Adiabatic Evolution of Mass-losing Stars

TL;DR

This paper models how stars of different types evolve and change their orbits when they transfer mass to a supermassive black hole, revealing diverse orbital behaviors based on stellar density.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of adiabatic stellar evolution and orbital dynamics during mass transfer to a SMBH, highlighting the dependence on stellar density.

Findings

Sun-like and giant stars spiral inward then outward.

Lower main sequence stars and white dwarfs always spiral outward.

Stellar orbit changes depend on mean density.

Abstract

We have calculated the equilibrium properties of a star in a circular, equatorial orbit about a Super-Massive Black Hole (SMBH), when the star fills and overflows its Roche lobe. The mass transfer time scale is anticipated to be long compared with the dynamical time and short compared with the thermal time of the star, so that the entropy as a function of the interior mass is conserved. We have studied how the stellar entropy, pressure, radius, mean density, and orbital angular momentum vary when the star is evolved adiabatically, for a representative set of stars. We have shown that the stellar orbits change with the stellar mean density. Therefore, sun-like stars, upper main sequence stars and red giants will spiral inward and then outward with respect to the hole in this stable mass transfer process, while lower main sequence stars, brown dwarfs and white dwarfs will always spiral outward.