Constraints on Common Envelope Ejection from Double Helium White Dwarfs

Abstract

Double helium white dwarfs (He WDs) are a type of gravitational wave source and are greatly important in studies of binary interaction, particularly in common envelope (CE) ejection physics. Most double He WDs with mass ratios of q ∼ 1 are formed through a particular channel. In this channel, one He WD is initially produced from a red giant (RG) with a degenerate core via stable Roche lobe overflow, and another He WD is formed from an RG with a degenerate core via CE ejection. They may have significant implications for binary evolution processes but have not received specific studies, especially for the CE phase. This paper adopts a semianalytic method and a detailed stellar evolution simulation to model the formation of double He WDs. We find that most double He WDs show mass ratios slightly greater than 1, and their orbital period–mass ratio relations are broadly consistent with observations. There is also a relation between the mass ratios and progenitor masses of the He WDs produced via CE ejection for double He WDs with determined WD masses. Based on this relation, the mass of the He WD progenitor can be inferred from the mass ratio. Then, the CE ejection efficiency can be constrained with the orbital period. In addition, we constrain the CE ejection efficiency for two double He WDs, J1005-2249 and WD0957-666. The results show that the CE ejection efficiencies increase with the WD progenitor masses.

Keywords

• Binary stars
• Common envelope evolution
• White dwarf stars