Detailed evolutionary models of massive contact binaries – I. Model grids and synthetic populations for the Magellanic Clouds

Menon, Athira; Langer, N.; Mink, S. E. de; Justham, Stephen; Sen, K.; Szécsi, Dorottya; Koter, A. de; Abdul-Masih, M.; Sana, H.; Mahy, L.; Marchant, Pablo

doi:10.1093/mnras/stab2276

Cited by 39 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 145 publications

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“…To explain how massive stars in binary systems evolve to produce these GW events, different scenarios have been proposed. They include (i) chemically homogeneous evolution (CHE, Maeder 1987;Langer 1992;Martins et al 2013) in very massive short-period stellar binaries, which pre-vents mass transfer and allows compact MS binaries to directly evolve into compact BH binaries Marchant et al 2016;Abdul-Masih et al 2019;du Buisson et al 2020;Riley et al 2021;Abdul-Masih et al 2021;Menon et al 2021), (ii) evolution through a common-envelope phase (e.g. Paczynski 1976;van den Heuvel 1976;Tutukov & Yungelson 1993;Belczynski et al 2002Belczynski et al , 2016Giacobbo & Mapelli 2018), even though current theoretical predictions are highly uncertain and observational constraints of these specific stages are missing, (iii) stable mass transfer (van den Heuvel et al 2017;Neijssel et al 2019;Bavera et al 2020;Marchant et al 2021;Menon et al 2021;Sen et al 2022), and (iv) Population III stars (Belczynski et al 2004;Kinugawa et al 2014;Inayoshi et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying quiescent compact objects in massive Galactic single-lined spectroscopic binaries

Mahy

Sana

Shenar

et al. 2022

A&A

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Context. The quest to detect dormant stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in massive binaries (i.e. OB+BH systems) is challenging; only a few candidates have been claimed to date, all of which must still be confirmed. Aims. To search for these rare objects, we study 32 Galactic O-type stars that were reported as single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) in the literature. In our sample we include Cyg X-1, which is known to host an accreting stellar-mass BH, and HD 74194, a supergiant fast X-ray transient, in order to validate our methodology. The final goal is to characterise the nature of the unseen companions to determine if they are main-sequence (MS) stars, stripped helium stars, triples, or compact objects such as neutron stars (NSs) or stellar-mass BHs. Methods. After measuring radial velocities and deriving orbital solutions for all the systems in our sample, we performed spectral disentangling to extract putative signatures of faint secondary companions from the composite spectra. We derived stellar parameters for the visible stars and estimated the mass ranges of the secondary stars using the binary mass function. Variability observed in the photometric TESS light curves was also searched for indications of the presence of putative companions, degenerate or not. Results. In 17 of the 32 systems reported as SB1s, we extract secondary signatures, down to mass ratios of ∼ 0.15. For the 17 newly detected double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s), we derive physical properties of the individual components and discuss why they have not been detected as such before. Among the remaining systems, we identify nine systems with possible NS or low-mass MS companions. For Cyg X-1 and HD 130298, we are not able to extract any signatures for the companions, and the minimum masses of their companions are estimated to be about 7 M . Our simulations show that secondaries with such a mass should be detectable from our dataset, no matter their nature: MS stars, stripped helium stars or even triples. While this is expected for Cyg X-1, confirming our methodology, our simulations also strongly suggest that HD 130298 could be another candidate to host a stellar-mass BH. Conclusions. The quest to detect dormant stellar-mass BHs in massive binaries is far from over, and many more systems need to be scrutinised. Our analysis allows us to detect good candidates, but confirming the BH nature of their companions will require further dedicated monitorings, sophisticated analysis techniques, and multi-wavelength observations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying quiescent compact objects in massive Galactic single-lined spectroscopic binaries

Mahy

Sana

Shenar

et al. 2022

A&A

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“…Population synthesis models by de Mink et al (2014) suggest that 8% of massive stars drawn from a constant star formation sample are, in fact, such merger products. Menon et al (2021) present models for binary mergers in the LMC, and they show that many binaries with initial periods less than two days will produce a merger. Our understanding of the physical processes leading up to a CEE is still developing (Ivanova et al 2013); however, the merged star is likely to exhibit rapid rotation, equatorial mass loss, an enriched surface He abundance, and overluminosity for its mass (Ivanova & Podsiadlowski 2003).…”

Section: Binary Star Modelsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Spectroscopic Line Modeling of the Fastest Rotating O-type Stars

Shepard

Gies

Kaper

et al. 2022

ApJ

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We present a spectroscopic analysis of the most rapidly rotating stars currently known, VFTS 102 ( v e sin i = 649 ± 52 km s−1; O9: Vnnne+) and VFTS 285 ( v e sin i = 610 ± 41 km s−1; O7.5: Vnnn), both members of the 30 Dor complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This study is based on high-resolution ultraviolet spectra from Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and optical spectra from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) X-shooter plus archival VLT GIRAFFE spectra. We utilize numerical simulations of their photospheres, rotationally distorted shape, and gravity darkening to calculate model spectral line profiles and predicted monochromatic absolute fluxes. We use a guided grid search to investigate parameters that yield best fits for the observed features and fluxes. These fits produce estimates of the physical parameters for these stars (plus a Galactic counterpart, ζ Oph) including the equatorial rotational velocity, inclination, radius, mass, gravity, temperature, and reddening. We find that both stars appear to be radial-velocity constant. VFTS 102 is rotating at critical velocity, has a modest He enrichment, and appears to share the motion of the nearby OB-association LH 99. These properties suggest that the star was spun up through a close binary merger. VFTS 285 is rotating at 95% of critical velocity, has a strong He enrichment, and is moving away from the R136 cluster at the center of 30 Dor. It is mostly likely a runaway star ejected by a supernova explosion that released the components of the natal binary system.

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“…In this section, we investigate how the companion affects the evolution of the inner binary stars. It is well-known that massive stars in binaries are prone to closely interact and undergo one or more episodes of mass transfer (Paczyński 1967;Podsiadlowski et al 1992;Sana et al 2012;de Mink et al 2013;Raucq et al 2016;Stegmann & Antonini 2021;Menon et al 2021). Here, we determine whether the interaction with a tertiary companion changes the stellar evolution of the inner binary stars and the overall fraction of systems that experience a mass transfer phase.…”

Section: Tertiary Impact On Inner Binary Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Evolution of massive stellar triples and implications for compact object binary formation

Stegmann,

Antonini,

Moe

2021

Preprint

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Most back hole and neutron star progenitors are found in triples or higher multiplicity systems. Here, we present a new triple stellar evolution code, TSE, which simultaneously takes into account the physics of the stars and their gravitational interaction. TSE is used to simulate the evolution of massive stellar triples in the galactic field from the zero-age-main-sequence until they form compact objects. To this end, we implement initial conditions that incorporate the observed high correlation between the orbital parameters of early-type stars. We show that the interaction with a tertiary companion can significantly impact the evolution of the inner binary. High eccentricities can be induced by the third-body dynamical effects, leading to a Roche lobe overflow or even to a stellar merger from initial binary separations 10 3 -10 5 R . In ∼ 5 % of the systems the tertiary companion itself fills its Roche lobe, while ∼ 10 % of all systems become dynamically unstable. We find that between 0.3% and 5% of systems form a stable triple with an inner compact object binary, where the exact fraction depends on metallicity and the natal kick prescription. The vast majority of these triples are binary black holes with black hole companions. We find no binary neutron star in any surviving triple, unless zero natal kicks are assumed. About half of all black hole binaries formed in our models are in triples, where in the majority the tertiary black hole is able to perturb their long-term evolution. Our results show that triple interactions are key to a full understanding of massive star evolution and compact object binary formation.

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Detailed evolutionary models of massive contact binaries – I. Model grids and synthetic populations for the Magellanic Clouds

Cited by 39 publications

References 145 publications

Identifying quiescent compact objects in massive Galactic single-lined spectroscopic binaries

Identifying quiescent compact objects in massive Galactic single-lined spectroscopic binaries

Spectroscopic Line Modeling of the Fastest Rotating O-type Stars

Evolution of massive stellar triples and implications for compact object binary formation

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