Related papers: Stellar models of evolved secondaries in CVs
Motivated by measurements of the rotation speed of accretor stars in post-mass-transfer (post-MT) systems, we investigate how magnetic braking affects the spin-down of individual stars during binary evolution with the MESAbinary module.…
I discuss population synthesis methods in the context of low-mass compact binaries. Two examples, both constraining the largely unknown strength of orbital angular momentum losses, illustrate the power and problems of such studies. For CVs,…
We present measurements of the component masses in 15 Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) - 6 new estimates and 9 improved estimates. We provide new calibrations of the relationship between superhump period excess and mass ratio, and use this…
The rotation of stars has many interesting and important consequences for the photometric and chemical evolution of galaxies. Many of the predictions of models of stellar rotation are now compared with observations of surface abundances and…
We have known for a long time that many of the measured white dwarf (WD) masses in cataclysmic variables (CVs) significantly exceed the mean mass of single WDs. This was thought to be related to observational biases, but recent…
Rotation period measurements of low-mass stars show that the spin distributions in young clusters do not exhibit the spin-up expected due to contraction, during the phase when a large fraction of stars are still surrounded by accretion…
The standard picture of CV secular evolution predicts a spike in the CV distribution near the observed short-period cutoff P_0 ~ 78 min, which is not observed. We show that an intrinsic spread in minimum (`bounce') periods P_b resulting…
The chemical enrichments detected in CEMP-$s$ stars are believed to be the consequence of a mass-transfer episode from a now extinct AGB primary star. This hypothesis is borne out by the fact that most CEMP-$s$ stars exhibit RV variations…
We show the presence of CVs with orbital periods in the range 3.5-7 h and mass ratios q=M2/M1 above the critical values for dynamically stable mass transfer. We explore whether the magnetic fields produced in the secondaries alter the…
We present follow-up spectroscopy of 21 cataclysmic variables (CVs) with evolved secondaries and ongoing or recently-terminated mass transfer. Evolutionary models predict that the secondaries should have anomalous surface abundances owing…
In recent years, ground- and space-based photometric surveys have characterized the rotational evolution of solar-like stars to an unprecedented level of detail. In this work we focus on the slow-rotator sequence, an emergent feature…
We present a binary evolution study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and related systems with white dwarf accretors, including for example, AM CVn systems, classical novae, supersoft X-ray sources, and systems with giant donor stars. Our…
We extend a magnetic braking (MB) model, which has been used earlier to address the evolution of cataclysmic variables, to address the spin period $P_\mathrm{spin}$ evolution of fully convective M dwarf (FCMD) stars. The MB mechanism is an…
We consider an alternative to the standard picture of CV and LMXB evolution, namely the idea that most CVs (and by extension LMXBs) may not yet have had time to evolve to their theoretical minimum orbital periods. We call this the Binary…
Cataclysmic variable (CVs) are close interacting binaries in which a white dwarf accretes materials from a low mass main sequence companion. CVs can experience nova eruptions due to low mass transfer rates. In the standard theory of CV…
Context. AM CVn binaries are potential progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae and strong sources of persistent gravitational wave radiation. For a long time, it has been believed that these systems cannot descend from cataclysmic variables…
This article summarizes the basic facts and ideas concerning the formation and evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). It is shown why the formation of CVs must involve huge losses of mass and orbital angular momentum, very likely via a…
We develop new angular momentum evolution models for stars with masses of $0.5$ to $1.6~\rm M_\odot$ and from the pre-main-sequence (\rm PMS) through the end of their main-sequence (\rm MS) lifetime. The parametric models include magnetic…
Short-period binary star systems dissipate orbital energy through tidal interactions that lead to tighter, more circular orbits. When at least one star in a binary has evolved off of the main sequence, orbital circularization occurs for…
Angular momentum evolution in low-mass stars is determined by initial conditions during star formation, stellar structure evolution, and the behaviour of stellar magnetic fields. Here we show that the empirical picture of angular momentum…