arXiv subjects

Shi Jia

Publications and source records attributed to Shi Jia.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Helium-shell Burning Blue Horizontal Branch Star Produced from Common Envelope Evolution

Observationally, blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars are defined as hot stars occupying a characteristic region between the extreme blue horizontal branch and RR Lyrae variables in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Most of them are interpreted as stripped core-helium-burning stars, but the role of binary interaction in their formation remains unclear. Here, we report the discovery of a metal-rich BHB star in a 0.82628-day binary system (Feige 64) comprising a $0.35\pm0.03\,M_{\odot}$ BHB star and a likely $1.26\pm0.17\,M_{\odot}$ white dwarf (WD). The BHB star has an effective temperature of $15{,}524\pm310$ K and a luminosity of $39.7\pm4.1\,L_{\odot}$. Stellar evolution modelling indicates that it is a helium-shell-burning star produced through the common-envelope channel, retaining a hydrogen-rich envelope that is more massive than previously thought for low-mass stars. This finding provides direct evidence for binary interaction in the formation of BHB stars, offering a fresh perspective on interpreting this emerging population.

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arXiv2026

A Path to Constraints on Common Envelope Ejection in Massive Binaries: Full Evolutionary Reconstruction of Three Black Hole X-ray Binaries

The massive binary common envelope (CE) phase plays a pivotal role in the formation of close black hole/neutron star (BH/NS) binaries, yet significant uncertainties remain in our understanding of this process. In this study, we aim to constrain the massive binary CE phase by systematically reconstructing three observed BH X-ray binaries (BHXBs): GRO J1655-40, SAX J1819.3-2525, and 4U 1543-47. Through comprehensive binary evolution simulations and parametric supernova (SN) modeling, we establish lower limits for the CE efficiency parameters under different energy considerations within the standard energy formalism. Specifically, we derive minimum values for three cases: $\alpha_{\rm 0.5U}$ and $\alpha_{\rm U}$ representing CE efficiencies with half and all of the internal energy contributing to the envelope ejection, respectively, and $\alpha_{\rm H}$ accounting for the envelope's enthalpy. Our analysis reveals that the self-consistent formation of these three BHXBs requires CE efficiency parameters satisfying: $\alpha_{\rm 0.5U}\gtrsim 6.7$, $\alpha_{\rm U}\gtrsim 4.2$ and $\alpha_{\rm H}\gtrsim 1.7$. Notably, we find no viable solutions with CE efficiency values below unity, even when considering the most extreme scenarios in which the envelope binding energy is significantly reduced through enthalpy inclusion. {Our results strongly imply that either additional energy sources are required, or the formalism itself must be revised.} Furthermore, we quantitatively assess the impact of BH natal kicks on our results. A key finding is that 4U 1543-47's formation requires substantial natal kicks ($\gtrsim 50 \;\rm km/s$), as lower kick velocities are incompatible with isolated binary evolution.

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arXiv2025

Formation of Be stars via wind accretion: Case study on Black hole + Be star binaries

Be stars are rapidly rotating main-sequence (MS) stars that play a crucial role in understanding stellar evolution and binary interactions. In this letter, we propose a new formation scenario for black hole (BH) + Be star binaries (hereafter BHBe binaries), where the Be star is produced through the Wind Roche Lobe Overflow (WRLOF) mechanism. Our analysis is based on numerical simulations of the WRLOF process in massive binaries, building upon recent theoretical work. We demonstrate that the WRLOF model can efficiently form BHBe binaries under reasonable assumptions on stellar wind velocities. Using rapid binary population synthesis, we estimate the population of such systems in the Milky Way, predicting approximately $\sim$ {1800-3200} currently existing BHBe binaries originating from the WRLOF channel. These systems are characterized by high eccentricities and exceptionally wide orbits, with typical orbital periods exceeding 1000 days and a peak distribution around $\sim$10000 days. Due to their long orbital separations, these BHBe binaries are promising targets for future detection via astrometric {and interferometric} observations.

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arXiv2025

Evolution Models of CO WD -- AGB Star Merger Remnants

Common envelope evolution is a critical but still poorly understood phase in binary evolution. It plays a key role in forming close binaries such as hot subdwarfs, double white dwarfs, X-ray binaries, and double neutron stars. However, its outcomes remain highly uncertain. Depending on the efficiency of envelope ejection, a system may either survive as a close binary or undergo a complete merger. In this work, we investigate the post merger evolution of systems where a CO WD mergers with the core of an AGB star. A grid of merger remnant models with various core and envelope masses is constructed. At the onset of evolution, the CO core contracts and undergoes off-center carbon ignition, producing an inwardly propagating carbon flame. For remnants with relatively low mass of CO core, the flame phase is followed by core contraction and subsequent H-shell burning. For more massive CO cores, the carbon flame reaches the center and is soon followed by off-center neon burning, which is expected to eventually lead to core-collapse supernovae. The merger remnants occupy nearly the same region on HR diagram as ordinary AGB or super-AGB stars, exhibiting similar surface properties. Although their surface abundance may differ slightly from those of normal AGB stars depending on the initial core and envelope masses, these differences are strongly reduced once mass-loss is taken into account. We suggest that some giant-like stars, including candidates for Thorne-Zytkow objects (e.g., HV 2112), might alternatively be explained as AGB-WD merger remnants.

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arXiv2025

Orbital Parameters of 665 Double-lined Spectroscopic Binaries in the LAMOST Medium-Resolution Survey

The period, mass ratio, eccentricity, and other orbital parameters are fundamental for investigating binary star evolution. However, the number of binaries with known orbital parameters remains limited. Utilizing the LAMOST-MRS survey, we derived orbital solutions for 665 SB2 binaries by fitting the radial velocities of 1119 SB2 systems with at least six observations, employing a modified version of Thejoker optimized for SB2 binaries. To ensure the reliability of the results, four selection criteria were applied: reduced chi-square, normalized mean absolute error, maximum phase gap, and RV distribution metric. After applying these criteria, 665 reliable orbits were retained. Comparison with Kepler, TESS, and ZTF light curve data shows excellent agreement, with discrepancies in some cases attributed to shorter pulsation periods observed in light curves. Additionally, good consistency is found between our periods and those of SB1 systems in Gaia data. These orbital solutions contribute to understanding binary star evolution and the statistical properties of binary populations.

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arXiv2025

Detection of Ubiquitous Circumbinary Matter in Hot Subdwarfs Formed from Common-Envelope Ejections

The formation of compact binary systems is largely driven by their evolution through a common envelope (CE) phase, crucial for understanding phenomena such as type Ia supernovae and black hole mergers. Despite their importance, direct observational evidence for CE material has been elusive due to the transient nature of these envelopes. Numerical simulations suggest that some envelope material may persist post-ejection. In this study, we investigate circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding hot subdwarf (sdB) stars, focusing on material ejected during the CE phase of binary evolution. We analyze Ca II K absorption lines in 727 sdB candidates from the LAMOST-LRS survey, selecting 145 stars with strong absorption features, indicating the presence of CSM. We compare the velocities of the Ca II K lines with the systemic velocities of sdB binaries, confirming that the material originates from ejected common-envelope material. The results show that the CSM persists long after the CE event, suggesting the formation of a stable, long-lived circumstellar environment around sdB stars. This study enhances our understanding of the role of CSM in post-CE evolution and provides new insights into the physical processes shaping the evolution of sdB binaries.

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arXiv2024

The Impact-driven Atmospheric Loss of Super-Earths around Different Spectral Type Host Stars

The planet's mass loss is important for the planet's formation and evolution. The radius valley (RV) is believed to be triggered by evaporation-induced mass loss. As an alternative mechanism for the RV, the mass loss of post-impact planets is thoroughly investigated in this work. The impact energy is converted to the planet's internal energy, enhancing its core energy and accelerating mass loss and orbital migration. As the host star changes from K-type to F-type, the planet's mass loss and orbital migration increase. When the initial gas-to-core mass ratio (GCR) is small, the migration efficiency for planets around K-type stars will increase, which helps to suppress mass loss and retain the planet's mass and radius within a specific range. On the contrary, planets around more massive F-type stars experience more substantial mass loss, potentially leading to complete mass loss, and migrate to orbits with longer periods. Our calculation shows that planets around different spectral types of host stars give rise to an RV ranging from 1.3-2.0 $R_{\oplus}$, consistent with the observed range of 1.3-2.6 $R_{\oplus}$. Despite the presence of uncertain parameters, the planetesimal impact can promote the RV establishment for planets around host stars of different spectral types.

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arXiv2023

Ohmic dissipation during the formation of super-Earth

Super-Earth population, as one of the representatives of exoplanets, plays an important role in constraining the planet formation theories. According to the prediction from core-accretion models, super-Earths should be rare because their masses are in the range of the critical mass above which they would grow to be gas giants by runaway gas accretion. In this work, we investigate the effect of ohmic dissipation on the planetary thermal structure and cooling contraction as planets accrete gas from their surrounding disks. We find that the extra heating energy from Ohmic heating deposited into planetary envelopes can push the planetary radiative-convective boundaries inward and prevent the planets from cooling, and can even halt accretion. We explore parameter space to study the dependence of cooling timescale on the input parameters of the ohmic-dissipation model. Numerical results show that gas accretion can be halted before runaway gas accretion and the envelope mass is only several percent of planetary core mass for some parameter sets. Our results suggest that ohmic dissipation is a potential mechanism to delay the gas accretion and promote the formation of super-Earths. Future observations may help to constrain the importance of ohmic dissipation on the super-Earth formation.

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arXiv2020

Three New Late-type Hypervelocity Star Candidates from Gaia DR2 with Refined Selection Criteria

Several dozen hypervelocity star (HVS) candidates have been reported based on the second data release of Gaia (Gaia DR2). However, it has been proven that the radial velocities of some Gaia HVS candidates are not reliable. In this paper, we employ refined astrometric criteria to re-examine Gaia DR2, arriving at a more reliable sample of HVS and high velocity star candidates than those found by previous authors.We develop a method called Binary Escape Probability Analysis to identify some HVS candidates. This method allows us to work with stars having only two epochs of measured radial velocity. These stars were usually discarded in previous similar studies. A scrutiny of our final results sheds light on selection effects present in our studies, which we propose to be the focus of future studies. In total, we find three late-type (2 G-type and 1 K-type) HVS and 21 high velocity star candidates, 3 and 11 of which are new, respectively. Judging by their historical trajectories, which we calculate, all three HVS candidates could not have had Galactic center origins. Further monitoring is required to confirm their status.

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arXiv2019

High Velocity Runaway Binaries from Supernovae in Triple Systems

Recent studies on hypervelocity stars (HVSs) have generated a need to understand the high velocity limits of binary systems. If runaway binary systems with high movement speeds well in excess of 200km/s were to exist, it would have implications on how HVS candidates are selected, and our current understanding of how they form needs to be reinforced. In this paper, we explore the possibility that such high velocity runaway binaries (HVRBs) can be engendered by supernova explosions of the tertiary in close hierarchical triple systems. We find that such explosions can lead to significant remnant binary velocities, and demonstrate via constraining the velocity distribution of such HVRBs that this mechanism can lead to binaries with centre of mass velocities of 350 km/s or more, relative to the original centre of mass of the progenitor triple system. This translates into potential observations of binaries with velocities high enough to escape the Galaxy, once the Galactic rotational velocity and objects of Large Magellanic Cloud origins are considered.

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arXiv2018

Disruption of a planet spiralling into its host star

The processes leading deformation and destruction of planets spiraling into the convective envelope of their host stars are described. The planet is compressed by the ram pressure, and deformed into a flattened shape for which a quantitative model is developed. Compression increases the planet's density contrast with the envelope and its gravitational binding energy. This increases the survivability especially of gas planets. An estimate is given for the depth of disruption by ram pressure, and for the subsequent fragmentation of the remnants. We show how the debris of rocky or iron planets, instead of mixing through the convection zone, sinks below the base of the convection zone. The time scale of the entire sequence of events is of the order of a few orbital times of the planet. If spiral-in of (partly) icy, rocky or iron planets has happened to the pre-main sequence Sun, it could account for the higher opacity below the base of the convection zone as inferred from helioseismology.

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arXiv2016

Instability of mass transfer in a planet-star system

We show that the angular momentum exchange mechanism governing the evolution of mass transferring binary stars does not apply to Roche-lobe filling planets, because most of the angular momentum of the mass transferring stream is absorbed by the host star. Apart from a correction for the difference in specific angular momentum of the stream and the centre of mass of the planet, the orbit does not expand much on Roche-lobe overflow. We explore the conditions for dynamically unstable Roche-lobe overflow as a function of planet mass and mass and radius (age) of host star and equation of state of planet. For a Sun-like host, gas giant planets in a range of mass and entropy can undergo dynamical mass transfer. Examples of the evolution of the mass transfer process are given. Dynamic mass transfer of rocky planets depend somewhat sensitively on equation of state used. Silicate planets in the range $1 M_{\oplus} <M_{\mathrm{p}} < 10 M_{\oplus} $ typically go through a phase of dynamical mass transfer before settling to slow overflow when their mass drops to less than $1 M_{\oplus}$.

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