Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2011-08-13
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. ApJL accepted
Scientific paper
In interacting binaries, comparison of a donor star's radial response to mass loss with the response of its Roche radius determines whether mass loss persists and, if so, determines the timescale and stability of the ensuing evolutionary phase. For giants with deep convective envelopes, the canonical description holds that once mass transfer begins it typically proceeds catastrophically on the dynamical timescale, as the star cannot lose sufficient heat in order to avoid expansion. However, we demonstrate that the local thermal timescale of the envelope's superadiabatic outer surface layer remains comparable to that of mass loss in most cases of "dynamical" mass loss. We argue therefore that if mass loss proceeds on a timescale longer than this, then even a deep convective envelope will not dramatically expand, as the surface layer will have time to relax thermally and reconstitute itself. We demonstrate that in general the polytropic approximation gives much too strict a criterion for stability, and discuss the dependence of the donor's response on its radius in addition to its core mass. In general, we find that the effective response of the donor on rapid timescales cannot be determined accurately without detailed evolutionary calculations.
Ivanova Natalia
Woods T. E.
No associations
LandOfFree
Can We Trust Models for Adiabatic Mass Loss? does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Can We Trust Models for Adiabatic Mass Loss?, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Can We Trust Models for Adiabatic Mass Loss? will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-636100