Evolution of X-ray Binaries and the Formation of Binary Pulsars

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Evolution of X-ray Binaries and the Formation of
Binary Pulsars

• Xiang-Dong Li
• Department of Astronomy
• Nanjing University

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Millisecond Pulsar (MSP)-X-ray Binary (XRB)
Relation
ATNF PSR Database
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Spin Frequency Distribution in LMXBs
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Binary Pulsar Populations
Main type Sub-type Observational examples
Recycled PSR low-mass comp.(MC 0.45M?) PSR (He) WD PSR J0437-4715 PSR J16402224
Mildly recycled PSR high-mass compact comp. (0.5MC/M?1.4) 1. PSR NS (double) 2. PSR (ONeMg) WD 3. PSR (CO) WD 1. PSR B191316 2. PSR J1435-6100 3. PSR J2145-0750
Non-recycled pulsar (CO) WD PSR PSR B230346
Un-evolved companion 1. PSR B-type comp. 2. PSR low-mass MS comp. 1. PSR B1259-63 2. PSR B1820-11
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Binary Pulsar Populations
From Breton (2009)
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Classification of X-ray Binaries

• High-mass X-ray binaries (wind-fed X-ray sources)

Supergiant HMXBs
Be/X-ray binaries
Low-mass X-ray binaries (disk-fed X-ray sources)
Intermediate-mass X-ray binaries
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Stability of Mass Transfer

• The characteristics of binary pulsars depends on
  mass transfer processes during the XRB phase
• The stability of mass transfer depends on
• The mass ratio of the donor and accretor
• The evolutionary state of the donor

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Ways of Mass Transfer in XRBs

• Stable mass transfer on nuclear timescale
• Thermal timescale mass transfer
• Unstable mass transfer
• ? common envelope

Deloye (2008)
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Initial Final Binary Relation
Tauris Savonije (2000)
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HMXB Evolution
Single mildly recycled NS
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Evolution of LMXBs
Wide recycled PSR He WD binary
Nuclear evolution-driven mass transfer
Close recycled PSR He WD binary
Angular momentum-driven mass transfer
Ultracompact X-ray binary or black widow X-ray
binary
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Evolution of IMXBs
IMXB
LMXB
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Binary Pulsars Evolved from I/LMXBs
LMXBs
IMXBs
From Podsiadlowski et al. (2001)
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Other Possibilities
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RGB/AGB

• PSR J19030327
• Ps2.15 ms
• Porb95 days
• Mpsr1.74 Msun
• M2gt0.88 Msun
• e 0.44!

Comparison with Observations
TTMT
CV-like
UC-LMXBs
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Mass Accretion and Mass Loss during LMXB Evolution
Zhang et al. (2011)
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Conclusions

• The standard model for H/I/LMXBs can roughly
  reproduce the main features of the observed
  binary pulsars.
• However, there are still many unresolved issues