Donor Star Research Articles

A Spectroscopic and Interferometric Study of W Serpentis Stars. I. Circumbinary Outflow in the Interacting Binary W Serpentis

W Serpentis is an eclipsing binary system and the prototype of the Serpentid class of variable stars. These are interacting binaries experiencing intense mass transfer and mass loss. However, the identities and properties of both stars in W Ser remain a mystery. Here, we present an observational analysis of high-quality, visible-band spectroscopy made with the Apache Point Observatory 3.5 m telescope and Astrophysical Research Consortium Echelle Spectrograph spectrograph plus the first near-IR, long-baseline interferometric observations obtained with the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy Array. We present examples of the appearance and radial velocities of the main spectral components: prominent emission lines, strong shell absorption lines, and weak absorption lines. We show that some of the weak absorption features are associated with the cool mass donor, and we present the first radial velocity curve for the donor star. The donor’s absorption lines are rotationally broadened, and we derive a ratio of donor to gainer mass of 0.36 ± 0.09 based on the assumptions that the donor fills its Roche lobe and that it rotates synchronously with the orbit. We use a fit of the All-Sky Automated Survey light curve to determine the orbital inclination and mass estimates of 2.0M ⊙ and 5.7M ⊙ for the donor and gainer, respectively. The partially resolved interferometric measurements of orbital motion are consistent with our derived orbital properties and the distance from Gaia EDR3. Spectroscopic evidence indicates that the gainer is enshrouded in an opaque disk that channels the mass transfer stream into an outflow through the L3 region and into a circumbinary disk.

Examining the brightness variability, accretion disk, and evolutionary stage of the binary OGLE-LMC-ECL-14413

Several intermediate-mass close binary systems exhibit photometric cycles longer than their orbital periods, potentially due to changes in their accretion disks. Past studies indicate that analyzing historical light curves can provide valuable insights into disk evolution and track variations in mass transfer rates within these systems. Our study aims to elucidate both short-term and long-term variations in the light curve of the eclipsing system with a particular focus on the unusual reversals in eclipse depth. We aim to clarify the role of the accretion disk in these fluctuations, especially in long-cycle changes spanning hundreds of days. Additionally, we seek to determine the evolutionary stage of the system and gain insights into the internal structure of its stellar components. We analyzed photometric time series from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) project in the $I$ and $V$ bands, and from the MAssive Compact Halo Objects (MACHO) project in the $B_ M $ and $R_ M $ bands, covering a period of 30.85 years. Using light curve data from 27 epochs, we constructed models of the accretion disk. An optimized simplex algorithm was employed to solve the inverse problem, deriving the best-fit parameters for the stars, orbit, and disk. We also utilized the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics ( MESA ) software to assess the evolutionary stage of the binary system, investigating the progenitors and potential future developments. We found an orbital period of 38.15917 pm 0.00054 days and a long-term cycle of approximately 780 days. Temperature, mass, radius, and surface gravity values were determined for both stars. The photometric orbital cycle and the long-term cycle are consistent with a disk containing variable physical properties, including two shock regions. The disk encircles the more massive star and the system brightness variations align with the long-term cycle at orbital phase 0.25. Our mass transfer rate calculations correspond to these brightness changes. MESA simulations indicate weak magnetic fields in the donor star's subsurface, which are insufficient to influence mass transfer rates significantly.

New orbital periods of high-inclination dwarf novae based on Gaia Alerts photometry

The orbital period of a cataclysmic variable stands as a crucial parameter for investigating the structure and physics of these binary systems, as well as understanding their evolution. We use photometric Gaia data for dwarf novae (DNe) in the quiescent state – which are available for a number of years – to determine new orbital periods and improve or modify previously suggested period values. Two approaches are implemented for selecting high-inclination targets, either eclipsing or with ellipsoidal variations. We determine new orbital periods for 75 DNe and improve ephemerides for 27 more (three of which change significantly), contributing 9.4% of the known DNe periods of between 0.05 and 2.0 days, and doubling the number of known periods exceeding 0.44 days. Their phase-folded light curves are presented and arranged by orbital period, illustrating the transition from short-period systems, dominated by radiation from the accretion disc and the hot spot, to longer-period DNe, where the Roche-lobe-filling secondary star is the primary visual flux source. This transition – which occurs around the well-known period gap (between ∼2 and 3 hours) – is expected, as DNe with larger orbital periods typically harbour more massive donors, which contribute to the visible flux. However, this transition is not abrupt. Within the same range of periods, we observe systems dominated by ellipsoidal variations, where the companion star is clearly visible, as well as others dominated by the disc and the hot spot. The presence of some DNe with ellipsoidal variations near the lower edge of the period gap is striking, as the companions in these systems are expected to be cool low-mass M-dwarfs not visible in the light curve. This could indicate that we are observing systems where the donor star was originally much more massive and underwent significant nuclear evolution before mass-transfer began, as has been suggested previously for QZ Ser.

Be X-Ray Binaries as Progenitors of Double Neutron Stars: Evidence of Similar bi-modal Classifications

Abstract We explore the evolutional links between Be X-ray binaries (BeXBs) and double neutron stars (DNSs) by analyzing their physical parameters and classifications. We find that both BeXBs and DNSs show positive correlation trends between the neutron star (NS) spin period–P and binary orbital period–P orb, which may relate to the influence of binary accretion. In addition, BeXBs show a bi-modal classification divided by P ∼ 40 s/P orb ∼ 60 days, where BeXBs with P < 40 s/P orb < 60 days exhibit stronger accretion-induced properties, e.g., the lower average NS magnetic field strength, than those with P > 40 s/P orb > 60 days. Similarly, DNSs exhibit a bi-modal classification divided by P orb ∼ 1 day, where DNSs with P orb < 1 day share the stronger accretion-induced properties, e.g., the higher average accretion rate of the recycled NSs, than those with P orb > 1 day. The multi-parameter analysis with the new aggregated data set improves the knowledge of the bi-modal classifications of BeXBs/DNSs. In addition, we consider the influence of the common envelope phase/supernova kick of the donor star on the evolution from BeXBs to DNSs, and further discuss their compatibility with the observed bi-modal classifications of BeXBs/DNSs. Last, we propose a potential evolutional relation between the bi-modal BeXBs and DNSs.

KIC 8840638: A Newly Discovered Eclipsing Binary with δ Scuti–Type Oscillations

In this paper, we analyze the light variation of KIC 8840638 using high-precision time-series data from the Kepler mission. The analysis reveals that this target is a new detached eclipsing binary system with a δ Scuti component, rather than a single δ Scuti star as previously known. The frequency analysis of short-cadence data reveals 95 significant frequencies, most of which lie in a frequency range of 23−32 day−1. Among them, seven independent frequencies are detected in the typical frequency range of δ Scuti stars, and they are identified as pressure modes. In addition, a possible large separation value of Δν = 36.5 ± 0.1 μHz is also detected with the Fourier transform (FT) and autocorrelation function (AC) analysis. The orbital frequency f orb (= 0.320008 day−1) and its harmonics are also detected directly in the frequency spectrum. The binary modelings derived from PHOEBE indicate that this binary system is in detached configurations with a mass ratio of q=0.33−0.04+0.06 , an inclination angle of 40.19−2.84+3.96 ​​​​​°. The derived parameters and binary evolutionary model suggest that the primary star is an object on the verge of leaving the main sequence with a temperature of ∼7600 K, while the secondary appears to be a cool component entering the giant branch with a temperature ∼3100 K lower than the primary. Moreover, this system may have undergone a mass ratio reversal, where the more massive star is the gainer component and the less massive one is the donor star.

Echo Location: Distances to Galactic Supernovae From ASAS-SN Light Echoes and 3D Dust Maps

Light echoes occur when light from a luminous transient is scattered by dust back into our line of sight with a time delay due to the extra propagation distance. We introduce a novel approach to estimating the distance to a source by combining light echoes with recent three-dimensional dust maps. We identify light echoes from the historical supernovae Cassiopeia A and SN 1572 (Tycho) in nearly a decade of imaging from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN). Using these light echoes, we find distances of 3.6±0.1 kpc and 3.2−0.2+0.1 kpc to Cas A and Tycho, respectively, which are generally consistent with previous estimates but are more precise. These distance uncertainties are primarily dominated by the low distance resolution of the 3D dust maps, which will likely improve in the future. The candidate single degenerate explosion donor stars B and G in Tycho are clearly foreground stars. Finally, the inferred reddening towards each SN agrees well with the intervening column density estimates from X-ray analyses of the remnants.

Mass-transfer Outbursts Reborn: Modeling the Light Curve of the Dwarf Nova EX Draconis

EX Draconis is an eclipsing dwarf nova that shows outbursts with moderate amplitude (≃2 mag) and a recurrence timescale of ≃20–30 days. Dwarf novae outbursts are explained in terms of either a thermal-viscous instability in the disc or an instability in the mass-transfer rate of the donor star (MTIM). We developed simulations of the response of accretion discs to events of enhanced mass transfer, in the context of the MTIM, and applied them to model the light curve and variations in the radius of the EX Dra disc throughout the outburst. We obtain the first modeling of a dwarf nova outburst by using χ 2 to select, from a grid of simulations, the best-fit parameters to the observed EX Dra outbursts. The observed time evolution of the system brightness and the changes in the radius of the outer disc along the outburst cycle are satisfactorily reproduced by a model of the response of an accretion disc with a viscosity parameter α = 4.0 and a quiescent mass-transfer rate Ṁ2(quiescence)=4.0×1016 g s−1 to an event of width Δt = 6.0 × 105 s (∼7 days) where the mass-transfer rate increases to Ṁ2(outburst)=1.5×1018 g s−1.

Hydrodynamic simulations of white dwarf–white dwarf mergers and the origin of R Coronae Borealis stars

ABSTRACT We study the properties of double white dwarf (DWD) mergers by performing hydrodynamic simulations using the new and improved adaptive mesh refinement code octo-tiger. We follow the orbital evolution of DWD systems of mass ratio $q=0.7$ for tens of orbits until and after the merger to investigate them as a possible origin for R Coronae Borealis (RCB) type stars. We reproduce previous results, finding that during the merger, the helium WD donor star is tidally disrupted within 20–80 min since the beginning of the simulation onto the accretor carbon–oxygen WD, creating a high temperature shell around the accretor. We investigate the possible helium burning in this shell and the merged object’s general structure. Specifically, we are interested in the amount of oxygen-16 dredged-up from the accretor to the hot shell and the amount of oxygen-18 produced. This is critical as the discovery of very low oxygen-16 to oxygen-18 ratios in RCB stars pointed out the merger scenario as a favourable explanation for their origin. A small amount of hydrogen in the donor may help keep the oxygen-16 to oxygen-18 ratios within observational bounds, even if moderate dredge-up from the accretor occurs. In addition, we perform a resolution study to reconcile the difference found in the amount of oxygen-16 dredge-up between smoothed-particle hydrodynamics and grid-based simulations.

Ultraluminous X-ray sources with He star companions

ABSTRACT Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are non-nuclear point-like objects observed with extremely high X-ray luminosity that exceeds the Eddington limit of a $\rm 10\, M_\odot$ black hole. A fraction of ULXs has been confirmed to contain neutron star (NS) accretors due to the discovery of their X-ray pulsations. The donors detected in NS ULXs are usually luminous massive stars because of the observational biases. Recently, the He donor star in NGC 247 ULX-1 has been identified, which is the first evidence of a He donor star in ULXs. In this paper, we employed the stellar evolution code mesa (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics) to investigate the formation of ULXs through the NS+He star channel, in which a He star transfers its He-rich material onto the surface of an NS via Roche lobe overflow. We evolved a large number of NS+He star systems and provided the parameter space for the production of ULXs. We found that the initial NS+He star systems should have $\sim 0.7\!-\!2.6 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ He star and $\sim 0.1\!-\!2500\, \mathrm{d}$ orbital period for producing ULXs, eventually evolving into intermediate-mass binary pulsars. According to binary population synthesis calculations, we estimated that the Galactic rate of NS ULXs with He donor stars is in the range of $\sim 1.6\!-\!4.0\times 10^{-4}\, {\rm yr}^{-1}$, and that there exist $\sim 7-20$ detectable NS ULXs with He donor stars in the Galaxy.

The mass of the white dwarf in YY Dra (=DO Dra): Dynamical measurement and comparative study with X-ray estimates

We present a dynamical study of the intermediate polar cataclysmic variable YY Dra based on time-series observations in the K band, where the donor star is known to be the major flux contributor. We covered the 3.97-h orbital cycle with 44 spectra taken between 2020 and 2022 and two epochs of photometry observed in 2021 March and May. One of the light curves was simultaneously obtained with spectroscopy to better account for the effects of irradiation of the donor star and the presence of accretion light. From the spectroscopy, we derived the radial velocity curve of the donor star metallic absorption lines, constrained its spectral type to M0.5–M3.5 with no measurable changes in the effective temperature between the irradiated and non-irradiated hemispheres of the star, and measured its projected rotational velocity vrot sin i = 103 ± 2 km s−1. Through simultaneous modelling of the radial velocity and light curves, we derived values for the radial velocity semi-amplitude of the donor star, K2 = 188−2+1 km s−1, the donor to white dwarf mass ratio, q = M2/M1 = 0.62 ± 0.02, and the orbital inclination, i = 42°−1°+2°. These binary parameters yield dynamical masses of M1 = 0.99−0.09+0.10 M⊙ and M2 = 0.62−0.06+0.07 M⊙ (68 per cent confidence level). As found for the intermediate polars GK Per and XY Ari, the white dwarf dynamical mass in YY Dra significantly differs from several estimates obtained by modelling the X-ray spectral continuum.

Suggested magnetic braking prescription derived from field complexity fails to reproduce the cataclysmic variable orbital period gap

Magnetic wind braking drives the spin-down of low-mass stars and the evolution of most interacting binary stars. A magnetic braking prescription that was claimed to reproduce both the period distribution of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and the evolution of the rotation rates of low-mass stars is based on a relation between the angular momentum loss rate and magnetic field complexity. The magnetic braking model based on field complexity has been claimed to predict a detached phase that could explain the observed period gap in the period distribution of but has never been tested in detailed models of evolution. Here we fill this gap. We incorporated the suggested magnetic braking law in MESA and simulated the evolution of for different initial stellar masses and initial orbital periods. We find that the prescription for magnetic braking based on field complexity fails to reproduce observations of The predicted secondary star radii are smaller than measured, and an extended detached phase that is required to explain the observed period gap (a dearth of non-magnetic with periods sim 2$ and $ sim 3$ hours ) is not predicted. Proposed magnetic braking prescriptions based on a relation between the angular momentum loss rate and field complexity are too weak to reproduce the bloating of donor stars in derived from observations and, in contrast to previous claims, do not provide an explanation for the observed period gap. The suggested steep decrease in the angular momentum loss rate does not lead to detachment. Stronger magnetic braking prescriptions and a discontinuity at the fully convective boundary are needed to explain the evolution of close binary stars that contain compact objects. The tension between braking laws derived from the spin-down of single stars and those required to explain and other close binaries containing compact objects remains.

Multi-wavelength spectroscopic analysis of the ULX Holmberg II X-1 and its nebula suggests the presence of a heavy black hole accreting from a B-type donor

Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are high-mass X-ray binaries with an X-ray luminosity above $10^ $. These ULXs can be powered by black holes that are more massive than $20M_ accreting in a standard regime, or lighter compact objects accreting supercritically. There are only a few ULXs with known optical or ultraviolet (UV) counterparts, and their nature is debated. Determining whether optical/UV radiation is produced by the donor star or by the accretion disc is crucial for understanding ULX physics and testing massive binary evolution. We conduct, for the first time, a fully consistent multi-wavelength spectral analysis of a ULX and its circumstellar nebula. We aim to establish the donor star type and test the presence of strong disc winds in the prototypical ULX Holmberg\,II X-1 ( Furthermore, we aim to obtain a realistic spectral energy distribution of the ionising source, which is needed for robust nebula analysis. We acquired new UV spectra of with the Hubble Space Telescope ( ) and complemented them with archival optical and X-ray data. We explored the spectral energy distribution of the source and analysed the spectra using the stellar atmosphere code and the photoionisation code Our analysis of the X-ray, UV, and optical spectra of and its nebula consistently explains the observations. We do not find traces of disc wind signatures in the UV and the optical, rejecting previous claims of the ULX being a supercritical accretor. The optical/UV counterpart of is explained by a B-type supergiant donor star. Thus, the observations are fully compatible with being a close binary consisting of an $ 66\,M_ black hole accreting matter from an $ 22\,M_ B-supergiant companion. Furthermore, we propose a possible evolution scenario for the system, suggesting that is a potential gravitational wave source progenitor.

Double periodic variable V4142 Sgr: A key to approaching the stellar dynamo

Aims. In this work we focus on the double periodic variable (DPV) star V4142 Sgr, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of its evolution, the formation of its accretion disk, and the operation of magnetic dynamos within the donor star. We analyze its characteristics in detail as well as the phenomena associated with DPV stars more generally. Methods. The model was implemented using the stellar evolution code MESA r22.11.1. The modeling process starts from the zero age main sequence and incorporates differential rotation to facilitate the creation of a stellar dynamo in the donor star. We adjusted the model by employing a chi-square algorithm, minimizing the deviation between theoretical and observed values based on previously published fundamental parameters for this system. Our analysis includes an evaluation of various parameters, such as initial masses, orbital periods, mixing parameters, the thermohaline parameter, and metallicities. We assessed the algorithm convergence and set the stopping criterion at 20% helium core depletion in the donor star. A comprehensive analysis was conducted at each evolutionary stage, utilizing the Tayler–Spruit formalism to understand the mechanism of magnetic dynamos. Results. The model begins by adjusting fundamental parameters published for this system through a chi-squared optimization algorithm, adopting an initial orbital period of 15.0 days and initial masses for the donor and gainer star of Mi, d = 3.50 M⊙ and Mi, g = 1.50 M⊙, with a metallicity associated with this type of DPV of Z = 0.02. It successfully converges with six degrees of freedom and 5% confidence, resulting in a chi-squared value of 0.007. In addition, the best-fit model for V4142 Sgr shows it is in thermal-timescale mass transfer. Our analysis provides insights into the role of differential rotation in facilitating the formation of a stellar dynamo. Additionally, we have determined that our type-B gainer star is located in a region similar to other type-B DPVs that have undergone rejuvenation due to the transfer of matter. The size of the gainer star shrinks considerably, but it rejuvenates thanks to the material acquired from its donor companion. As for the donor star, the creation and amplification of magnetic fields are influenced by the mixing diffusivity, DST, which is activated by advection outside the overshooting zone.

Shocking and Mass Loss of Compact Donor Stars in Type Ia Supernovae

Type Ia supernovae arise from thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs accreting from a binary companion. Following the explosion, the surviving donor star leaves at roughly its orbital velocity. The discovery of the runaway helium subdwarf star US 708, and seven hypervelocity stars from Gaia data, all with spatial velocities ≳900 km s−1, strongly support a scenario in which the donor is a low-mass helium star or a white dwarf. Motivated by these discoveries, we perform three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations with the Athena++ code, modeling the hydrodynamical interaction between a helium star or helium white dwarf and the supernova ejecta. We find that ≈0.01–0.02 M ⊙ of donor material is stripped, and explain the location of the stripped material within the expanding supernova ejecta. We continue the postexplosion evolution of the shocked donor stars with the MESA code. As a result of entropy deposition, they remain luminous and expanded for ≈105–106 yr. We show that the postexplosion properties of our helium white dwarf donor agree reasonably with one of the best-studied hypervelocity stars, D6-2.

An Alternative Model for the Orbital Decay of M82 X-2: The Anomalous Magnetic Braking of a Bp Star

Recently, the first pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source M82 X-2 was reported to be experiencing a rapid orbital decay at a rate of Ṗ=−(5.69±0.24)×10−8ss−1 based on 7 yr NuSTAR data. To account for the observed orbital-period derivative, it requires a mass transfer rate of ∼200Ṁedd ( Ṁedd is the Eddington accretion rate) from the donor star to the accreting neutron star. However, other potential models cannot be completely excluded. In this work, we propose an anomalous magnetic braking (AMB) model to interpret the detected orbital decay of M82 X-2. If the donor star is an Ap/Bp star with an anomalously strong magnetic field, the magnetic coupling between strong surface magnetic field and irradiation-driven wind from the surface of the donor star could cause an efficient angular-momentum loss, driving a rapid orbital decay observed in M82 X-2. The AMB mechanism of an Ap/Bp star with a mass of 5.0–15.0 M ⊙ and a surface magnetic field of 3000–4500 G could produce the observed Ṗ of M82 X-2. We also discuss the possibility of other alternative models including the companion star expansion and a surrounding circumbinary disk.

Adiabatic Mass Loss in Binary Stars. IV. Low- and Intermediate-mass Helium Binary Stars

The unstable mass transfer situation in binary systems will asymptotically cause the adiabatic expansion of the donor star and finally lead to the common envelope phase. This process could happen in helium binary systems once the helium donor star fills its Roche-lobe. We have calculated the adiabatic mass-loss model of naked helium stars with a mass range of 0.35 M ⊙–10 M ⊙, and every mass sequence evolved from the helium-zero-age main sequence to the cooling track of white dwarf or carbon ignition. In consideration of the influence of stellar wind, massive helium stars are not considered in this paper. Comparing the stellar radius with the evolution of the Roche-lobe under the assumption of conservative mass transfer, we give the critical mass ratio q crit = M He/M accretor as the binary stability criteria of low- and intermediate-mass helium binary stars. On the helium main sequence, the result shows 1.0 < q crit < 2.6, which is more unstable than the classical result of polytropic model q crit = 3. After the early helium Hertzsprung Gap, the q crit quickly increases even larger than 10 (more stable compared with the widely used result of q crit = 4), which is dominated by the expansion of the radiative envelope. Our result could be useful for these quick mass transfer binary systems such as AM CVns, ultra-compact X-ray binaries, and helium novae, and it could guide the binary population synthesis for the formation of special objects such as type Ia supernova and gravitational wave sources.

Cyclical Period Changes in Cataclysmic Variables: A Statistical Study

We report the results of a statistical study of cyclical period changes in cataclysmic variables (CVs). Assuming the third-body hypothesis as the cause of period changes, we estimate the third-body mass, m 3, and its separation from the binary, a 3, for 21 CVs showing cyclical period changes from well-sampled observed-minus-calculated diagrams covering more than a decade of observations. The inferred a 3 values are independent of the binary orbital period, P orb, whereas the m 3 values increase with P orb by 1 order of magnitude from the shortest period (oldest) to the longest period (youngest) systems, implying significant mass loss from the third body with time. A model for the time evolution of the triple system is not able to simultaneously explain the observed behavior of the m 3(P orb) and a 3(P orb) distributions because the combined mass loss from the binary and the third body demands an increase in orbital separation by factors ∼140 as the binary evolves toward shorter P orb's, in clear disagreement with the observed distribution. We conclude that the third-body hypothesis is statistically inconsistent and cannot be used to explain cyclical period changes observed in CVs. On the other hand, the diagram of the amplitude of the period change versus the CV donor-star mass is consistent both with the alternative hypothesis that the observed cyclical period changes are a consequence of magnetic activity in the solar-type donor star, and with the standard evolutionary scenario for CVs.

Evolution and final fate of massive post-common-envelope binaries

Mergers of neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs) are nowadays observed routinely thanks to gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy. In the isolated binary-evolution channel, a common-envelope (CE) phase of a red supergiant (RSG) and a compact object is crucial to sufficiently shrink the orbit and thereby enable a merger via GW emission. Here, we use the outcomes of two three-dimensional (3D) magneto-hydrodynamic CE simulations of an initially 10.0 solar-mass RSG with a 5.0 solar-mass BH and a 1.4 solar-mass NS, respectively, to explore the further evolution and final fate of the remnant binaries (post-CE binaries). Notably, the 3D simulations reveal that the post-CE binaries are likely surrounded by circumbinary disks (CBDs), which contain substantial mass and angular momentum to influence the subsequent evolution. The binary systems in MESA modelling undergo another phase of mass transfer and we find that most donor stars do not explode in ultra-stripped supernovae (SNe), but rather in Type Ib/c SNe. Without NS kicks, the final orbital configurations of our models with the BH companion are too wide to allow for a compact object merger within a Hubble time. NS kicks are actually required to sufficiently perturb the orbit and thus facilitate a merger via GW emission. Moreover, we explore the influence of CBDs observed in 3D CE simulations on the evolution and final fate of the post-CE binaries. We find that mass accretion from the disk widens the binary orbit, while resonant interactions between the CBD and the binary can shrink the separation and increase the eccentricity of the binary depending on the disk mass and lifetime. Efficient resonant contractions may even enable a BH or NS to merge with the remnant He stars before a second SN explosion, which may be observed as gamma-ray burst-like transients, luminous fast blue optical transients, and Thorne-Żytkow objects. For the surviving post-CE binaries, the CBD-binary interactions may significantly increase the GW-induced double compact merger fraction. We conclude that accounting for CBD may be crucial to better understand observed GW mergers.

An Alternative Channel to Black Hole Low-mass X-Ray Binaries: Dynamical Friction of Dark Matter?

Both the anomalous magnetic braking of Ap/Bp stars and the surrounding circumbinary disk models can account for the formation of black hole (BH) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), while the simulated effective temperatures of the donor stars are significantly higher than the observed values. Therefore, the formation of BH LMXBs is still not completely understood. In this work, we diagnose whether the dynamical friction between dark matter and the companion stars can drive BH binaries to evolve toward the observed BH LMXBs and alleviate the effective temperature problem. Assuming that there exists a density spike of dark matter around BH, the dynamical friction can produce an efficient angular momentum loss, driving BH binaries with an intermediate-mass companion star to evolve into BH LMXBs for a spike index higher than γ = 1.58. Our detailed stellar evolution models show that the calculated effective temperatures can match the observed value of most BH LMXBs for a spike index range of γ = 1.7–2.1. However, the simulated mass-transfer rates when γ = 2.0 and 2.1 are too high to be consistent with the observed properties showing that BH LMXBs appear as soft X-ray transients. Therefore, the dynamical friction of dark matter can only alleviate the effective temperature problem of those BH LMXBs with a relatively short orbital period.

Radiation hydrodynamical simulations of super-Eddington mass transfer and black hole growth in close binaries

ABSTRACT Radiation-driven outflows play a crucial role in extracting mass and angular momentum from binary systems undergoing rapid mass transfer at super-Eddington rates. To study the mass transfer process from a massive donor star to a stellar-mass black hole (BH), we perform multidimensional radiation-hydrodynamical simulations that follow accretion flows from the first Lagrange point down to about a hundred times the Schwarzschild radius of the accreting BH. Our simulations reveal that rapid mass transfer occurring at over a thousand times the Eddington rate leads to significant mass-loss from the accretion disc via radiation-driven outflows. Consequently, the inflow rates at the innermost radius are regulated by two orders of magnitude smaller than the transfer rates. We find that convective motions within the accretion disc drive outward energy and momentum transport, enhancing the radiation pressure in the outskirts of the disc and ultimately generating large-scale outflows with sufficient energy to leave the binary. Furthermore, we observe strong anisotropy in the outflows, which occur preferentially toward both the closest and furthest points from the donor star. However, when averaged over all directions, the specific angular momentum of the outflows is nearly comparable to the value predicted in the isotropic emission case. Based on our simulation results, we propose a formula that quantifies the mass growth rates on BHs and the mass-loss rates from binaries due to radiation-driven outflows. This formula provides important implications for the binary evolution and the formation of merging binary BHs.