We study evolution of a hierarchical four-body (2+2) system composed by a pair of mass-transferring white dwarf binaries. Applying a simplified model around the synchronous state of two inner orbital periods, we newly find that the four body system could settle down to a limit cycle with a small period gap. The period gap generates an amplitude variation of emitted gravitational waves, as a beat effect. Depending on model parameters, the beat period could be 1-10 yr and a large amplitude variation might be observed by space gravitational-wave detectors.
We study the evolution and gravitational wave emission of white dwarf -- black hole accreting binaries with a semi-analytical model. These systems will evolve across the mHz gravitational wave frequency band and potentially be detected by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We identify new universal relations for this class of binaries, which relate the component masses to the gravitational wave frequency and its first derivative. Combined with the high precision measurements possible with LISA, these relations could allow us to infer the component masses and the luminosity distance…
We explore the formation of mass-transferring binary systems containing black holes within globular clusters. We show that it is possible to form mass-transferring black hole binaries with main sequence, giant, and white dwarf companions with a variety of orbital parameters in globular clusters spanning a large range in present-day properties. All mass-transferring black hole binaries found in our models at late times are dynamically created. The black holes in these systems experienced a median of $\sim 30$ dynamical encounters within the cluster before and after acquiring the donor. Furtherm…
We explore the population of mass-transferring binaries ejected from globular clusters (GCs) with both black hole (BH) and neutron star (NS) accretors. We use a set of 137 fully evolved globular cluster models which span a large range in cluster properties and, overall, match very well the properties of old GCs observed in the Milky Way. We identify all binaries ejected from our set of models that eventually undergo mass-transfer. These binaries are ejected from their host clusters over a wide range of ejection times and include white dwarf, giant, and main sequence donors. We calculate the or…
Context: Several binary systems hosting massive stars present gamma-ray emission. In most of these systems, despite detailed observational information being available, the nature and the structure of the emitter are still poorly known. Aims: We investigate the validity of the so-called one-zone approximation for the high-energy emitter in binary systems hosting a massive star. In particular, the case of LS 5039 is considered. Methods: Assuming a point-like emitter at rest, the presence of a nearby massive star, and the observed MeV and GeV fluxes as a reference, a non-thermal leptonic model is…
Pulsar winds interacting with sources of external pressure are well-established as efficient and prolific TeV accelerators in our Galaxy. Yet, enabled by observations from Fermi-LAT, a growing class of non-accreting pulsars in binaries has emerged and these are likely to become apparent as TeV emitters in the CTA era. This class consists of the black widows and redbacks, binaries in which a millisecond pulsar interacts with its low-mass companion. In such systems, an intrabinary shock can form as a site of particle acceleration and associated nonthermal emission. We motivate why these sources …
Dynamical interactions that take place between objects in dense stellar systems lead to frequent formation of exotic stellar objects, unusual binaries, and systems of higher multiplicity. They are most important for the formation of binaries with neutron stars and black holes, which are usually observationally revealed in mass-transferring binaries. Here we review the current understanding of compact object's retention, of the metallicity dependence on the formation of low-mass X-ray binaries with neutron stars, and how mass-transferring binaries with a black hole and a white dwarf can be form…
We explore the long-term evolution of mass-transferring white dwarf binaries undergoing both direct-impact and disk accretion and explore implications of such systems to gravitational wave astronomy. We cover a broad range of initial component masses and show that these systems, the majority of which lie within the LISA sensitivity range, exhibit prominent negative orbital frequency evolution (chirp) for a significant fraction of their lifetimes. Using a galactic population synthesis, we predict ~$2700$ double white dwarfs will be observable by LISA with negative chirps less than $-0.1\ yr^{-2…
Close stellar binaries are prone to undergo a phase of stable mass transfer in which a star loses mass to its companion. Assuming that the donor star loses mass along the instantaneous interstellar axis, we derive the orbit-averaged equations of motion describing the evolution of the donor rotational angular momentum vector (spin) which accompanies the transfer of mass. We consider: (i) a model in which the mass transfer rate is constant within each orbit and (ii) a phase-dependent rate in which all mass per orbit is lost at periapsis. In both cases, we find that the ejection of $\gtrsim 30$ p…
We demonstrate a method to fully characterize mass-transferring double white dwarf (DWD) systems with a helium-rich (He) WD donor based on the mass--radius relationship for He WDs. Using a simulated Galactic population of DWDs, we show that donor and accretor masses can be inferred for up to $\sim\, 60$ systems observed by both Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and Gaia. Half of these systems will have mass constraints $Δ\,M_{\rm{D}}\lesssim0.2M_{\odot}$ and $Δ\,M_{\rm{A}}\lesssim2.3\,M_{\odot}$. We also show how the orbital frequency evolution due to astrophysical processes and gravit…
In the Galaxy, close binaries with compact objects are important low-frequency gravitational wave (GW) sources. As potential low-frequency GW sources, neutron star/white dwarf (WD) ultra-compact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) have been investigated extensively. Using the MESA code, we systematically explored the evolution of black hole (BH)-main sequence star (MS) binaries to diagnose whether their descendants can be detected by space-borne GW detectors. Our simulations show that BH-MS binaries with an initial orbital period less than the bifurcation period can evolve into BH UCXBs that can be detecte…
In dense stellar systems, dynamical interactions between objects lead to frequent formation of exotic stellar objects, unusual binaries, and systems of higher multiplicity. They are especially important for the formation of low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), which are not only formed 100 times more efficiently than in the field, but also have a puzzling dependence on metallicity. In this contribution we review how compact objects are formed and retained, the mechanisms of dynamical formation and the specifics of the evolution of mass-transferring binaries with neutron stars and black holes in gl…
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 …
High-mass binaries hosting young pulsars can be powerful gamma-ray emitters. The stellar wind of the massive star in the system is expected to be clumpy. Since the high-energy emission comes from the pulsar-star wind interaction, the presence of clumps can affect the spectrum and variability of this radiation. We look for the main effects of the clumps on the two-wind interaction region and on the non-thermal radiation. A simple analytical model for the two-wind interaction dynamics was developed accounting for the lifetime of clumps under the pulsar-wind impact. This time plays a very importa…
A new model for the continuum spectra of AM CVn binaries and multi-messenger inference with normalizing flows
University of Manitoba(曼尼托巴大学);Winnipeg Institute for Theoretical Physics(温尼伯理论物理研究所);University of Texas Rio Grande Valley(德克萨斯大学里奥格兰德河谷分校);South Texas Space Science Institute(南德克萨斯空间科学研究所);Carnegie Mellon University(卡内基梅隆大学);Texas Tech University(德克萨斯理工大学);Flatiron Institute(平顿研究所)
The evolution and stability of mass transfer of CO+He WD binaries are not well understood. Observationally they may emerge as AM CVn binaries and are important gravitational wave (GW) emitters. In this work, we have modeled the evolution of double WD binaries with accretor masses of $0.50 - 1.30\;M_{\odot}$ and donor masses of $0.17\; - 0.45\;M_{\odot}$ using the detailed stellar evolution code MESA. We find that the evolution of binaries with same donor masses but different accretor masses is very similar and binaries with same accretor masses but larger He donor masses have larger maximum ma…
We present the discovery of the second binary with a Roche lobe-filling hot subdwarf transferring mass to a white dwarf (WD) companion. This 56 minute binary was discovered using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility. Spectroscopic observations reveal an He-sdOB star with an effective temperature of $T_{\rm eff}=33,700\pm1000$ K and a surface gravity of $log(g)=5.54\pm0.11$. The GTC+HiPERCAM light curve is dominated by the ellipsoidal deformation of the He-sdOB star and shows an eclipse of the He-sdOB by an accretion disk as well as a weak eclipse of the WD. We infer a He-sdOB mass of $M_{\r…
Binary evolution predicts a population of helium core (M < 0.5 Msol) white dwarfs (WDs) that are slowly accreting hydrogen-rich material from low mass main sequence or brown dwarf donors with orbital periods less than four hours. Four binaries are presently known in the Milky Way that will reach such a mass-transferring state in a few Gyr. Despite these predictions and observations of progenitor binaries, there are still no secure cases of helium core WDs among the mass-transferring cataclysmic variables (CVs). This led us to calculate the fate of He WDs once accretion begins at a rate Mdot < …
Binary systems that harbor a non-accreting pulsar are efficient non-thermal emitters, from radio to gamma rays. This broadband emission is thought to come from the region where the companion star and pulsar winds collide. A paradigmatic example of this source type is PSR B1259$-$63. Whereas the high-energy radiation probes the shock structure at the binary scale, the radio emission is produced well outside the system, in regions where the shocked stellar and pulsar winds are likely mixing due to hydrodynamical instabilities. Understanding the evolution of the shocked flow depends strongly on a…
We present a population study of low- and intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with neutron star accretors, performed using the detailed 1D stellar evolution code MESA. We identify all plausible Roche-lobe overflowing binaries at the start of mass transfer, and compare our theoretical mass transfer tracks to the population of well-studied Milky Way LMXBs. The mass transferring evolution depends on the accepted magnetic braking (MB) law for angular momentum loss. The most common MB prescription ("Skumanich MB") originated from observations of the time-dependence of rotational braking of Sun…
We present the results of the XMM-Newton observations of five hard X-ray emitters: IGR J08262-3736, IGR J17354-3255, IGR J16328-4726, SAX J1818.6-1703, and IGR J17348-2045. The first source is a confirmed supergiant high mass X-ray binary, the following two are candidates supergiant fast X-ray transients, SAX J1818.6-1703 is a confirmed supergiant fast X-ray transient and IGR J17348-2045 is one of the still unidentified objects discovered with INTEGRAL. The XMM-Newton observations permitted the first detailed soft X-ray spectral and timing study of IGR J08262-3736 and provided further support …
Exploring the evolution of gravitational-wave emitters with efficient emulation: Constraining the origins of binary black holes using normalising flows
Pulsar timing arrays are sensitive to gravitational waves from supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries at orbital separations of << 1pc. There is currently an observational paucity of such systems, although they are central figures in studies of galaxy evolution, merger dynamics, and active nucleus formation. We review the prospects of detecting SMBH binaries through electromagnetic radiative processes thought to be associated with galaxy mergers and late-stage binary evolution. We then discuss the scientific goals of joint pulsar timing and electromagnetic studies of these systems, including …
We report on CTIO/NEWFIRM and CTIO/OSIRIS photometric and spectroscopic observations of 20 new X-ray (0.5-10 keV) emitters discovered in the Norma Arm Region Chandra Survey (NARCS). NEWFIRM photometry was obtained to pinpoint the near-infrared counterparts of NARCS sources, while OSIRIS spectroscopy was used to help identify 20 sources with possible high mass X-ray binary properties. We find that (1) two sources are WN8 Wolf-Rayet stars, maybe in colliding wind binaries, part of the massive star cluster Mercer 81; (2) two are emission-line stars, possibly in X-ray binaries, that exhibit near- …
We study the tidal excitation of gravity modes (g-modes) in compact white dwarf binary systems with periods ranging from minutes to hours. As the orbit of the system decays via gravitational radiation, the orbital frequency increases and sweeps through a series of resonances with the g-modes of the white dwarf. At each resonance, the tidal force excites the g-mode to a relatively large amplitude, transferring the orbital energy to the stellar oscillation. We calculate the eigenfrequencies of g-modes and their coupling coefficients with the tidal field for realistic non-rotating white dwarf mod…
The nature of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remains enigmatic. Highly energetic radio pulses of millisecond duration, FRBs are observed with dispersion measures consistent with an extragalactic source. A variety of models have been proposed to explain their origin. One popular class of theorized FRB progenitor is the coalescence of compact binaries composed of neutron stars and/or black holes. Such coalescence events are strong gravitational-wave emitters. We demonstrate that measurements made by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave observatories can be leveraged to severely constrain the validity…
XSS J12270-4859 is the only low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) with a proposed persistent gamma-ray counterpart in the Fermi-LAT domain, 2FGL 1227.7-4853. Here, we present the results of the analysis of recent INTEGRAL observations, aimed at assessing the long-term variability of the hard X-ray emission, and thus the stability of the accretion state. We confirm that the source behaves as a persistent hard X-ray emitter between 2003 and 2012. We propose that XSS J12270-4859 hosts a neutron star in a propeller state, a state we investigate in detail, developing a theoretical model to reproduce the ass…
Neutron star binaries, which are among the most promising sources for the direct detection of gravitational waves (GW) by ground based detectors, are also potential electromagnetic (EM) emitters. Gravitational waves will provide a new window to observe these events and hopefully give us glimpses of new astrophysics. In this paper, we discuss how EM information of these events can considerably improve GW parameter estimation both in terms of accuracy and computational power requirement. And then in return how GW sky localization can help EM astronomers in follow-up studies of sources which did …
Multimessenger observations may hold the key to learn about the most energetic sources in the universe. The recent construction of large scale observatories opened new possibilities in testing non thermal cosmic processes with alternative probes, such as high energy neutrinos and gravitational waves. We propose to combine information from gravitational wave detections, neutrino observations and electromagnetic signals to obtain a comprehensive picture of some of the most extreme cosmic processes. Gravitational waves are indicative of source dynamics, such as the formation, evolution and intera…
Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) are a distinct class of X-ray binaries transferring mass from a donor star to a compact star accretor, a white dwarf. They constitute a laboratory for accretion physics, mechanisms and disk theory together with dynamics of outflows and interaction with surrounding medium. Our understanding of the X-ray emission from CVs has shown substantial improvement in the last decade with the instruments on board present X-ray telescopes. We have a better understanding of the boundary layers and the accretion shocks using high sensitivity instruments and/or grating X-ray spectr…
The final aim of this paper is to expand the sparse group of X-ray binaries with gamma-ray counterparts as laboratories to study high-energy processes under physical conditions that periodically repeat. A follow-up of a candidate system has been carried out. We applied both photometric and spectroscopic techniques in the optical domain together with a period analysis using the phase dispersion minimization and CLEAN methods. A tentative period search was also conducted in the gamma-ray domain. Our main result is having established the binary nature of the optical star and X-ray emitter HD 3191…
We present a large parameter study where we investigate the structure of white dwarf (WD) merger remnants after the dynamical phase. A wide range of WD masses and compositions are explored and we also probe the effect of different initial conditions. We investigated the degree of mixing between the WDs, the conditions for detonations as well as the amount of gas ejected. We find that systems with lower mass ratios have more total angular momentum and as a result more mass is flung out in a tidal tail. Nuclear burning can affect the amount of mass ejected. Many WD binaries that contain a helium…