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Binary companions of evolved stars in APOGEE DR14: Orbital circularization
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Submitted 18 Apr 2018
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim We confirm that systems predicted by equilibrium-tide theory to have circular orbits generally have negligible measured eccentricities.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
Short-period binary star systems dissipate orbital energy through tidal interactions that lead to tighter, more circular orbits. When at least one star in a binary has evolved off of the main sequence, orbital circularization occurs for longer-period (~100 day) systems. Past work by (Verbunt & Phinney 1995) has shown that the orbital parameters and the circularization periods of a small sample of binary stars with evolved-star members can be understood within the context of standard tidal circularization theory. Using a sample of binaries with subgiant, giant, and red clump star members that is nearly an order of magnitude larger, we reexamine predictions for tidal circularization of binary stars with evolved members. We confirm that systems predicted by equilibrium-tide theory to have circular orbits generally have negligible measured eccentricities. The circularization period is correlated with the surface gravity (i.e. size) of the evolved member, indicating that the circularization timescale must be shorter than the evolutionary timescale along the giant branch. A few exceptions to the conclusions above are mentioned in the discussion: Some of these exceptions are likely systems in which the spectrum of the secondary biases the radial velocity measurements, but four appear to be genuine, short-period, moderate-eccentricity systems.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | Short-period binary star systems dissipate orbital energy through tidal interactions that lead to tighter, more circular orbits. | background 1.00 | 0.05 | 0.05 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | When at least one star in a binary has evolved off of the main sequence, orbital circularization occurs for longer-period (~100 day) systems. | background 0.88 | 0.18 | 0.15 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | Past work by (Verbunt & Phinney 1995) has shown that the orbital parameters and the circularization periods of a small sample of binary stars with evolved-star members can be understood within the context of standard tidal circularization theory. | background 1.00 | 0.02 | 0.04 | asserted 0.99 |
| s3 | Using a sample of binaries with subgiant, giant, and red clump star members that is nearly an order of magnitude larger, we reexamine predictions for tidal circularization of binary stars with evolved members. | contribution 0.99 | 0.87 | 0.05 | asserted 0.73 |
| s4 | We confirm that systems predicted by equilibrium-tide theory to have circular orbits generally have negligible measured eccentricities. | result 1.00 | 0.93 | 0.50 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | The circularization period is correlated with the surface gravity (i.e. size) of the evolved member, indicating that the circularization timescale must be shorter than the evolutionary timescale along the giant branch. | interpretation 0.50 | 0.89 | 0.28 | hedged possibility 0.69 |
| s6 | A few exceptions to the conclusions above are mentioned in the discussion: Some of these exceptions are likely systems in which the spectrum of the secondary biases the radial velocity measurements, but four appear to be genuine, short-period, moderate-eccentricity systems. | limitation 0.78 | 0.77 | 0.04 | hedged possibility 0.85 |
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Original abstract
Short-period binary star systems dissipate orbital energy through tidal interactions that lead to tighter, more circular orbits. When at least one star in a binary has evolved off of the main sequence, orbital circularization occurs for longer-period (~100 day) systems. Past work by (Verbunt & Phinney 1995) has shown that the orbital parameters and the circularization periods of a small sample of binary stars with evolved-star members can be understood within the context of standard tidal circularization theory. Using a sample of binaries with subgiant, giant, and red clump star members that is nearly an order of magnitude larger, we reexamine predictions for tidal circularization of binary stars with evolved members. We confirm that systems predicted by equilibrium-tide theory to have circular orbits generally have negligible measured eccentricities. The circularization period is correlated with the surface gravity (i.e. size) of the evolved member, indicating that the circularization timescale must be shorter than the evolutionary timescale along the giant branch. A few exceptions to the conclusions above are mentioned in the discussion: Some of these exceptions are likely systems in which the spectrum of the secondary biases the radial velocity measurements, but four appear to be genuine, short-period, moderate-eccentricity systems.
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How the literature uses it
5 arXiv papers cite this in 5 sentences
Papers citing it · 3 sentences without a confident label
Compares with it 1 paper
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This result is consistent with findings from previous studies of binaries [ref] , although we do not recover a significant difference in the fraction of eccentric binaries with respect to hot and cold stellar components [ref] .
Modeling Kepler Eclipsing Binaries: Homogeneous Inference of Orbital & Stellar Properties · Orbital properties · 0.93
Cites it as background 1 paper
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The dissipation of the orbital energy through tides directly influence various observable phenomena, such as the circularization of binary stars, orbital decay of hot Jupiters, tidal spin-up of planet-host stars, and spin-orbit alignment in binary and exoplanet systems [ref] .
Efficiency of Tidal Dissipation in Convective Flow Under Rapid Tidal Forcing · Introduction · 0.89
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