Dynamical Formation of Close Binaries during the Pre-main-sequence Phase

• Main Authors: Moe, Maxwell, Kratter, Kaitlin M.
• Other Authors: Univ Arizona, Steward Observ
• Language: en
• Published: IOP PUBLISHING LTD 2018
• Subjects: binaries: close; stars: formation; stars: kinematics and dynamics; stars: pre-main sequence
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/627100; http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/627100

Solar-type binaries with short orbital periods (P-close equivalent to 1-10. days; a less than or similar to 0.1. au) cannot form directly via fragmentation of molecular clouds or protostellar disks, yet their component masses are highly correlated, suggesting interaction during the pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) phase. Moreover, the close binary fraction of pre-MS stars is consistent with that of their MS counterparts in the field (F-close = 2.1%). Thus, we can infer that some migration mechanism operates during the early pre-MS phase (tau less than or similar to 5 Myr) that reshapes the primordial separation distribution. We test the feasibility of this hypothesis by carrying out a population synthesis calculation which accounts for two formation channels: Kozai-Lidov (KL) oscillations and dynamical instability in triple systems. Our models incorporate (1) more realistic initial conditions compared to previous studies, (2) octupole-level effects in the secular evolution, (3) tidal energy dissipation via weak-friction equilibrium tides at small eccentricities and via non-radial dynamical oscillations at large eccentricities, and (4) the larger tidal radius of a pre-MS primary. Given a 15% triple-star fraction, we simulate a close binary fraction from KL oscillations alone of F-close approximate to 0.4% after tau = 5. Myr, which increases to F-close 0.8% by tau = 5. Gyr. Dynamical ejections and disruptions of unstable coplanar triples in the disk produce solitary binaries with slightly longer periods P approximate to 10-100. days. The remaining approximate to 60% of close binaries with outer tertiaries, particularly those in compact coplanar configurations with log P-out (days) approximate to 2-5 (a(out) < 50 au), can be explained only with substantial extra energy dissipation due to interactions with primordial gas.