Hyperaccreting Neutron Stars inside Massive Envelopes: The Implausibility of Thorne-\.Zytkow Objects

TL;DR

This study uses advanced simulations to show that neutron stars inside massive envelopes do not form stable Thorne-Zytkow objects but instead rapidly collapse into black holes, challenging previous assumptions.

Contribution

First fully coupled GRHD simulations with neutrino transport and nuclear reactions reveal the instability of embedded neutron stars as potential Thorne-Zytkow objects.

Findings

Neutrino cooling balances accretion, preventing explosions.

Processed material remains gravitationally bound, limiting nucleosynthetic contribution.

Systems rapidly exceed mass limits, leading to black hole formation.

Abstract

The evolution of neutron stars (NSs) embedded within massive stellar envelopes is a critical phase in binary stellar evolution, potentially leading to the formation of Thorne-\.Zytkow Objects (T\.ZOs) or catastrophic collapse. We present the first fully coupled general relativistic hydrodynamics (GRHD) simulations of hypercritical accretion onto NSs that simultaneously incorporate grey two-moment (M1) neutrino transport and an $\alpha$-chain nuclear reaction network. By investigating four distinct progenitor evolutionary stages, we resolve the complex interplay between intense neutrino cooling, multidimensional fluid dynamics, and nuclear feedback. Our results show that while vigorous convection is triggered in the post-shock region, the global energy budget is primarily governed by neutrino cooling, which effectively balances the accretion power. Crucially, even though our M1 transport scheme captures neutrino absorption and localized heating, the efficient cooling sink and high ram pressure of the infalling envelope prevent the formation of any core-collapse supernova-like explosion. We find that all nucleosynthetically processed material ($T > 5$~GK) remains strictly gravitationally bound, challenging the assumption that these systems contribute significantly to galactic nucleosynthetic yields via convective dredge-up. The lack of sustained outflows and the persistent hypercritical accretion rates suggest that embedded NSs will rapidly exceed the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff mass limit on timescales of minutes to hours. We conclude that these systems are not stable T\.ZOs, but are rather transient precursors to catastrophic black hole formation and potential central engines for high-energy transients.