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Register a new userOn the formation and evolution of the first Be star in a black hole binary MWC 656
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We find that the formation of MWC 656 (the first Be binary containing a black hole) involves a common envelope phase and a supernova explosion. This result supports the idea that a rapidly rotating Be star can emerge out of a common envelope phase, which is very intriguing because this evolutionary stage is thought to be too fast to lead to significant accretion and spin up of the B star. We predict $sim 10-100$ of B BH binaries to currently reside in the Galactic disk, among which around $1/3$ contain a Be star, but there is only a small chance to observe a system with parameters resembling MWC 656. If MWC 656 is representative of intrinsic Galactic Be BH binary population, it may indicate that standard evolutionary theory needs to be revised. This would pose another evolutionary problem in understanding BH binaries, with BH X-ray Novae formation issue being the prime example. The future evolution of MWC 656 with a $sim 5$ M$_{odot}$ black hole and with a $sim 13$ M$_{odot}$ main sequence companion on a $sim 60$ day orbit may lead to the formation of a coalescing BH-NS system. The estimated Advanced LIGO/Virgo detection rate of such systems is up to $sim 0.2$ yr$^{-1}$. This empirical estimate is a lower limit as it is obtained with only one particular evolutionary scenario, the MWC 656 binary. This is only a third such estimate available (after Cyg X-1 and Cyg X-3), and it lends additional support to the existence of so far undetected BH--NS binaries.
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In this work we study the formation of the first two black hole-neutron star (BHNS) mergers detected in gravitational waves (GW200115 and GW200105) from massive stars in wide isolated binary systems - the isolated binary evolution channel. We use 560 BHNS binary population synthesis model realizations from Broekgaarden et al. (2021a) and show that the system properties (chirp mass, component masses and mass ratios) of both GW200115 and GW200105 match predictions from the isolated binary evolution channel. We also show that most model realizations can account for the local BHNS merger rate densities inferred by LIGO-Virgo. However, to simultaneously also match the inferred local merger rate densities for BHBH and NSNS systems we find we need models with moderate kick velocities ($sigmalesssim 10^2,rm{km},rm{s}^{-1}$) or high common-envelope efficiencies ($alpha_{rm{CE}}gtrsim 2$) within our model explorations. We conclude that the first two observed BHNS mergers can be explained from the isolated binary evolution channel for reasonable model realizations.
Context: MWC 656 has recently been established as the first observationally detected high-mass X-ray binary system containing a Be star and a black hole (BH). The system has been associated with a gamma-ray flaring event detected by the AGILE satellite in July 2010. Aims: Our aim is to evaluate if the MWC 656 gamma-ray emission extends to very high energy (VHE > 100 GeV) gamma rays. Methods. We have observed MWC 656 with the MAGIC telescopes for $sim$23 hours during two observation periods: between May and June 2012 and June 2013. During the last period, observations were performed contemporaneously with X-ray (XMM-Newton) and optical (STELLA) instruments. Results: We have not detected the MWC 656 binary system at TeV energies with the MAGIC Telescopes in either of the two campaigns carried out. Upper limits (ULs) to the integral flux above 300 GeV have been set, as well as differential ULs at a level of $sim$5% of the Crab Nebula flux. The results obtained from the MAGIC observations do not support persistent emission of very high energy gamma rays from this system at a level of 2.4% the Crab flux.
Using TESS photometry and Rozhen spectra of the Be/gamma-ray binaries MWC 148 and MWC 656, we estimate the projected rotational velocity ($ {v} sin i$), the rotational period (P$_{rm rot}$), radius (R$_{rm 1}$), and inclination ($i$) of the mass donor. For MWC 148 we derive P$_{rm rot} = 1.10 pm 0.03$~d, R$_{rm 1}= 9.2 pm 0.5$~R$_odot$, $i = 40^circ pm 2^circ$, and $ {v} sin i =272 pm 5$~km~s$^{-1}$. For MWC 656 we obtain P$_{rm rot} = 1.12 pm 0.03$~d, R$_{rm 1}= 8.8 pm 0.5$~R$_odot$, $i = 52^circ pm 3^circ$, and $ {v} sin i =313 pm 3$~km~s$^{-1}$. For MWC 656 we also find that the rotation of the mass donor is coplanar with the orbital plane.
We review the main physical processes that lead to the formation of stellar binary black holes (BBHs) and to their merger. BBHs can form from the isolated evolution of massive binary stars. The physics of core-collapse supernovae and the process of common envelope are two of the main sources of uncertainty about this formation channel. Alternatively, two black holes can form a binary by dynamical encounters in a dense star cluster. The dynamical formation channel leaves several imprints on the mass, spin and orbital properties of BBHs.
We aim to study the progenitor properties and expected rates of the two lowest-mass binary black hole (BH) mergers, GW 151226 and GW 170608, detected within the first two Advanced LIGO-Virgo runs, in the context of the isolated binary-evolution scenario. We use the public MESA code, which we adapted to include BH formation and unstable mass transfer developed during a common-envelope (CE) phase. Using more than 60000 binary simulations, we explore a wide parameter space for initial stellar masses, separations, metallicities, and mass-transfer efficiencies. We obtain the expected distributions for the chirp mass, mass ratio, and merger time delay by accounting for the initial stellar binary distributions. Our simulations show that, while the progenitors we obtain are compatible over the entire range of explored metallicities, they show a strong dependence on the initial masses of the stars, according to stellar winds. All the progenitors follow a similar evolutionary path, starting from binaries with initial separations in the $30-200~R_odot$ range, experiencing a stable mass transfer interaction before the formation of the first BH, and a second unstable mass-transfer episode leading to a CE ejection that occurs either when the secondary star crosses the Hertzsprung gap or when it is burning He in its core. The CE phase plays a fundamental role in the considered low-mass range: only progenitors experiencing such an unstable mass-transfer phase are able to merge in less than a Hubble time. We find integrated merger-rate densities in the range $0.2-5.0~{rm yr}^{-1}~{rm Gpc}^{-3}$ in the local Universe for the highest mass-transfer efficiencies explored. The highest rate densities lead to detection rates of $1.2-3.3~{rm yr}^{-1}$, being compatible with the observed rates. A high CE-efficiency scenario with $alpha_{rm CE}=2.0$ is favored when comparing with observations. ABRIDGED.
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