Monte Carlo simulations of post-common-envelope white dwarf + main sequence binaries: The effects of including recombination energy

Abstract

Detached WD+MS PCEBs are perhaps the most suitable objects for testing predictions of close-compact binary-star evolution theories, in particular, CE evolution. The population of WD+MS PCEBs has been simulated by several authors in the past and compared with observations. However, most of those predictions did not take the possible contributions to the envelope ejection from additional sources of energy (mostly recombination energy) into account. Here we update existing binary population models of WD+MS PCEBs by assuming that a fraction of the recombination energy available within the envelope contributes to ejecting the envelope. We performed Monte Carlo simulations of 10^7 MS+MS binaries for 9 different models using standard assumptions for the initial primary mass function, binary separations, and initial-mass-ratio distribution and evolved these systems using the publicly available BSE code. Including a fraction of recombination energy leads to a clear prediction of a large number of long orbital period (>~10 days) systems mostly containing high-mass WDs. The fraction of systems with He-core WD primaries increases with the CE efficiency and the existence of very low-mass He WDs is only predicted for high values of the CE efficiency (>~0.5). All models predict on average longer orbital periods for PCEBs containing C/O-core WDs than for PCEBs containing He WDs. This effect increases with increasing values of both efficiencies. Longer periods after the CE phase are also predicted for systems containing more massive secondary stars. The initial-mass-ratio distribution affects the distribution of orbital periods, especially the distribution of secondary star masses. Our simulations, in combination with a large and homogeneous observational sample, can provide constraints on the values of the CE efficiencies, as well as on the initial-mass-ratio distribution for MS+MS binary stars.

11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

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