Nordhaus
First Name
Jason
Middle Initial
T
Last Name
Nordhaus
Department
Science and Mathematics
Scholarship Year
2025
Research Center
Non-Center Based
Scholarship Type
Journal Paper
Contributors List
E. Wilson, J. Nordhaus, M. Richmond, N. Noughani
Project Title
Light curve models of convective common envelopes
Start Date - Month
December
Start Date - Year
2024
End Date Anticipated - Month
September
End Date Anticipated - Year
2025
End Date Actual - Month
September
End Date Actual - Year
2025
Review Types
Refereed
Student Assistance
Graduate
Projected Cost
$0.00
Funding Source
Grant
Resulting Product
Refereed Paper
Citation

Noughani, N., et al. "Light curve models of convective common envelopes." New Astronomy 122. (2025): 14. Web. £

Abstract

Common envelopes are thought to be the main method for producing tight binaries in the universe as the orbital period shrinks by several orders of magnitude during this phase. Despite their importance for various evolutionary channels, direct detections are rare, and thus observational constraints on common envelope physics are often inferred from post-CE populations. Population constraints suggest that the CE phase must be highly inefficient at using orbital energy to drive envelope ejection for low-mass systems and highly efficient for high-mass systems. Such a dichotomy has been explained by an interplay between convection, radiation and orbital decay. If convective transport to the surface occurs faster than the orbit decays, the CE self-regulates and radiatively cools. Once the orbit shrinks such that convective transport is slow compared to orbital decay, a burst occurs as the release of orbital energy can be far in excess of that required to unbind the envelope. With the anticipation of first light for the Rubin Observatory, we calculate light curve models for convective common envelopes and provide the time evolution of apparent magnitudes for the Rubin filters. Convection imparts a distinct signature in the light curves and lengthens the timescales during which they are observable. Given Rubin limiting magnitudes, convective CEs should be detectable out to distances of ∼ 8 Mpc at a rate of ∼ 0.1 day−1 and provide an intriguing observational test of common envelope physics.

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