Post-common envelope binaries from SDSS - XVI. Long orbital period systems and the energy budget of common envelope evolution
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Virtually all close compact binary stars are formed through common envelope (CE) evolution. It is generally accepted that during this crucial evolutionary phase a fraction of the orbital energy is used to expel the envelope. However, it is unclear whether additional sources of energy, such as the recombination energy of the envelope, play an important role. Here we report the discovery of the second and third longest orbital period post-common envelope binaries (PCEBs) containing white dwarf (WD) primaries, i.e. SDSS J121130.94−024954.4 ( d) and SDSS J222108.45+002927.7 ( d), reconstruct their evolutionary history and discuss the implications for the energy budget of CE evolution. We find that, despite their long orbital periods, the evolution of both systems can still be understood without incorporating recombination energy, although at least small contributions of this additional energy seem to be likely. If recombination energy significantly contributes to the ejection of the envelope, more PCEBs with relatively long orbital periods ( d) harbouring massive WDs () should exist.
Institutions: University of Valparaíso, University of Warwick, Keele University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, National Observatory of Athens, European Southern Observatory, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica
Awards: Astrophysics at Keele: the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets., Project support for the Wide Area Search for Planets, G4787892139, Project support for WASP (Keele), supplement., G6675224407, REU Site: Plant Genome Research, Warwick Astronomy and Astrophysics Rolling Grant 2011-2016
OpenAlex ID: W2120100441