Revisiting atmospheric Roche lobe overflow in symbiotic binaries

Abstract

Classical binary evolution models predict dynamically unstable mass transfer in symbiotic stars with high mass ratios, leading to a common envelope. However, many observed S-type symbiotic systems show long-lived interaction, suggesting that an additional stabilizing mechanism may be at work. We investigate whether atmospheric Roche-lobe overflow can prolong the mass-transfer phase and help reconcile theory with observations. We implement the Rapid Unified Mass Transfer framework in \texttt{MESA} and compute a grid of white-dwarf--giant binaries covering a wide range of donor masses, mass ratios, and orbital periods. We then compare the resulting lifetimes and evolutionary tracks with well-constrained Galactic S-type symbiotic systems. For convective giant donors, our models recover stable mass transfer up to $q\simeq 1.5$, while atmospheric overflow strongly extends the symbiotic phase. RGB and early-AGB systems with $q\lesssim 1.5$ can remain interacting for up to $10^6$ yr at $\dot{M}\gtrsim 10^{-9},M_{\odot },{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, much longer than the commonly assumed $\sim 10^3$ yr pre-common-envelope lifetime. In these systems, the orbit shrinks mildly and may re-expand after mass-ratio reversal. Systems with higher mass ratios still evolve toward a common envelope, but even for $q\simeq 2$--$4$ the symbiotic phase can last $10^4$--$10^5$ yr. The synthetic distribution in the orbital-period--mass-ratio plane and individual evolutionary tracks are broadly consistent with observed S-type symbiotic binaries, including recurrent novae. The RUMT framework, which incorporates atmospheric RLOF, provides an explanation for the long-term stability of many symbiotic binaries and may account for their high observed occurrence rate.

28 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, 1 Appendix. Accepted for publication in A&A