Related papers: CV and LMXB Population Synthesis
Using improved, up-to-date stellar input physics tested against observations of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs we calculate the secular evolution of low-mass donor CVs, including those which form with a brown dwarf donor star. Our models…
We have carried out an extensive population synthesis study of the ensemble properties of the present-day population of cataclysmic variables (PDCVs) that takes into account the nuclear evolution of high-mass donors close to the bifurcation…
Be X-ray binaries (BeXRBs) are key laboratories to constrain binary interaction processes such as mass transfer, angular-momentum transport, and natal kicks. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), hosting a nearly complete and well-characterized…
Self-lensing (SL) in binary systems has the potential to provide a unique observational window into the Galactic population of compact objects. Using the $\mathtt{startrack}$ and COSMIC population synthesis codes, we investigate how…
AM Her variables -- synchronised magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) -- exhibit a different period distribution from other CVs across the period gap. We show that non-AM Her systems may infiltrate the longer-period end of the period gap if…
The predicted and observed space density of cataclysmic variables (CVs) have been for a long time discrepant by at least an order of magnitude. The standard model of CV evolution predicts that the vast majority of CVs should be period…
We compare the rotation rate of neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with the orbital period of the binaries. We find that, while short orbital period LMXBs span a range of neutron star rotation rates, all the long period LMXBs…
Symbiotic X-ray binaries (SyXBs) comprise a rare class of low-mass X-ray binaries. We study the Galactic SyXBs, which we consider as detached binaries composed of low-mass giants and wind-fed neutron star companions, by simulation of the…
[abridged] Aims. We model the number and properties of ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) in the Galactic Bulge. The objective is to learn about the formation of UCXBs and their evolution, such as the onset of mass transfer and late-time…
We consider evolutionary models for the population of short-period (<10 hr) low-mass black-hole binaries (LMBHB) and compare them with observations of soft X-ray transients (SXT). Evolution of LMBHB is determined by nuclear evolution of the…
The motion of neutron stars (NSs) in the Galaxy is largely dependent on natal kicks received by the NSs during supernova explosions. Thus, the measured peculiar velocities of NS high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) provide valuable clues to…
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…
We consider evolutionary models for the population of short-period (<10 hr) low-mass black-hole binaries (LMBHBs) and compare them with observations of soft X-ray transients (SXTs). We show that assuming strongly reduced magnetic braking…
We report on the impact of a probabilistic prescription for compact remnant masses and kicks on massive binary population synthesis. We find that this prescription populates the putative mass gap between neutron stars and black holes with…
I review our current understanding of the evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). I first provide a brief introductory "CV primer", in which I describe the physical structure of CVs, as well as their astrophysical significance. The main…
Angular momentum loss through magnetic braking drives the spin-down of low-mass stars and the orbital evolution of various close binary systems. Current theories for magnetic braking, often calibrated for specific types of systems, predict…
Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with neutron stars show quite different features which depend on the rate of mass transfer from the donor star. With a high transfer rate the Z sources are in a persistent soft spectral state, with a moderate…
I discuss the case for an efficient orbital braking mechanism in CVs, and the effect of nova outbursts on the observed range of mass transfer rates. I review the continuing problem that models have in interpreting the short-period cut-off…
In dense stellar systems, dynamical interactions between objects lead to frequent formation of exotic stellar objects, unusual binaries, and systems of higher multiplicity. They are especially important for the formation of low mass X-ray…
This work investigates the possible supernova kick velocities imposed on HMXB systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Comparisons are made between the location of such systems and the locations of young, stellar clusters on the premise that…