Spin-Orbit Couplings in X-ray Binaries

Details Spin-Orbit Couplings in X-ray Binaries Spin-Orbit Couplings in X-ray Binaries

2000-01-03

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0001014v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

6 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the NATO ASI "The Neutron Star - Black Hole Connection"

Scientific paper

We discuss the influence of tidal spin-orbit interactions on the orbital dynamics of close intermediate-mass X-ray binaries. In particular we consider here a process in which spin angular momentum of a contracting RLO donor star, in a synchronous orbit, is converted into orbital angular momentum and thus helps to stabilize the mass transfer by widening the orbit. Binaries which would otherwise suffer from dynamically unstable mass transfer (leading to the formation of a common envelope and spiral-in evolution) are thus shown to survive a phase of extreme mass transfer on a sub-thermal timescale. Furthermore, we discuss the orbital evolution prior to RLO in X-ray binaries with low-mass donors, caused by the competing effects of wind mass loss and tidal effects due to expansion of the (sub)giant.

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