We conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the common envelope binary interaction and show that if the companion were to launch jets while interacting with the giant primary star's envelope, the jets would remove a substantial fraction of the envelope's gas. We use the setup and numerical code of an earlier common envelope study that did not include jets, with a 0.88-M , 83-R red giant star and a 0.3-M companion. The assumption is that the companion star accretes mass via an accretion disk that is responsible for launching the jets which, in the simulations, are injected numerically. For the first time we conduct simulations that include jets as well as the gravitational energy released by the inspiraling core-companion system. We find that simulations with jets unbind approximately three times as much envelope mass than identical simulations that do not include jets, though the total fraction of unbound gas remains below 50% for these particular simulations. The jets generate high velocity outflows in the polar directions. The jets also increase the final corecompanion orbital separation and lead to a kick velocity of the core-companion binary system. Our results show that, if able to form, jets could play a crucial role in ejecting the envelope and in shaping the outflow.

We present the first three-dimensional gas-dynamical simulations of the grazing envelope evolution (GEE) of stars, with the goal of exploring the basic flow properties and the role of jets at the onset of the GEE. In the simulated runs, a secondary mainsequence star grazes the envelope of the primary asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. The orbit is circular at the radius of the AGB primary star on its equator. We inject two opposite jets perpendicular to the equatorial plane from the location of the secondary star, and follow the evolution for several orbital periods. We explore the flow pattern by which the jets eject the outskirts of the AGB envelope. After one orbit the jets start to interact with gas ejected in previous orbits and inflate hot low-density bubbles.

We conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, and show that when a secondary star launches jets while performing spiral-in motion into the envelope of a giant star, the envelope is inflated, some mass is ejected by the jets, and the common envelope phase is postponed. We simulate this grazing envelope evolution (GEE) under the assumption that the secondary star accretes mass from the envelope of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star and launches jets. In these simulations we do not yet include the gravitational energy that is released by the spiraling-in binary system. Neither do we include the spinning of the envelope. Considering these omissions, we conclude that our results support the idea that jets might play a crucial role in the common envelope evolution, or in preventing it.

Energetic outflows from main sequence stars accreting mass at very high rates might account for the powering of some eruptive objects, such as merging main sequence stars, major eruptions of luminous blue variables, e.g., the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae, and other intermediate luminosity optical transients (ILOTs; Red Novae; Red Transients). These powerful outflows could potentially also supply the extra energy required in the common envelope process and in the grazing envelope evolution of binary systems. We propose that a massive outflow/jets mediated by magnetic fields might remove energy and angular momentum from the accretion disk to allow such high accretion rate flows. By examining the possible activity of the magnetic fields of accretion disks we conclude that indeed main sequence stars might accrete mass at very high rates, up to ≈ 10 −2 M ⊙ yr −1 for solar type stars, and up to ≈ 1M ⊙ yr −1 for very massive stars. We speculate that magnetic fields amplified in such extreme conditions might lead to the formation of massive bipolar outflows that can remove most of the disk's energy and angular momentum. It is this energy and angular momentum removal that allows the very high mass accretion rate on to main sequence stars.

We conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of eccentric common envelope jets supernova (CEJSN) impostors, i.e., a neutron star (NS) that crosses through the envelope of a red supergiant star on a highly eccentric orbit and launches jets as it accretes mass from the envelope. Because of numerical limitations we apply a simple prescription where we inject the assumed jets’ power into two opposite conical regions inside the envelope. We find the outflow morphology to be very complicated, clumpy, and non-spherical, having a large-scale symmetry only about the equatorial plane. The outflow morphology can substantially differ between simulations that differ by their jets’ power. We estimate by simple means the light curve to be very bumpy, to have a rise time of one to a few months, and to slowly decay in about a year to several years. These eccentric CEJSN impostors will be classified as ‘gap’ objects, i.e., having a luminosity between those of classical novae and typical supernovae (termed also ILOTs for intermediate luminosity optical transients). We strengthen a previous conclusion that CEJSN impostors might account for some peculiar ILOTs, in particular those that might repeat over timescales of months to years.