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The Slow Merger of Massive Stars: Merger Types and Post-Merger Evolution
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
Abstract
We study the slow merger of two massive stars inside a common envelope. The initial close binary system consists of a massive red supergiant and a main-sequence companion of a few solar masses. The merger product is a massive supergiant with an interior structure (core mass and composition profile) which is significantly different from that of a single supergiant that has evolved in isolation. Using a parameterized approach for the stream–core interaction, we modelled the merger phase and have identified three qualitatively different merger types: quiet, moderate and explosive mergers, where the differences are caused by the different response of the He burning shell. In the last two scenarios, the post-merger He abundance in the envelope is found to be substantially increased, but significant s-processing is mainly expected in the case of an explosive merger scenario. The subsequent evolution of the merger product up to the supernova stage is also discussed.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 187: Exotic Stars as Challenges to Evolution , 2002 , pp. 245 - 251
- Copyright
- Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2002
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