Population and Spectral Synthesis: It Doesn't Work without Binaries. (2019). In G. Beccari & H. Boffin (Eds.), The Impact of Binary Stars on Stellar Evolution (Cambridge Astrophysics, pp. 307-328). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
In this chapter we discuss the population and spectral synthesis of stellar populations. We describe the method required to achieve such synthesis and discuss examples where inclusion of interacting binaries are vital to reproducing the properties of observed stellar systems. These examples include the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, massive star number counts, core-collapse supernovae and the ionising radiation from stellar populations that power both nearby HII regions and the epoch of reionization. We finally offer some speculations on the future paths of research in spectral synthesis.
LB-1 was originally suggested to harbour a very massive ($ \sim 70 M_\odot $) black hole, but was recently suggested to be a post-mass transfer binary containing a Be star and a helium (He) star. In this paper, we use the binary population synthesis method to simulate the potential population of the Be$ - $He binaries in the Milky Way. Mass transfer process during the progenitor binary evolution plays a vital role in determining the possible properties of the Be$ - $He binary population. By constructing a range of physical models with significantly different mass-transfer efficiencies, we obta…
We first give a short historical overview with some key facts of massive star population synthesis with binaries. We then discuss binary population codes and focus on two ingredients which are important for massive star population synthesis and which may be different in different codes. Population simulations with binaries is the third part where we consider the initial massive binary frequency, the RSG/WR and WC/WN and SNII/SNIbc number ratio's, the probable initial rotational velocity distribution of massive stars.
Optical observations of normal-stars in binary systems with massive unseen objects have been proposed to search for candidate black holes (BHs) and provide a direct measurement of their dynamical masses. In this paper, we have performed binary population synthesis calculations to simulate the potential population of detached binaries containing BHs and normal-star companions in the Galaxy. We focus on the influence of the BH progenitors. In the traditional model, BHs in binaries evolve from stars more massive than $ \sim25M_{\odot} $. However, it is difficult for this model to produce BH low-m…
Binary population synthesis (BPS) study provides a comprehensive way to understand evolutions of binaries and their end products. Close white dwarf (WD) binaries have crucial characteristics in examining in uence of yetunresolved physical parameters on the binary evolution. In this paper, we perform Monte Carlo BPS simulations, investigating the population of WD/main sequence (WD/MS) binaries and double WD binaries, with a publicly available binary star evolution code under 37 different assumptions on key physical processes and binary initial conditions. We considered different combinations of…
We have constructed a new code to produce synthetic spectra of stellar populations that includes massive binaries. We have tested this code against the broadband colours of unresolved young massive stellar clusters in nearby galaxies, the equivalent widths of the Red and Blue Wolf-Rayet bumps in star-forming SDSS galaxies and the UV and optical spectra of the star forming regions Tol-A and B in NGC5398. In each case we find a good agreement between our models and observations. We find that in general binary populations are bluer and have fewer red supergiants, and thus significantly less flux …
The scarcity of white dwarf-brown dwarf binaries in the solar neighbourhood: A population synthesis study
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya（加泰罗尼亚理工大学）；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya（加泰罗尼亚空间研究所）；University of Leicester（莱斯特大学）；Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学）；CSST Science Center for the Guangdong-HongKong-Macau Great Bay Area, Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学粤港澳大湾区嫦娥科学中心）；Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院云南天文台）；International Centre of Supernovae, Yunnan Key Laboratory（云南省超新星国际研究中心）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
Symbiotic X-ray binaries (SyXBs) comprise a rare class of low-mass X-ray binaries. We study the Galactic SyXBs, which we consider as detached binaries composed of low-mass giants and wind-fed neutron star companions, by simulation of the interaction of a magnetized neutron star (NS) with its environment and utilizing a population synthesis code. We focus mainly on the parameters that influence observational appearance of the SyXB: the donor wind velocity (vw) and the angular momentum distribution in the shell of matter settling onto NS. We estimate the birthrate of SyXB as $\sim 4.1\times 10^{…
Population synthesis of low-mass binaries with wind-accreting neutron stars
Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Lomonosov Moscow State University（莫斯科国立大学列昂诺夫天文研究所）；Department of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University（莫斯科国立大学物理系）
Models of binary star interactions have been successful in explaining the origin of field hot subdwarf (sdB) stars in short period systems, but longer-period systems that formed via Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) mass transfer from the present sdB to its companion have received less attention. We map sets of initial binaries into present-day binaries that include sdBs and main-sequence stars, distinguishing "observable" sdBs from "hidden" ones. We aim to find out whether (1) the existing catalogues of sdBs are sufficiently fair samples of all the kinds of sdB binaries that theory predicts; or inst…
We perform a systematic study of merging black hole (BH) binaries with compact star (CS) companions, including black hole--white dwarf (BH--WD), black hole--neutron star (BH--NS) and black hole--black hole (BH--BH) systems. Previous studies have shown that mass transfer stability and common envelope evolution can significantly affect the formation of merging BH--CS binaries through isolated binary evolution. With detailed binary evolution simulations, we obtain easy-to-use criteria for the occurrence of the common envelope phase in mass-transferring BH binaries with a nondegenerate donor, and …
Binary population synthesis is the method by which predictions of varied observables of stellar populations can be made from theoretical models of binary stellar evolution. Binary stars have many more possible evolutionary outcomes compared to single stars and the relative rates of the different pathways, such as the rates of different supernova types, depend on uncertain or poorly constrained physics. In this Chapter we describe population synthesis, outline the major uncertainties and discuss the relevant predictions for core-collapse supernovae. After we overview single star evolution we ou…
Binary interactions lead to the formation of intriguing objects, such as compact binaries, supernovae, gamma ray bursts, X-ray binaries, pulsars, novae, cataclysmic variables, hot subdwarf stars, barium stars, and blue stragglers. To study the evolution of binary populations and the consequent formation of these objects, many methods have been developed over the years, of which a robust approach named binary population synthesis (BPS) warrants special attention. This approach has seen widespread use in many areas of astrophysics, including but not limited to analyses of the stellar content of …
The first directly observed gravitational wave event, GW150914, featuring the merger of two massive black holes, highlighted the need to determine how these systems of compact remnant binaries are formed. We use the binary population synthesis code COSMIC (Compact Object Synthesis and Monte Carlo Investigation Code) to predict the types of massive stars that will show significant radial velocity variations, indicative of a potential compact object (i.e. a black hole or neutron star) orbiting the star. We "observe" the binaries generated in the populations with a similar number of epochs and RV…
We present results of a supernova light-curve population synthesis, predicting the range of possible supernova lightcurves arising from a population of progenitor stars that include interacting binary systems. We show that the known diversity of supernova lightcurves can be interpreted as arising from binary interactions. Given detailed models of the progenitor stars, we are able to the determine what parameters within these stars determine the shape of their supernova lightcurve. The primary factors are the mass of supernova ejecta and the mass of hydrogen in the final progenitor. We find tha…
Context: Subdwarf B stars (sdBs) play a crucial role in stellar evolution, asteroseismology, and far-UV radiation of early-type galaxies, and have been intensively studied with observation and theory. It has theoretically been predicted that sdBs with neutron star (NS) companions exist in the Galaxy, but none have been discovered yet. This remains a puzzle in this field. In a previous study (hereafter Paper I), we have studied the formation channels of sdB+NS binaries from main-sequence (MS) stars plus NS binaries by establishing a model grid, but it is still unclear how these binaries consist…
The neutron star low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) AX J1745.6-2901 was detected an anomalously fast decrease of orbital period. The decreasing rate of orbital period exceeds the contribution of all processes extracting angular momentum from the binary star in standard model. Using SCENARIO MACHINE code we conducted a population synthesis study of X-ray novae with neutron stars to investigate a possible formation and evolution of such binaries. Such close LMXBs should experience a preceding common envelope stage, in which the magnetic fields of the low mass main-sequence donor stars can be dramatica…
Aims. We model the present-day population of 'classical' low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with neutron star accretors, which have hydrogen-rich donor stars. Their population is compared with that of hydrogen-deficient LMXBs, known as ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs). We model the observable LMXB population and compare it to observations. Methods. We combine the binary population synthesis code SeBa with detailed LMXB evolutionary tracks to model the size and properties of the present-day LMXB population in the Galactic Bulge. Whether sources are persistent or transient, and what their instan…
Binaries that contain a hot subdwarf (sdB) star and a main sequence companion may have interacted in the past. This binary population has historically helped determine our understanding of binary stellar evolution. We have computed a grid of binary population synthesis models using different assumptions about the minimum core mass for helium ignition, the envelope binding energy, the common envelope ejection efficiency, the amount of mass and angular momentum lost during stable mass transfer, and the criteria for stable mass transfer on the red giant branch and in the Hertzsprung gap. These pa…
The formation and evolution of binary stars is a critical component of several fields in astronomy. The most numerous sources for gravitational wave observatories are inspiraling and/or merging compact binaries, while binary stars are present in nearly every electromagnetic survey regardless of the target population. Simulations of large binary populations serve to both predict and inform observations of electromagnetic and gravitational wave sources. Binary population synthesis is a tool that balances physical modeling with simulation speed to produce large binary populations on timescales of…
[abridged] Aims. We model the number and properties of ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) in the Galactic Bulge. The objective is to learn about the formation of UCXBs and their evolution, such as the onset of mass transfer and late-time behavior. Methods. The binary population synthesis code SeBa and stellar evolutionary tracks are used to model the UCXB population. The luminosity behavior of UCXBs is predicted using long-term X-ray observations of the known UCXBs and the thermal-viscous disk instability model. Results. In our model, the majority of UCXBs initially have a helium burning star…
Evolution of wide O star binaries through their LBV stage. Population synthesis with mass-ejection-driven orbital evolution
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University（上海交大李政道研究所）；London Institute for Stellar Astrophysics（伦敦恒星天体物理学研究所）；University of Oxford, St Edmund Hall（牛津大学圣埃德蒙学堂）；Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn（波恩大学阿格勒兰德尔天文学研究所）；Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院紫金山天文台）；School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University（南京大学天文与空间科学学院）；Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nanjing University, Ministry of Education（南京大学现代天文与天体物理教育部重点实验室）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University（蒙纳士大学物理与天文学院）；Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Astronomy & Astrophysics Section, DIAS Dunsink Observatory（都柏林高等研究院天文与天体物理部都柏林星象观测站）；Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik（马克斯·普朗克天体物理学研究所）
We apply population synthesis techniques to calculate the present day population of post-common envelope binaries (PCEBs) for a range of theoretical models describing the common envelope (CE) phase. Adopting the canonical energy budget approach we consider models where the ejection efficiency, $α_{\rmn{CE}}$ is either a constant, or a function of the secondary mass. We obtain the envelope binding energy from detailed stellar models of the progenitor primary, with and without the thermal and ionization energy, but we also test a commonly used analytical scaling. We also employ the alternative a…
Most massive stars are members of a binary or a higher-order stellar systems, where the presence of a binary companion can decisively alter their evolution via binary interactions. Interacting binaries are also important astrophysical laboratories for the study of compact objects. Binary population synthesis studies have been used extensively over the last two decades to interpret observations of compact-object binaries and to decipher the physical processes that lead to their formation. Here, we present POSYDON, a novel, binary population synthesis code that incorporates full stellar-structur…
Following the collapse of their cores, some of the massive binary stars that populate our Universe are expected to form merging binaries composed of black holes and neutron stars. Gravitational-wave observations of the resulting compact binaries can reveal precious details on the inner workings of the supernova mechanism and the subsequent formation of compact objects. Within the framework of the population-synthesis code MOBSE, we present the implementation of a new supernova model that relies on the compactness of the collapsing star. The model has two free parameters, namely the compactness…
By employing Monte Carlo random sampling, traditional binary population synthesis (BPS) offers a substantial improvement in efficiency over brute force, grid-based studies. Even so, BPS models typically require a large number of simulation realizations, a computationally expensive endeavor, to generate statistically robust results. Recent advances in statistical methods have led us to revisit the traditional approach to BPS. In this work we describe our publicly available code dart_board which combines rapid binary evolution codes, typically used in traditional BPS, with modern Markov chain Mo…
Population synthesis models predict that the majority of sdBs form through stable mass transfer leading to long period binaries. To date, about a hundred close short-period binaries with an sdB component have been found, but not a single long-period system has been established. We show preliminary results from our recent effort in determining orbits for a sample of long-period sdB systems using the HERMES spectrograph on the Mercator telescope.
We present a Monte Carlo population synthesis study of white dwarf-main sequence (WD+MS) binaries in the Galactic disk aimed at reproducing the ensemble properties of the entire population observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 12. Our simulations take into account all known observational biases and use the most up-to-date stellar evolutionary models. This allows us to perform a sound comparison between the simulations and the observational data. We find that the properties of the simulated and observed parameter distributions agree best when assuming low values of the co…
Focusing on the remnant black holes after merging binary black holes, we show that ringdown gravitational waves of Population III binary black holes mergers can be detected with the rate of $5.9-500~{\rm events~yr^{-1}}~({\rm SFR_p}/ (10^{-2.5}~M_\odot~{\rm yr^{-1}~Mpc^{-3}})) \cdot ({\rm [f_b/(1+f_b)]/0.33})$ for various parameters and functions. This rate is estimated for the events with SNR$>8$ for the second generation gravitational wave detectors such as KAGRA. Here, ${\rm SFR_p}$ and ${\rm f_b}$ are the peak value of the Population III star formation rate and the fraction of binaries, re…
Population synthesis of Be X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Angular momentum recycling and stable mass transfer
Universität Heidelberg（海德堡大学）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）；University of Padova（帕多瓦大学）；Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)（格兰萨索科学研究所）；INFN, Sezione di Padova（意大利国家核物理研究所帕多瓦分部）；University of Amsterdam（阿姆斯特丹大学）；Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学）
The recent detection of gravitational waves has proven the existence of massive stellar black hole binaries (BBHs), but the formation channels of BBHs are still an open question. Here, we investigate the demography of BBHs by using our new population-synthesis code MOBSE. MOBSE is an updated version of the widely used binary population-synthesis code BSE (Hurley et al. 2000, Hurley et al. 2002) and includes the key ingredients to determine the fate of massive stars: up-to-date stellar wind prescriptions and supernova models. With MOBSE, we form BBHs with total mass up to $\sim{}120$ M$_\odot$ …
As the evolutionary link between the radio millisecond pulsars (MSPs) and the low mass X-ray binaries or intermediate mass X-ray binaries, the millisecond X-ray pulsars (MSXPs) are important objects in testing theories of pulsar formation and evolution. In general, neutron stars in MSXPs can form via core collapse supernova (CC channel) of massive stars or accretion induced collapse (AIC channel) of an accreting ONeMg WD whose mass reaches the Chandrasekhar limit. Here, in addition to CC and AIC channels we also consider another channel, i.e., evolution induced collapse (EIC channel) of a heli…
In the population synthesis simulations of Pop III stars, many BH (Black Hole)-BH binaries with merger time less than the age of the Universe $(τ_{\rm H})$ are formed, while NS (Neutron Star)-BH binaries are not. The reason is that Pop III stars have no metal so that no mass loss is expected. Then, in the final supernova explosion to NS, much mass is lost so that the semi major axis becomes too large for Pop III NS-BH binaries to merge within $τ_{\rm H}$. However it is almost established that the kick velocity of the order of $200-500{\rm~ km~s^{-1}}$ exists for NS from the observation of the …
Detached white dwarf + main sequence (WD+MS) systems represent the simplest population of post-common envelope binaries (PCEBs). Since the ensemble properties of this population carries important information about the characteristics of the common-envelope (CE) phase, it deserves close scrutiny. However, most population synthesis studies do not fully take into account the effects of the observational selection biases of the samples used to compare with the theoretical simulations. Here we present the results of a set of detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the population of WD+MS binaries in th…
The number of binaries containing black holes or neutron stars depends critically on the fraction of binaries that survive supernova explosions. We searched for surviving star plus remnant binaries in a sample of 49 supernova remnants (SNR) containing 23 previously identified compact remnants and three high mass X-ray binaries (HMXB), finding no new interacting or non-interacting binaries. The upper limits on any main sequence stellar companion are typically <0.2Msun and are at worst <3Msun. This implies that f<0.1 of core collapse SNRs contain a non-interacting binary, and f=0.083 (0.032<f<0.…
Using the StarTrack binary population synthesis code we model the population of double neutron stars in the Galaxy. We include a detailed treatment of the spin evolution of each pulsar due to processes such as spin-down and spin-up during accretion events as well as magnetic field decay. We also model the spatial distribution of double neutron stars by including their natal kicks and subsequent propagation in the Galactic gravitational potential. This synthetic pulsar population is compared to the observed sample of double neutron stars taking into account the selection effects of detection in…
We analyze the distinguishability of populations of coalescing binary neutron stars, neutron-star black-hole binaries, and binary black holes, whose gravitational-wave signatures are expected to be observed by the advanced network of ground-based interferometers LIGO and Virgo. We consider population-synthesis predictions for plausible merging binary distributions in mass space, along with measurement accuracy estimates from the main gravitational-wave parameter-estimation pipeline. We find that for our model compact-object binary mass distribution, we can always distinguish binary neutron sta…
The Galactic population of close white dwarf binaries is expected to provide the largest number of gravitational wave sources for low frequency detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Current data analysis techniques have demonstrated the capability of resolving on the order of $10^4$ white dwarf binaries from a 2 year observation. Resolved binaries are either at high frequencies or large amplitudes. Such systems are more likely to be high-mass binaries, a subset of which will be progenitors of SNe Ia in the double degenerate scenario. We report on results of a study o…
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are understood to be the final fate for a subset of massive, stripped envelope, rapidly rotating stars. Beyond this, our knowledge of the progenitor systems is limited. Using the BPASS (Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis) stellar evolution models, we investigate the possibility that some massive stars in binaries can maintain the angular momentum required for jet production, while still loosing their outer envelope through winds or binary interactions. We find that a total hydrogen mass of less than 0.0005 Msun and a helium ejecta mass fraction of le…
The cosmic merger rate density of black hole binaries (BHBs) can give us an essential clue to constraining the formation channels of BHBs, in light of current and forthcoming gravitational wave detections. Following a Monte Carlo approach, we couple new population-synthesis models of BHBs with the Illustris cosmological simulation, to study the cosmic history of BHB mergers. We explore six population-synthesis models, varying the prescriptions for supernovae, common envelope, and natal kicks. In most considered models, the cosmic BHB merger rate follows the same trend as the cosmic star format…
Here we present CAFein, a new computational tool for investigating radiative dissipation of dynamic tides in close binaries and of non-adiabatic, non-radial stellar oscillations in isolated stars in the linear regime. For the latter, CAFein computes the non-adiabatic eigenfrequencies and eigenfunctions of detailed stellar models. The code is based on the so-called Riccati method, a numerical algorithm that has been successfully applied to a variety of stellar pulsators, and which doesn't suffer of the major drawbacks of commonly used shooting and relaxation schemes. Here we present an extensio…
The aim of this review is to describe the nature, formation and evolution of the three kinds of high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) population: i. systems hosting Be stars (BeHMXBs), ii. systems accreting the stellar wind of supergiant stars (sgHMXBs), and iii. supergiant stars overflowing their Roche lobe. There are now many new observations, from the high-energy side (mainly from the INTEGRAL satellite), complemented by multi-wavelength observations (mainly in the optical, near and mid-infrared from ESO facilities), showing that a new population of supergiant HMXBs has been recently revealed. New …
The Collapsar model, in which a massive star (greater than 20 solar masses) fails to produce a SN and forms a BH, provides the main framework for understanding long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) and the accompanying hypernovae (HN). However, single massive-star models that explain the population of pulsars, predict cores that rotate too slowly to produce GRBs/HNe. We present a model of binary evolution that allows the formation of Kerr black holes (BH) where the spin of the BH can be estimated from the pre-collapse orbit, and use the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) mechanism to estimate the available energy fo…
The maximum mass of black holes formed in isolated binaries is determined by stellar winds and the interactions between the binary components. We consider for the first time fully self-consistent detailed stellar structure and binary evolution calculations in population-synthesis models and a new, qualitatively different picture emerges for the formation of black-hole binaries, compared to studies employing rapid population synthesis models. We find merging binary black holes can form with a non-negligible rate ($\sim 4\times10^{-7}\,M_\odot^{-1}$) at solar metallicity. Their progenitor stars …
Blue stragglers have been found in all populations. These objects are important in both stellar evolution and stellar population synthesis. Much evidence shows that blue stragglers are relevant to primordial binaries. Here, we summarize the links of binary evolution and blue stragglers, describe the characteristics of blue stragglers from different binary evolutionary channels, and show their consequences for binary population synthesis, such as for the integrated spectral energy distribution, the colour-magnitude diagram, the specific frequency, and the influences on colours etc..
Eclipsing binaries serve as a valuable source of stellar masses and radii that inform stellar evolutionary models and provide insight into additional astrophysical processes. The exquisite light curves generated by space-based missions such as Kepler offer the most stringent tests to date. We use the Kepler light curve of the 4.8-day eclipsing binary KIC 5739896 with ground based optical spectra to derive fundamental parameters for the system. We reconstruct the component spectra to determine the individual atmospheric parameters, and model the Kepler photometry with the binary synthesis code …
Be X-ray binaries (BeXRBs) consist of rapidly rotating Be stars with neutron star companions accreting from the circumstellar emission disk. We compare the observed population of BeXRBs in the Small Magellanic Cloud with simulated populations of BeXRB-like systems produced with the COMPAS population synthesis code. We focus on the apparently higher minimal mass of Be stars in BeXRBs than in the Be population at large. Assuming that BeXRBs experienced only dynamically stable mass transfer, their mass distribution suggests that at least 30% of the mass donated by the progenitor of the neutron st…
Context. An important ingredient in binary evolution is the common-envelope (CE) phase. Although this phase is believed to be responsible for the formation of many close binaries, the process is not well understood. Aims. We investigate the characteristics of the population of post-common-envelope binaries (PCEB). As the evolution of these binaries and their stellar components are relatively simple, this population can be directly used to constraint CE evolution. Methods. We use the binary population synthesis code SeBa to simulate the current-day population of PCEBs in the Galaxy. We incorpor…
We carry out a systematic study of the response of companion stars in massive binaries after being impacted by supernova ejecta. A total of 720 1D stellar evolution calculations are performed to follow the inflation and contraction of the star in response to the energy injection and how it depends on various parameters. We find that the maximum luminosity achieved during the inflated phase is only dependent on the stellar mass and we derive an analytic formula to describe the relation. There is also a tight correlation between the duration of expansion and the intersected energy. These correla…
