Eccentricity evolution in equal-mass binaries for power-law dynamical friction models

Authors

  • Luke Kenneth T. Gurrea ⋅ PH National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines Diliman
  • Michael Francis Ian G. Vega II ⋅ PH National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines Diliman

Abstract

The eccentricity of a binary is driven by radiative mechanisms such as gravitational wave emission and environmental effects like mass accretion and dynamical friction. In this work, we consider a subsonic dynamical friction model and generalize this to accommodate models with power-law dependence on the velocity. For equal-mass binaries, we find that dynamical friction in the subsonic case does not increase the eccentricity, which would have been necessary to compete against the eccentricity-decreasing effects of gravitational wave emission and produce an eccentricity peak. We also consider a ~vn model for dynamical friction which generalizes the subsonic case, and find that this does not monotonically evolve with decreasing semi-major axis, and includes eccentricity-increasing and eccentricity-decreasing regimes, for n > 0.

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Article ID

SPP-2022-1B-01

Section

Cosmology and Astrophysics

Published

2022-09-25

How to Cite

[1]
LKT Gurrea and MFIG Vega, Eccentricity evolution in equal-mass binaries for power-law dynamical friction models, Proceedings of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas 40, SPP-2022-1B-01 (2022). URL: https://proceedings.spp-online.org/article/view/SPP-2022-1B-01.