Secular Dynamics in Hierarchical Three-Body Systems With Mass Loss and Mass Transfer

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that secular evolution of triple systems can play a major role in the evolution and interaction of their inner binaries. Very few studies explored the stellar evolution of triple systems, and in particular the mass loss phase of the evolving stellar components. Here we study the dynamical secular evolution of hierarchical triple systems undergoing mass loss. We use the secular evolution equations and include the effects of mass-loss and mass-transfer, as well as general relativistic effects. We present various evolutionary channels taking place in such evolving triples, and discuss both the effects of mass-loss and mass-transfer in the inner binary system, as well as the effects of mass-loss/transfer from an outer third companion. We discuss several distinct types/regimes of triple secular evolution, where the specific behavior of a triple system can sensitively depend on its hierarchy and the relative importance of classical and general relativistic effects. We show that the orbital changes due to mass-loss and/or mass-transfer processes can effectively transfer a triple system from one dynamical regime to another. In particular, mass loss/transfer can both induce and quench high amplitude (Lidov-Kozai) variations in the eccentricity and inclination of the inner binaries of evolving triples. They can also change the system dynamics from an orderly periodic behavior to a chaotic one, and vice versa.

Shaping planetary nebulae with jets in inclined triple stellar systems

“…As part of the increasing interest in mass transfer in evolving triple stellar systems (e.g., Michaely & Perets 2014;Portegies Zwart & van den Heuvel 2016), we extend our study of the shaping of PNe by jets, now with properties as expected in some triple stellar systems. Specifically, we consider the flow structure described by Soker (2004), where a tight binary system orbits an AGB star and accretes mass from the AGB wind.…”

Post-Main Sequence Evolution of Icy Minor Planets: Implications for Water Retention and White Dwarf Pollution

“…There are three additional possibilities that primarily apply to young WDs: systems with a binary stellar companion, in which a planet may be perturbed following massloss induced instability or through mass-loss induced Lidov-Kozai oscillations Shappee & Thompson 2013;Michaely & Perets 2014;Hamers & Portegies Zwart 2016), or, comets perturbed to low angular momentum orbits by anisotropic mass-loss induced natal kicks (Stone et al 2015). In conclusion, the sequence of depopulation is highly uncertain.…”

Companion-driven evolution of massive stellar binaries

“…The applications of hierarchically configured stellar triples have been explored extensively in the literature (Naoz & Fabrycky 2014;Harrington 1969;Mazeh & Shaham 1979;Kiseleva et al 1998;Fabrycky & Tremaine 2007;Perets & Fabrycky 2009;Thompson 2011;Naoz et al 2013a;Pejcha et al 2013;Michaely & Perets 2014;Prodan et al 2015;Stephan et al 2016; Moe & Kratter 2018;Bataille et al 2018). Furthermore, many studies suggest that short period compact object binaries, including black hole, neutron star, and white dwarf binaries, may result from hierarchical triple dynamics (Thompson 2011;Katz & Dong 2012;Antonini & Perets 2012;Naoz et al 2016;Toonen et al 2018;Hoang et al 2018).…”