Common Envelope Wind Tunnel: Range of Applicability and Self-similarity in Realistic Stellar Envelopes
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Common envelope evolution, the key orbital tightening phase of the traditional formation channel for close binaries, is a multistage process that presents many challenges to the establishment of a fully descriptive, predictive theoretical framework. In an approach complementary to global 3D hydrodynamical modeling, we explore the range of applicability for a simplified drag formalism that incorporates the results of local hydrodynamic "wind tunnel" simulations into a semi-analytical framework in the treatment of the common envelope dynamical inspiral phase using a library of realistic giant branch stellar models across the low, intermediate, and high-mass regimes. In terms of a small number of key dimensionless parameters, we characterize a wide range of common envelope events, revealing the broad range of applicability of the drag formalism as well its self-similar nature across mass regimes and ages. Limitations arising from global binary properties and local structural quantities are discussed together with the opportunity for a general prescriptive application for this formalism.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 77 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 899 |
Issue number | 1 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISSN | 0004-637X |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 14 Aug 2020 |
- Binary stars, Common envelope binary stars, Close binary stars, Common envelope evolution, Stellar evolution, Late stellar evolution, Stellar interiors, HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS, EVOLUTION, ENERGY, STAR, COMPANION, EJECTION, OBJECTS, EVENTS
Research areas
ID: 248185885