The impact of common envelope development criteria on the formation of LIGO/Virgo sources

TL;DR

This study investigates how different criteria for common envelope development in binary star evolution influence the predicted populations of merging compact objects detectable by LIGO/Virgo, highlighting the importance of RLOF physics assumptions.

Contribution

The paper introduces modified criteria for common envelope development in population synthesis models, showing their significant impact on merger rates and properties of compact binary sources.

Findings

Restricted CE criteria can increase BH-BH merger rates via new formation channels.

Changes in RLOF assumptions alter mass and mass ratio distributions of merging binaries.

Uncertain RLOF physics critically affect predictions of LIGO/Virgo source populations.

Abstract

The treatment and criteria for development of unstable Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) that leads to the common envelope (CE) phase have hindered the evolutionary predictions for decades. In particular, the formation of black hole-black hole (BH-BH), black hole-neutron star (BH-NS), and neutron star-neutron star (NS-NS) merging binaries depends sensitively on the CE phase in classical isolated binary evolution model. All these mergers are now reported as LIGO/Virgo sources or source candidates. CE is even considered by some as a mandatory phase in the formation of BH-BH, BH-NS or NS-NS mergers in binary evolution. At the moment, there is no full first-principles model for development of CE. We employ the Startrack population synthesis code to test the current advancements in studies on stability of RLOF for massive donors to assess their effect on LIGO/Virgo source population. In particular, we allow for more restrictive CE development criteria for massive donors. We also test a modified condition for switching between different types of stable mass transfer. Implemented modifications significantly influence basic properties of merging double compact objects, sometimes in non-intuitive way. For one of tested models with restricted CE development criteria local merger rate density for BH-BH systems increased due to emergence of a new dominant formation scenario without any CE phase. We find that the changes in highly uncertain assumptions on RLOF physics may significantly affect (i) local merger rate density, (ii) shape of the mass and mass ratio distributions, and (iii) dominant evolutionary formation (with and without CE) scenarios of LIGO/Virgo sources. Our results demonstrate that without sufficiently strong constraints on RLOF physics, one is not able to draw fully reliable conclusions about the population of double compact object systems based on population synthesis studies.