The binary companion mass ratio distribution: an imprint of the star formation process?

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dynamical evolution in dense star clusters affects binary star properties, concluding that the companion mass ratio distribution remains unchanged and reflects the star formation process.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the shape of the binary companion mass ratio distribution is preserved despite cluster dynamics, highlighting its importance as a star formation imprint.

Findings

Dynamical interactions do not alter the shape of the CMRD.

Binary destruction depends on energy ratios, not mass ratios.

The observed CMRD likely reflects initial star formation conditions.

Abstract

We explore the effects of dynamical evolution in dense clusters on the companion mass ratio distribution (CMRD) of binary stars. Binary systems are destroyed by interactions with other stars in the cluster, lowering the total binary fraction and significantly altering the initial semi-major axis distribution. However, the shape of the CMRD is unaffected by dynamics; an equal number of systems with high mass ratios are destroyed compared to systems with low mass ratios. We might expect a weak dependence of the survivability of a binary on its mass ratio because its binding energy is proportional to both the primary and secondary mass components of the system. However, binaries are broken up by interactions in which the perturbing star has a significantly higher energy (by a factor of >10, depending on the particular binary properties) than the binding energy of the binary, or through multiple interactions in the cluster. We therefore suggest that the shape of the observed binary CMRD is an outcome of the star formation process, and should be measured in preference to the distributions of orbital parameters, such as the semi-major axis distribution.