The Binding Energy Parameter for Common Envelope Evolution

Abstract

The binding energy parameter $\lambda$ plays a vital role in common envelope evolution. Though it is well known that $\lambda$ takes different values for stars with different masses and varies during stellar evolution, it has been erroneously adopted as a constant in most of the population synthesis calculations. We have systematically calculated the values of $\lambda$ for stars of masses $1-60M_{\odot }$ by use of an updated stellar evolution code, taking into account contribution from both gravitational energy and internal energy to the binding energy of the envelope. We adopt the criterion for the core-envelope boundary advocated by \citet{Ivanova2011}. A new kind of $\lambda$ with the enthalpy prescription is also investigated. We present fitting formulae for the calculated values of various kinds of $\lambda$, which can be used in future population synthesis studies.

10 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, to appear in RAA

References in corpus (1)

• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA)

Cited by in corpus (19)

• Luminous Red Novae: population models and future prospects
• Population Synthesis of Black Hole Binaries with Normal-Star Companions: I. Detached Systems
• On the role of supernova kicks in the formation of Galactic double neutron star systems
• Circumbinary discs for stellar population models
• Stellar Core-Merger-Induced Collapse: New Formation Pathways for Black Holes, Thorne-$\dot{\mathrm{Z}}$ytkow objects, Magnetars and Superluminous Supernovae
• Origin of Spin-Orbit Misalignments: The Microblazar V4641 Sgr
• Monte Carlo population synthesis on massive star binaries: Astrophysical implications for gravitational wave sources
• Formation and Evolution of Ultraluminous X-ray Pulsar Binaries to Pulsar-Neutron Star and Pulsar-White Dwarf Systems
• Formation of Mass-gap Black Holes from Neutron Star X-ray Binaries with Super-Eddington Accretion
• Formation constraints indicate a black-hole accretor in 47 Tuc X9
• Population synthesis of accreting white dwarfs: Rates and evolutionary pathways of H and He novae
• A Population of Neutron Star Ultraluminous X-ray Sources with A Helium Star Companion
• Astrophysics with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
• On the Formation of GW190521-like Binary Black Hole Merger Systems
• The depletion of the red supergiant envelope radiative zone during common envelope evolution
• Aluminium-26 production in low- and intermediate-mass binary systems
• Gravitational Lensing of Gravitational Waves from Astrophysical Sources: Theory, Detection, and Applications
• On Neutron Star Natal Kicks in High-Mass X-Ray Binaries: Insights from Population Synthesis
• Viability of novae as sources of Galactic lithium