arXiv subjects

Ph. Podsiadlowski

Publications and source records attributed to Ph. Podsiadlowski.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

On the Population of Wind-Accreting Neutron Stars in the Galaxy

We explore the possibility that neutron stars accreting from the winds of main-sequence stellar companions account for a significant fraction of low-luminosity, hard X-ray sources (L_X <~ 10^35 ergs/s; 1-10 keV) in the Galaxy. This work was motivated by recent Chandra observations of the Galactic center by Wang et al. (2002). Our calculations indicate that many of the discrete X-ray sources detected in this survey may be wind-accreting neutron stars, and that many more may be discovered with deeper X-ray observations. We propose that an infrared observing campaign be undertaken to search for the stellar counterparts of these X-ray sources.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Massive Star Mergers: Induced Mixing and Nucleosynthesis

We study the nucleosynthesis and the induced mixing during the merging of massive stars inside a common envelope. The systems of interest are close binaries, initially consisting of a massive red supergiant and a main-sequence companion of a few solar masses. We apply parameterized results based on hydrodynamical simulations to model the stream-core interaction and the response of the star in a standard stellar-evolution code. Preliminary results are presented illustrating the possibility of unusual nucleosynthesis and post-merging dredge-up which can cause composition anomalies in the supergiant's envelope.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Hydrodynamical Simulations of the Stream-Core Interaction in the Slow Merger of Massive Stars

We present detailed simulations of the interaction of a stream emanating from a mass-losing secondary with the core of a massive supergiant in the slow merger of the two stars inside a common envelope. The dynamics of the stream can be divided into a ballistic phase, starting at the L_1 point, and a hydrodynamical phase where the stream interacts strongly with the core. Considering the merger of a 1 and 5Msun star with a 20Msun evolved supergiant, we present two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations using the PROMETHEUS code to demonstrate how the penetration depth and post-impact conditions depend on the initial properties of stream material (e.g. entropy, angular momentum, stream width) and the properties of the core (e.g. density structure and rotation rate). Using these results, we present a fitting formula for the entropy generated in the stream--core interaction and a recipe for the determination of the penetration depth based on a modified Bernoulli integral.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

A New Class of High-Mass X-ray Binaries: Implications for Core Collapse and Neutron-Star Recoil

We investigate an interesting new class of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with long orbital periods (P_orb > 30 days) and low eccentricities (e <~ 0.2). The orbital parameters suggest that the neutron stars in these systems did not receive a large impulse, or ``kick,'' at the time of formation. We develop a self-consistent phenomenological picture wherein the neutron stars born in the observed wide HMXBs receive only a small kick (<~ 50 km/s), while neutron stars born in isolation, in the majority of low-mass X-ray binaries, or in many of the well-known HMXBs with P_orb <~ 30 days receive the conventional large kicks, with a mean speed of ~ 300 km/s. We propose that the magnitude of the natal kick to a neutron star born in a binary system depends on the rotation rate of the pre-collapse core. We further suggest that the rotation rate of the core is a strong, well-defined function of the evolutionary path of the progenitor star.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Formation of the Black Hole in Nova Scorpii

Israelian et al. (1999) showed that the stellar companion of the black-hole binary Nova Sco is polluted with material ejected in the supernova that accompanied the formation of the black-hole primary. Here we systematically investigate the implications of these observations for the black-hole formation process. Using a variety of supernova models, including both standard as well as hypernova models (for different helium-star masses, explosion energies, and explosion geometries) and a simple model for the evolution of the binary and the pollution of the secondary, we show that most of the observed abundance anomalies can be explained for a large range of model parameters (apart from the abundance of Ti). The best models are obtained for He star masses of 10 to 16 Msun, where spherical hypernova models are generally favoured over standard supernova ones. Aspherical hypernova models also produce acceptable fits, provided there is extensive lateral mixing. All models require substantial fallback and that the fallback material either reached the orbit of the secondary or was mixed efficiently with material that escaped. The black hole therefore formed in a two-step process, where the initial mass of the collapsed remnant was increased substantially by matter that fell back after the initial collapse. This may help to explain the high observed space velocity of Nova Sco either because of a neutrino-induced kick (if a neutron star was formed first) or by asymmetric mass ejection in an asymmetric supernova explosion.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Cataclysmic Variables with Evolved Secondaries and the Progenitors of AM CVn Stars

We present the results of a systematic study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and related systems, combining detailed binary-population synthesis (BPS) models with a grid of 120 binary evolution sequences calculated with a Henyey-type stellar evolution code. In these sequences, we used 3 masses for the white dwarf (0.6, 0.8, 1.0 Msun) and seven masses for the donor star in the range of 0.6-1.4 Msun. The shortest orbital periods were chosen to have initially unevolved secondaries, and the longest orbital period for each secondary mass was taken to be just longer than the bifurcation period (16 - 22 hr), beyond which systems evolve towards long orbital periods. These calculations show that systems which start with evolved secondaries near the end or just after their main-sequence phase become ultra-compact systems with periods as short as 7 min. These systems are excellent candidates for AM CVn stars. Using a standard BPS code, we show how the properties of CVs at the beginning of mass transfer depend on the efficiency for common-envelope (CE) ejection and the efficiency of magnetic braking. In our standard model, where CE ejection is efficient, some 10 per cent of all CVs have initially evolved secondaries (with a central hydrogen abundance X_c < 0.4) and ultimately become ultra-compact systems (implying a Galactic birthrate for AM CVn-like stars of 10^{-3} yr^{-1}). Almost all CVs with orbital periods longer than 5 hr are found to have initially evolved or relatively massive secondaries. We show that their distribution of effective temperatures is in good agreement with the distribution of spectral types obtained by Beuermann et al. (1998).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Common-Envelope Evolution: the Nucleosynthesis in Mergers of Massive Stars

We study the merging of massive stars inside a common envelope for binary systems consisting of a red supergiant with a mass of 15-20 Msun and a main-sequence companion of 1-5 Msun. We are particularly interested in the stage when the secondary, having overfilled its Roche lobe inside the common envelope, starts to transfer mass to the core of the primary at a very high mass-transfer rate and the subsequent nucleo-synthesis in the core-impact region. Using a parametrized model for the structure of the envelope at this stage, we perform 2-dimensional hydrodynamical calculations with the Munich Prometheus code to calculate the dynamics of the stream emanating from the secondary and its impact on the core of the primary. We find that, for the lower end of the estimated mass-transfer rate, low-entropy, hydrogen-rich material can penetrate deep into the primary core where nucleosynthesis through the hot CNO cycle can take place and that the associated neutron exposure may be sufficiently high for significant s-processing. For mass-transfer rates at the high end of our estimated range and higher densities in the stream, the stream impact can lead to the dredge-up of helium, but the neutron production is too low for significant s-processing.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Cygnus X-2: the Descendant of an Intermediate-Mass X-Ray Binary

The X-ray binary Cygnus X-2 (Cyg X-2) has recently been shown to contain a secondary that is much more luminous and hotter than is appropriate for a low-mass subgiant. We present detailed binary-evolution calculations which demonstrate that the present evolutionary state of Cyg X-2 can be understood if the secondary had an initial mass of around 3.5 M_sun and started to transfer mass near the end of its main-sequence phase (or, somewhat less likely, just after leaving the main sequence). Most of the mass of the secondary must have been ejected from the system during an earlier rapid mass-transfer phase. In the present phase, the secondary has a mass of around 0.5 M_sun with a non-degenerate helium core. It is burning hydrogen in a shell, and mass transfer is driven by the advancement of the burning shell. Cyg X-2 therefore is related to a previously little studied class of intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (IMXBs). We suggest that perhaps a significant fraction of X-ray binaries presently classified as low-mass X-ray binaries may be descendants of IMXBs and discuss some of the implications.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

The outburst radial velocity curve of X-Ray Nova Scorpii 1994 (=GRO J1655--40)

We present a reanalysis of the outburst radial velocity data for X-Ray Nova Scorpii 1994. Using a model based on X-ray heating of the secondary star we suggest a more realistic treatment of the radial velocity data. Solutions are obtained in the (K_2,q) plane which, when combined with the published value for the binary mass ratio and inclination, constrain the mass of the black hole to within the region 4.1<M_1<6.6 Msun (90 per cent confidence), which is significantly lower than the value obtained by Orosz & Bailyn (1997). This reduced lower bound for the black hole mass together with the high space velocity of the system is consistent with the idea that it was formed by the post-supernova collapse of a neutron star.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1994

The Effects of High-Velocity Supernova Kicks on the Orbital Properties and Sky Distributions of Neutron Star Binaries

We systematically investigate the effects of high supernova kick velocities on the orbital parameters of post-supernova neutron-star binaries. Using Monte- Carlo simulations, we determine the post-supernova distributions of orbital parameters for progeneitors of HMXBs and LMXBs. With the recent distribution of pulsar birth velocities by Lyne & Lorimer (1994), only about 27% of massive systems remain bound after the supernova, of which about 26% immediately experience dynamical mass transfer and possibly merge to become Thorne-Zytkow objects. The correlations between various orbital parameters can be compared with observational samples to yield information about supernova kick velocities and pre-supernova orbital-period distributions. After the supernova, the spins of most stars in massive systems have large inclinations with respect to their orbital axes, and a significant fraction of systems (about 20%) contain stars with retrograde spins. In the case of low-mass companions, we find that about 19% of systems remain bound after the supernova, of which about 57% experience immediate dynamical mass transfer. There is a tight correlation between the eccentricity and the post-supernova orbital period in LMXB progeneitors. All LMXBs with post-supernova periods longer than a few days initially have large eccentricities (e.g. Cir X-1 is discussed in this context). We use the results of these calculations to simulate the sky distributions of HMXBs and LMXBs. The simulated distributions agree with observed samples. Most importantly, the distribution of Galactic LMXBs is consistent with an ordinary Galactic disk population which has been widened because of large supernova kicks and does not require a special population of progenitors.

astro-ph↗