Common Envelope Evolution of Massive Stars. (arXiv:1811.03656v1 [astro-ph.SR])

Common Envelope Evolution of Massive Stars. (arXiv:1811.03656v1 [astro-ph.SR])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ricker_P/0/1/0/all/0/1">Paul M. Ricker</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Timmes_F/0/1/0/all/0/1">Frank X. Timmes</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Taam_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ronald E. Taam</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Webbink_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ronald F. Webbink</a>

The discovery via gravitational waves of binary black hole systems with total
masses greater than $60M_odot$ has raised interesting questions for stellar
evolution theory. Among the most promising formation channels for these systems
is one involving a common envelope binary containing a low metallicity, core
helium burning star with mass $sim 80-90M_odot$ and a black hole with mass
$sim 30-40M_odot$. For this channel to be viable, the common envelope binary
must eject more than half the giant star’s mass and reduce its orbital
separation by as much as a factor of 80. We discuss issues faced in numerically
simulating the common envelope evolution of such systems and present a 3D AMR
simulation of the dynamical inspiral of a low-metallicity red supergiant with a
massive black hole companion.

The discovery via gravitational waves of binary black hole systems with total
masses greater than $60M_odot$ has raised interesting questions for stellar
evolution theory. Among the most promising formation channels for these systems
is one involving a common envelope binary containing a low metallicity, core
helium burning star with mass $sim 80-90M_odot$ and a black hole with mass
$sim 30-40M_odot$. For this channel to be viable, the common envelope binary
must eject more than half the giant star’s mass and reduce its orbital
separation by as much as a factor of 80. We discuss issues faced in numerically
simulating the common envelope evolution of such systems and present a 3D AMR
simulation of the dynamical inspiral of a low-metallicity red supergiant with a
massive black hole companion.

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