Formation of Recycled Pulsars in Common Envelope Binaries
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866917189340102656 |
|---|---|
| author | Nie, Yu-Dong Shao, Yong He, Jian-Guo Wei, Ze-Lin Gao, Shi-Jie Xu, Xiao-Jie Li, Xiang-Dong |
| author_facet | Nie, Yu-Dong Shao, Yong He, Jian-Guo Wei, Ze-Lin Gao, Shi-Jie Xu, Xiao-Jie Li, Xiang-Dong |
| contents | We present a systematic study of the evolution of low- and intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (L/IMXBs) consisting of a $1.4\,M_{\odot}$ neutron star (NS) and a donor star of mass $1-8\,M_{\odot}$. Using grids of detailed MESA simulations, we show that for donor masses of $2-8\,M_{\odot}$, mass transfer may be dynamically unstable, leading to a common envelope (CE) phase. By adopting CE ejection efficiencies in the range $α_{\rm CE} = 0.3-3.0$, we find that post-CE binaries frequently experience a CE decoupling phase (CEDP), which plays a critical role in determining their final orbital and compositional properties. Systems with initial donor masses $\gtrsim 3.5\,M_{\odot}$ predominantly evolve into NS binaries with carbon-oxygen or oxygen-neon white dwarfs (WDs) with masses between $0.5\,M_{\odot}$ and $1.4\,M_{\odot}$. Comparison with the observed population of binary pulsars with a WD companion shows better agreement with higher CE ejection efficiencies ($α_{\rm CE} = 3.0$). Furthermore, we demonstrate that NSs can accrete a sufficient amount of matter ($\gtrsim 0.01\,M_{\odot}$) during the CEDP and subsequent Case BA/BB/BC mass transfer phases to be effectively recycled into millisecond pulsars. We identify two distinct evolutionary channels capable of reproducing the observed characteristics of the millisecond pulsar PSR J1928+1815 with a helium-star companion. Our results highlight the importance of the CEDP in the formation of recycled pulsars and provide constraints on the CE ejection efficiency during binary evolution. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_04355 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Formation of Recycled Pulsars in Common Envelope Binaries Nie, Yu-Dong Shao, Yong He, Jian-Guo Wei, Ze-Lin Gao, Shi-Jie Xu, Xiao-Jie Li, Xiang-Dong High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Solar and Stellar Astrophysics We present a systematic study of the evolution of low- and intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (L/IMXBs) consisting of a $1.4\,M_{\odot}$ neutron star (NS) and a donor star of mass $1-8\,M_{\odot}$. Using grids of detailed MESA simulations, we show that for donor masses of $2-8\,M_{\odot}$, mass transfer may be dynamically unstable, leading to a common envelope (CE) phase. By adopting CE ejection efficiencies in the range $α_{\rm CE} = 0.3-3.0$, we find that post-CE binaries frequently experience a CE decoupling phase (CEDP), which plays a critical role in determining their final orbital and compositional properties. Systems with initial donor masses $\gtrsim 3.5\,M_{\odot}$ predominantly evolve into NS binaries with carbon-oxygen or oxygen-neon white dwarfs (WDs) with masses between $0.5\,M_{\odot}$ and $1.4\,M_{\odot}$. Comparison with the observed population of binary pulsars with a WD companion shows better agreement with higher CE ejection efficiencies ($α_{\rm CE} = 3.0$). Furthermore, we demonstrate that NSs can accrete a sufficient amount of matter ($\gtrsim 0.01\,M_{\odot}$) during the CEDP and subsequent Case BA/BB/BC mass transfer phases to be effectively recycled into millisecond pulsars. We identify two distinct evolutionary channels capable of reproducing the observed characteristics of the millisecond pulsar PSR J1928+1815 with a helium-star companion. Our results highlight the importance of the CEDP in the formation of recycled pulsars and provide constraints on the CE ejection efficiency during binary evolution. |
| title | Formation of Recycled Pulsars in Common Envelope Binaries |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Solar and Stellar Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.04355 |