Rapid population synthesis of black hole high-mass X-ray binaries: implications for binary stellar evolution
Abstract
We conduct binary population synthesis to investigate the formation of wind-fed high-mass X-ray binaries containing black holes (BH-HMXBs). We evolve multiple populations of high-mass binary stars and consider BH-HMXB formation rates, masses, spins, and separations. We find that systems similar to Cygnus X-1 likely form after stable Case A mass transfer (MT) from the main-sequence progenitors of BHs, provided such MT is characterized by low accretion efficiency, β ≲ 0.1, with modest orbital angular momentum losses from the non-accreted material. Additionally, efficient BH-HMXB formation relies on a new simple treatment for Case A MT that allows donors to retain larger core masses compared to traditional rapid population-synthesis assumptions. At solar metallicity, our Preferred model yields $\mathcal {O}(1)$ observable BH-HMXBs in the Galaxy today, consistent with observations. In this simulation, 8 per cent of BH-HMXBs go on to merge as binary black holes or neutron star-black hole binaries within a Hubble time; however, none of the merging binaries have BH-HMXB progenitors with properties similar to Cygnus X-1. With our preferred settings for core mass growth, mass transfer efficiency, and angular momentum loss, accounting for an evolving metallicity, and integrating over the metallicity-specific star formation history of the Universe, we find that BH-HMXBs may have contributed ≈2-5 BBH merger signals to detections reported in the third gravitational-wave transient catalogue of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. We also suggest MT efficiency should be higher during stable Case B MT than during Case A MT.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- September 2023
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/stad1732
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2303.05375
- Bibcode:
- 2023MNRAS.524..245R
- Keywords:
-
- binaries: close;
- stars: evolution;
- stars: mass-loss;
- X-rays: binaries;
- black hole mergers;
- black hole-neutron star mergers;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 17 pages, 10 figures