Calibration of binary population synthesis models using white dwarf binaries from APOGEE, GALEX, and Gaia

作者：A. C. Rubio, K. Breivik, Carles Badenes, K. El-Badry, Borja Anguiano, E. Linck, Steven R. Majewski, Keivan G. Stassun · 发表于：Astronomy and Astrophysics · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1051/0004-6361/202555600 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies、Astronomy and Astrophysical Research、Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation

The effectiveness and stability of mass transfer in a binary system are crucial for determining the final product of its evolution. Rapid binary population synthesis codes simplify the complex physics of mass transfer and common-envelope evolution by adopting parameterized prescriptions for the stability of mass transfer, accretion efficiency in stable mass transfer, and the efficiency of common-envelope ejection. Our goal is to calibrate these uncertain parameters by comparing binary population synthesis models with observational data. Binary systems composed of a white dwarf and main-sequence star are ideal for studying the effects of binary interaction, as they can be formed through stable or unstable mass transfer, or without any interaction. These different evolutionary paths affect the orbital period and masses of the present-day population. The APOGEE-GALEX-Gaia catalog (AGGC) provides a homogeneous sample of over 500 systems with well-measured radial velocities that can be used as a comparison baseline for population synthesis simulations of white dwarf–main-sequence binaries. We compare the distribution of the observed maximum radial velocity variation (Δ RV max ) in the AGGC to binary population models simulated with COSMIC, a publicly developed binary population synthesis code. Within these synthetic populations, we vary the mass transfer and common-envelope ejection efficiency, and the criteria for mass transfer stability at the first ascent, asymptotic, and therm...