Common envelope (CE) evolution is a critical but still poorly understood progenitor phase of many high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Although 3D global hydrodynamic CE simulations have become more common in recent years, those involving an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) primary are scarce, due to the high computational cost from the larger dynamical range compared to red giant branch (RGB) primaries. But CE evolution with AGB progenitors is desirable to simulate because such events are the likely progenitors of most bi-polar planetary nebulae (PNe), and prominent observational testing grounds for CE physics. Here we present a high resolution global simulation of CE evolution involving an AGB primary and $1\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ secondary, evolved for $20$ orbital revolutions. During the last $16$ of these orbits, the envelope unbinds at an almost constant rate of about $0.1$-$0.2\,\mathrm{M}_\odot\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. If this rate were maintained, the envelope would be unbound in less than $10\,\mathrm{yr}$. The dominant source of this unbinding is consistent with inspiral; we assess the influence of the ambient medium to be subdominant. We compare this run with a previous run that used an RGB phase primary evolved from the same $2\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ main sequence star to assess the influence of the evolutionary state of the primary. When scaled appropriately, the two runs are quite similar, but with some important differences.
The common envelope interaction is thought to be the gateway to all evolved compact binaries and mergers. Hydrodynamic simulations of the common envelope interaction between giant stars and their companions are restricted to the dynamical, fast, in-spiral phase. They find that the giant envelope is lifted during this phase, but remains mostly bound to the system. At the same time, the orbital separation is greatly reduced, but in most simulations it levels off? at values larger than measured from observations. We conjectured that during the post-in-spiral phase the bound envelope gas will retu…
Effect of Neutron Star Jets on Common Envelope Evolution
National Institute of Science Education and Research（印度科学教育与研究国家研究所）；Homi Bhabha National Institute（霍米·巴巴国家研究所）；University of Rochester（罗切斯特大学）；Center for Integrated Research Computing, University of Rochester（罗切斯特大学综合计算研究中心）；National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology（纽约理工学院聋人国家技术学院）；Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology（纽约理工学院计算相对论与引力中心）
We analyze a 3D hydrodynamic simulation of common envelope evolution to understand how energy is transferred between various forms and whether theory and simulation are mutually consistent given the setup. Virtually all of the envelope unbinding in the simulation occurs before the end of the rapid plunge-in phase, here defined to coincide with the first periastron passage. In contrast, the total envelope energy is nearly constant during this time because positive energy transferred to the gas from the core particles is counterbalanced by the negative binding energy from the closer proximity of…
Many stars harbour multi-planet systems. As these stars expand late in their evolutions, the innermost planet may be engulfed, leading to a common envelope (CE) event. Even if this is insufficient to eject the envelope, it may expand the star further, causing additional CE events, with the last one unbinding what remains of the envelope. This multi-planet CE scenario may have broad implications for stellar and planetary evolution across a range of systems. We develop a simplified version and show that it may be able to explain the recently observed planet WD 1856 b.
It has long been speculated that jet feedback from accretion onto the companion during a common envelope (CE) event could affect the orbital evolution and envelope unbinding process, but this conjecture has heretofore remained largely untested. We present global 3D hydrodynamical simulations of CE evolution (CEE) that include a jet subgrid model and compare them with an otherwise identical model without a jet. Our binary consists of a $2M_\odot$ red giant branch primary and a $1M_\odot$ or $0.5M_\odot$ main sequence or white dwarf secondary companion modeled as a point particle. We run the sim…
Common envelope evolution (CEE) occurs in some binary systems involving asymptotic giant branch (AGB) or red giant branch (RGB) stars, and understanding this process is crucial for understanding the origins of various transient phenomena. CEE has been shown to be highly asymmetrical and global 3D simulations are needed to help understand the dynamics. We perform and analyze hydrodynamic CEE simulations with the adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code AstroBEAR, and focus on the role of accretion onto the companion star. We bracket the range of accretion rates by comparing a model that removes mass…
We study a scenario by which a giant wide tertiary star engulfs and forces a tight binary system of a white dwarf (WD) and a main sequence (MS) star to enter a common envelope evolution (CEE) with each other, and then unbinds the WD-MS common envelope. The WD-MS binary system, now with the WD inside the MS envelope, does not have sufficient orbital energy to unbind their common envelope. However, as they approach the center of the giant star Roche lobe overflow to the core of the giant star and/or merger of the WD with the core remove a large fraction of the WD-MS common envelope or all of it.…
Common-envelope phases are decisive for the evolution of many binary systems. Of particular interest are cases with asymptotic giant branch (AGB) primary stars, because they are thought to be progenitors of various astrophysical transients. In three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with the moving-mesh code AREPO, we study the common-envelope evolution of a $1.0\,M_{\odot}$ early-AGB star with companions of different masses. Although the stellar envelope of the AGB star is less tightly bound than that of a red giant, we find that the release of orbital energy of the core binary is insuffic…
We investigate the common envelope binary interaction, that leads to the formation of compact binaries, such as the progenitor of Type Ia supernovae or of mergers that emit detectable gravitational waves. In this work we diverge from the classic numerical approach that models the dynamic in-spiral. We focus instead on the asymptotic behaviour of the common envelope expansion after the dynamic in-spiral terminates. We use the SPH code {\sc phantom} to simulate one of the setups from Passy et al., with a 0.88~\ms, 83~\rs \ RGB primary and a 0.6~\ms \ companion, then we follow the ejecta expansio…
We propose a scenario to account for the surprising orbital properties of the planet orbiting the metal poor red horizontal branch star HIP 13044. The orbital period of 16.2 days implies that the planet went through a common envelope phase inside the red giant branch (RGB) stellar progenitor of HIP 13044. The present properties of the star imply that the star maintained a substantial envelope mass of 0.3Mo, raising the question of how the planet survived the common envelope before the envelope itself was lost? If such a planet enters the envelope of an RGB star, it is expected to spiral-in to …
We propose a common envelope evolution (CEE) scenario where a red giant branch (RGB) star engulfs a planet during its core helium flash to explain the puzzling system WD 1856+534 where a planet orbits a white dwarf (WD) of mass 0.52Mo with an orbital period of 1.4 day. At the heart of the scenario is the recently proposed assumption that the vigorous convection that core helium flash of RGB stars drive in the core excite waves that propagate and deposit their energy in the envelope. Using the binary-MESA stellar evolution code we show that this energy deposition substantially reduces the bindi…
In the majority of population synthesis calculations of close binary stars, the common envelope (CE) phase is modeled using a standard prescription based upon the conservation of energy, known as the alpha prescription. In this prescription, the orbital separation of the secondary and giant core at the end of the CE phase is taken to be the orbital separation when the envelope becomes unbound. However, recent observations of planetary nebulae with binary cores (BPNe), believed to be the immediate products of CE evolution, indicate orbital periods that are significantly shorter than predicted b…
We explore a new scenario for producing stripped-envelope supernova progenitors. In our scenario, the stripped-envelope supernova is the second supernova of the binary, in which the envelope of the secondary was removed during its red supergiant phase by the impact of the first supernova. Through 2D hydrodynamical simulations, we find that $\sim$50-90$\%$ of the envelope can be unbound as long as the pre-supernova orbital separation is $\lesssim5$ times the stellar radius. Recombination energy plays a significant role in the unbinding, especially for relatively high mass systems ($\gtrsim18M_\…
We suggest that the vigorous core convection during core helium flash on the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) of low mass stars excites waves that carry energy to the envelope and inflate it for few years to increase the number of extreme horizontal branch (EHB; sdB and sdO) stars with masses of ~0.47Mo with respect to canonical binary evolution. Using the open-source MESA-binary we follow the evolution of a number of eccentric binary systems with an initial primary stellar mass of 1.6Mo. The energy that the waves carry to the envelope leads to envelope expansion at the tip of the RGB. The in…
The red-giant branch bump provides valuable information for the investigation of the internal structure of low-mass stars. Because current models are unable to accurately predict the occurrence and efficiency of mixing processes beyond convective boundaries, one can use the luminosity of the bump --- a diagnostic of the maximum extension of the convective envelope during the first-dredge up --- as a calibrator for such processes. By combining asteroseismic and spectroscopic constraints, we expand the analysis of the bump to masses and metallicities beyond those previously accessible using glob…
Shaping the horizontal branch: The role of envelope mass in the evolution of stripped core-helium-burning stars
Instituto de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de Valparaíso（瓦尔帕莱索大学物理与天文学研究所）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University（蒙纳士大学物理与天文学院）；Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery（澳大利亚研究委员会引力波发现卓越中心）
We present the discovery and characterisation of the post-common-envelope central star system in the planetary nebula PN G283.7$-$05.1. Deep images taken as part of the POPIPlaN survey indicate that the nebula may possess a bipolar morphology similar to other post-common-envelope planetary nebulae. Simultaneous light and radial velocity curve modelling reveals the newly discovered binary system to comprise a highly-irradiated, M-type main-sequence star in a 5.9 hour orbit with a hot pre-white-dwarf. The nebular progenitor is found to have a particularly low mass of around 0.4 M$_\odot$, making…
We find that single-star mechanisms for Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transients (ILOTs; Red Transients; Red Novae) which are powered by energy release in the core of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are likely to eject the entire envelope, and hence cannot explain ILOTs in AGB and similar stars. There are single-star and binary models for the powering of ILOTs, which are eruptive stars with peak luminosities between those of novae and supernovae. In single-star models the ejection of gas at velocities of ~500-1000 km/s and a possible bright ionizing flash, require a shock to propagate fr…
Diffusion of elements in the atmosphere and envelope of a star can drastically alter its surface composition, leading to extreme chemical peculiarities. We consider the case of hot subdwarfs, where surface helium abundances range from practically zero to almost 100 percent. Since hot subdwarfs can form via a number of different evolution channels, a key question concerns how the formation mechanism is connected to the present surface chemistry. A sequence of extreme horizontal branch star models was generated by producing post-common envelope stars from red giants. Evolution was computed with …
We study the evaporation of planets orbiting close to hot (extreme) horizontal branch (EHB) stars. These planets survived the common envelope phase inside the envelope of the reg giant star progenitor. We find that Jupiter-like planets orbiting within 10Ro from an EHB star suffers a non-negligible mass-loss during their 10^8 yr evolution on the horizontal branch. The evaporated gas is ionized and becomes a source of Balmer lines. Such planets might be detected by the periodic variation of the Doppler shift of the Balmer lines.
We investigate the formation of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the inner circumstellar envelopes of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars. A dynamic model for periodically shocked atmospheres, which includes an extended chemo-kinetic network, is for the first time coupled to detailed evolutionary tracks for the TP-AGB phase computed with the COLIBRI code. We carried out a calibration of the main shock parameters (the shock formation radius and the effective adiabatic index) using the circumstellar HCN abundances recently measured for a populous sample of pulsating TP-AGB stars. O…
A Helium-shell Burning Blue Horizontal Branch Star Produced from Common Envelope Evolution
Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院云南天文台）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Hebei Normal University（河北师范大学）
Observations of increasingly higher spatial resolution reveal the existence of asymmetries in the circumstellar envelopes of a small fraction of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Although there is no general consensus for their origin, a binary companion star may be responsible. Within this framework, we investigate the gravitational effects associated with a sufficiently wide binary system, where Roche lobe overflow is unimportant, on the outflowing envelopes of AGB stars using three dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. The effects due to individual binary components are separately studie…
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are evolved core helium-burning stars with very thin hydrogen envelopes. In order to form an sdB, the progenitor has to lose almost all of its hydrogen envelope right at the tip of the red giant branch. In close binary systems, mass transfer to the companion provides the extraordinary mass loss required for their formation. However, apparently single sdBs exist as well and their formation is unclear since decades. The merger of helium white dwarfs leading to an ignition of core helium-burning or the merger of a helium core and a low mass star during the common envel…
The distinguishing feature of the evolution of close binary stars is the role played by the mass exchange between the component stars. Whether the mass transfer is dynamically stable is one of the essential questions in binary evolution. In the limit of extremely rapid mass transfer, the response of a donor star in an interacting binary becomes asymptotically one of adiabatic expansion. We use the adiabatic mass loss model to systematically survey the thresholds for dynamical timescale mass transfer over the entire span of possible donor star evolutionary states. We also simulate mass loss pro…
We study the evolution of six exoplanetary systems with the stellar evolutionary code MESA and conclude that they will likely spin-up the envelope of their parent stars on the red giant branch (RGB) or later on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) to the degree that the mass loss process might become non-spherical. We choose six observed exoplanetary systems where the semi-major axis is ~1-2AU, and use the binary mode of MESA to follow the evolution of the systems. In four systems the star engulfs the planet on the RGB, and in two systems on the AGB, and the systems enter a common envelope evolut…
The Common Envelope Evolution Outcome. III. the Improvement of Stellar Binding Energy with the Envelope Residual
Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院云南天文台）；International Centre of Supernovae (ICESUN), Yunnan Key Laboratory of Supernova Research（超新星国际中心（ICESUN），云南省超新星研究重点实验室）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；Lund Observatory, Division of Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Lund University（隆德大学物理系天体物理学部隆德天文台）；Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台光学天文重点实验室）
We present a detailed study of the stellar and orbital parameters of the post-common envelope binary central star of the planetary nebula Ou~5. Low-resolution spectra obtained during the primary eclipse -- to our knowledge the first isolated spectra of the companion to a post-common-envelope planetary nebula central star -- were compared to catalogue spectra, indicating that the companion star is a late K- or early M-type dwarf. Simultaneous modelling of multi-band photometry and time-resolved radial velocity measurements was then used to independently determine the parameters of both stars as…
We conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, and show that when a secondary star launches jets while performing spiral-in motion into the envelope of a giant star, the envelope is inflated, some mass is ejected by the jets, and the common envelope phase is postponed. We simulate this grazing envelope evolution (GEE) under the assumption that the secondary star accretes mass from the envelope of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star and launches jets. In these simulations we do not yet include the gravitational energy that is released by the spiraling-in binary system. Neither do w…
The dusty envelopes of asymptotic giant branch stars with ultraviolet excesses
Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA（天体生物学中心，西班牙国家研究委员会-国家航空航天技术研究所）；Escuela de Doctorado UAM, Centro de Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid（马德里自治大学博士学校，研究生教育中心）；Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（喷气推进实验室，加州理工学院）
We study the final stages of the common envelope (CE) evolution and find that a substantial fraction of the ejected mass does not reach the escape velocity. To reach this conclusion we use a self-similar solution under simplifying assumptions. Most of the gravitational energy of a companion white dwarf (WD) is released in the envelope of a massive asymptotic giant branch (AGB) or the red giant branch (RGB) star in a very short time. This rapid energy release forms a blast wave in the envelope. We follow the blast wave propagation from the center of the AGB outwards, and show that ~1-10 per cen…
Subluminous B stars come in a variety of flavours including single stars, close and wide binaries, and pulsating and non-pulsating variables. A majority have helium-poor surfaces (helium by number nHe<1%), whilst a minority have extremely helium-rich surfaces (nHe>90%). A small number have an intermediate surface helium abundance (~ 10 - 30%), accompanied by peculiar abundances of other elements. The questions posed are i) whether these abundance peculiarities are associated with radiatively-driven and time-dependent stratification of elements within the photosphere as the star evolves from an…
An empirical view of the extended atmosphere and inner envelope of the asymptotic giant branch star R Doradus. II. Constraining the dust properties with radiative transfer modelling
K-band spectra are presented for a sample of 39 Spitzer IRS SAGE-Spec sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The spectra exhibit characteristics in very good agreement with their positions in the near infrared - Spitzer color-magnitude diagrams and their properties as deduced from the Spitzer IRS spectra. Specifically, the near infrared spectra show strong atomic and molecular features representative of oxygen-rich and carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars, respectively. A small subset of stars were chosen from the luminous and red extreme "tip" of the color magnitude diagram. These object…
One of the major puzzles in the study of stellar evolution is the formation process of bipolar and multi-polar planetary nebulae. There is growing consensus that collimated jets create cavities with dense walls in the slowly-expanding (10--20 ~km~s$^{-1}$) envelope ejected in previous evolutionary phases, leading to the observed morphologies. However, the launching of the jet and the way it interacts with the circumstellar material to create such asymmetric morphologies have remained poorly known. Here we present for the first time CO emission from the asymptotic giant branch star W43A that tr…
The model is presented of H$_2$O maser in the $1_{10}-1_{01}$ line within the first excited vibrational state of the molecule around oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars. It is suggested that the maser cloud is located in the inner layers of the circumstellar envelope where intense dust formation takes place. The calculations took into account rotational levels belonging to the five lowest vibrational states of the H$_2$O molecule. The model predicts the gain values of the 658-GHz maser about $10^{-14} -10^{-13}$ cm$^{-1}$ at H$_2$ molecule concentrations $10^9 - 10^{11}$ cm$^{-3}$ and at…
We calculate the outward energy transport time by convection and photon diffusion in an inflated common envelope and find this time to be shorter than the envelope expansion time. We conclude therefore that most of the hydrogen recombination energy ends in radiation rather than in kinetic energy of the outflowing envelope. We use the stellar evolution code MESA and inject energy inside the envelope of an asymptotic giant branch star to mimic energy deposition by a spiraling-in stellar companion. During 1.7 years the envelope expands by a factor of more than 2. Along the entire evolution the co…
We propose a scenario where a companion that is about to exit a common envelope evolution (CEE) with a giant star accretes mass from the remaining envelope outside its deep orbit and launches jets that facilitate the removal of the remaining envelope. The jets that the accretion disk launches collide with the envelope and form hot bubbles that energize the envelope. Due to gravitational interaction with the envelope, that might reside in a circumbinary disk, the companion migrates further in, but the inner boundary of the circumbinary disk continues to feed the accretion disk. While near the e…
We present the first three-dimensional gas-dynamical simulations of the grazing envelope evolution (GEE) of stars, with the goal of exploring the basic flow properties and the role of jets at the onset of the GEE. In the simulated runs, a secondary main-sequence star grazes the envelope of the primary asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. The orbit is circular at the radius of the AGB primary star on its equator. We inject two opposite jets perpendicular to the equatorial plane from the location of the secondary star, and follow the evolution for several orbital periods. We explore the flow patt…
Following the discovery of blue large-amplitude pulsators (BLAPs), single star evolu- tion models of post red giant branch stars that have undergone a common envelope (CE) ejection in the form of a high mass loss rate have been constructed and analysed for pulsation stability. The effects of atomic diffusion, particularly radiative levitation, have been examined. Two principal models were considered, being post-CE stars of 0.31 and 0.46 M$_{\odot}$. Such stars are likely, in turn, to become either low-mass helium white dwarfs or core helium-burning extreme horizontal-branch stars. The inclusio…
We investigate optical properties of amorphous alumina (Al_2O_3) dust grains in the envelopes around O-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars considering the laboratory measured optical data. We derive the optical constants of amorphous alumina in a wide wavelength range that satisfy the Kramers-Kronig relation and reproduce the laboratory measured data. Using the amorphous alumina and silicate dust, we compare the radiative transfer model results with the observed spectral energy distributions. Comparing the theoretical models with the observations on various IR two-color diagrams for a lar…
We show that substantially enhanced mass loss at periastron passages, as is expected in the grazing envelope evolution (GEE), can compensate for the circularization effect of the tidal interaction in binary systems composed of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star and a main sequence secondary star. By numerically integrating the equations of motion we show that under our assumptions the binary system can maintain its high eccentricity as the AGB star evolves toward the post-AGB phase. Our results can explain the high eccentricity of some post-AGB intermediate binaries (post-AGBIBs), i.e., tho…
We describe how the large scale geometry of the circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch stars can be used to probe the presence of unseen stellar companions. A nearby companion modifies the mass loss by gravitationally focusing the wind towards the orbital plane, and thereby determines the shape of the envelope at large distances from the star. Using available simulations, we develop a prescription for the observed shapes of envelopes in terms of the binary parameters, envelope orientation, and type of observation. The prescription provides a tool for the analysis of envelope images…
We propose that the two newly detected Earth-size planets around the hot B subdwarf star KIC 05807616 are remnant of the tidally destructed metallic core of a massive planet. A single massive gas-giant planet was spiralling-in inside the envelope of the red giant branch star progenitor of the extreme horizontal branch (EHB) star KIC 05807616. The released gravitational energy unbound most of the stellar envelope, turning it into an EHB star. The massive planet reached the tidal destruction radius of ~Ro from the core, where the planet's gaseous envelope was tidally removed. In our scenario the…
We argue that outward transport of energy by convection and photon diffusion in a common envelope evolution (CEE) of giant stars substantially reduces the fraction of the recombination energy of hydrogen and helium that is available for envelope removal. We base our estimate on the properties of an unperturbed asymptotic giant branch (AGB) spherical model, and on some simple arguments. Since during the CEE the envelope expands and energy removal by photon diffusion becomes more efficient, our arguments underestimate the escape of recombination energy. We hence strengthen earlier claims that re…
During their asymptotic giant branch, evolution low-mass stars lose a significant fraction of their mass through an intense wind, enriching the interstellar medium with products of nucleosynthesis. We observed the nearby oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch star IK Tau using the high-resolution HIFI spectrometer onboard Herschel. We report on the first detection of H_2^{16}O and the rarer isotopologues H_2^{17}O and H_2^{18}O in both the ortho and para states. We deduce a total water content (relative to molecular hydrogen) of 6.6x10^{-5}, and an ortho-to-para ratio of 3:1. These results are co…
