Accretion disks in Algols: progenitors and evolution

TL;DR

This study models the origin and evolution of six Algol systems with accretion disks, constraining their initial parameters and disk lifetimes through binary evolution simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a modified binary evolution code to determine initial conditions of Algol systems with accretion disks, linking observed parameters with evolutionary history.

Findings

Disk lifetime is short when RLOF starts during core hydrogen burning.

Disk luminosity can be comparable to the gainer's luminosity during most of the disk lifetime.

Initial parameters for systems were successfully constrained using the model.

Abstract

There are only a few Algols with measured accretion disk parameters. These measurements provide additional constraints for tracing the origin of individual systems, narrowing down the initial parameter space. We investigate the origin and evolution of 6 Algol systems with accretion disks to find the initial parameters and evolutionary constraints for them. With a modified binary evolution code, series of close binary evolution are calculated to obtain the best match for observed individual systems. Initial parameters for 6 Algol systems with accretion disks were determined matching both the present system parameters and the observed disk characteristics. When RLOF starts during core hydrogen burning of the donor, the disk lifetime was found to be short. The disk luminosity is comparable to the luminosity of the gainer during a large fraction of the disk lifetime.