with two size distributions: an MRN power-law distribution with grain sizes between 0.005 and 0.05 μm and a population of large grains with representative size of 0.9 μm. The latter points towards an eruptive origin for the formation of M 1-67. The model predicts a nebular ionized gas mass of $M_\mathrm{ion} = 9.2^{+1.6}_{-1.5}~\mathrm{M}_\odot$ and the estimated mass-loss rate during the dust formation period is $\dot{M} \approx 6 \times 10^{-4}~ \mathrm{M}_\odot$ yr−1. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of single and binary stellar evolution and propose that M 1-67 represents the best candidate for a post-common envelope scenario in massive stars.

Binary Black Hole Mergers: Formation and Populations

We review the main physical processes that lead to the formation of stellar binary black holes (BBHs) and to their merger. BBHs can form from the isolated evolution of massive binary stars. The physics of core-collapse supernovae and the process of common envelope are two of the main sources of uncertainty about this formation channel. Alternatively, two black holes can form a binary by dynamical encounters in a dense star cluster. The dynamical formation channel leaves several imprints on the mass, spin and orbital properties of BBHs.

Theoretical Prediction of Presupernova Neutrinos and Their Detection

More than 30 years have passed since the successful detection of supernova (SN) neutrinos from SN 1987A. In the last few decades, remarkable progress has been made in neutrino detection techniques, through which it may be possible to detect neutrinos from a new source, presupernova (pre-SN) neutrinos. They are emitted from a massive star prior to core bounce. Because neutrinos escape from the core freely, they carry information about the stellar physics directly. Pre-SN neutrinos may play an important role in verifying our understanding of stellar evolution for massive stars. Observation of pre-SN neutrinos, moreover, may serve as an alarm regarding an SN explosion a few days in advance if the progenitor is located in our vicinity, enabling us to observe the next galactic SN. In this review, we summarize the current status of pre-SN neutrino studies from both the theoretical and observational points of view.

Properties of OB star−black hole systems derived from detailed binary evolution models

Context. The recent gravitational wave measurements have demonstrated the existence of stellar mass black hole binaries. It is essential for our understanding of massive star evolution to identify the contribution of binary evolution to the formation of double black holes. Aims. A promising way to progress is investigating the progenitors of double black hole systems and comparing predictions with local massive star samples, such as the population in 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Methods. With this purpose in mind, we analysed a large grid of detailed binary evolution models at LMC metallicity with initial primary masses between 10 and 40 M⊙, and identified the model systems that potentially evolve into a binary consisting of a black hole and a massive main-sequence star. We then derived the observable properties of such systems, as well as peculiarities of the OB star component. Results. We find that ∼3% of the LMC late-O and early-B stars in binaries are expected to possess a black hole companion when stars with a final helium core mass above 6.6 M⊙ are assumed to form black holes. While the vast majority of them may be X-ray quiet, our models suggest that these black holes may be identified in spectroscopic binaries, either by large amplitude radial velocity variations (≳50 km s−1) and simultaneous nitrogen surface enrichment, or through a moderate radial velocity (≳10 km s−1) and simultaneous rapid rotation of the OB star. The predicted mass ratios are such that main-sequence companions can be excluded in most cases. A comparison to the observed OB+WR binaries in the LMC, Be and X-ray binaries, and known massive black hole binaries supports our conclusion. Conclusions. We expect spectroscopic observations to be able to test key assumptions in our models, with important implications for massive star evolution in general and for the formation of double black hole mergers in particular.