Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars

Giant eruptions are episodic high-rate mass-loss events that massive stars experience in the late-stage of their evolution before exploding as a core-collapse supernova. If a giant eruption occurs in a binary system, the companion star can accrete part of the mass. We use numerical simulations to an...

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Main Authors: Bhawna Mukhija, Amit Kashi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add3f1
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author Bhawna Mukhija
Amit Kashi
author_facet Bhawna Mukhija
Amit Kashi
author_sort Bhawna Mukhija
collection DOAJ
description Giant eruptions are episodic high-rate mass-loss events that massive stars experience in the late-stage of their evolution before exploding as a core-collapse supernova. If a giant eruption occurs in a binary system, the companion star can accrete part of the mass. We use numerical simulations to analyze how the companion responds to accretion and how its structure and evolution are altered. We run a grid of massive stars with masses from 20 M _⊙ to 60 M _⊙ , and accretion rates from 10 ^−4 to 0.1 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , over a duration of 20 yr. For accretion rates ≲0.01 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , the star remains on the hotter side of the HR diagram with a minor increase in luminosity without expanding because the accretion timescale exceeds the thermal time scale by a larger factor. Mass loss through stellar winds leads to a minor drop in luminosity shortly after the accretion phase as the star enters the recovery phase. For ≳0.01 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , the companion star experiences a sudden increase in luminosity by about one order of magnitude, inflates, and cools. Under the accreted gas layer, the star retains its structure and continues to eject radiation-driven wind during the recovery phase, namely the time it takes to regain equilibrium. Eventually, the accreted material mixes with the inner layers of the star and the star continues to evolve as a more massive star.
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spelling doaj-art-d882680399f2408c949f45c75ca68e982025-08-20T02:39:32ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01986218810.3847/1538-4357/add3f1Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive StarsBhawna Mukhija0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1450-6490Amit Kashi1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7840-0181Department of Physics, Ariel University , Ariel, 4070000, Israel ; bhawnam@ariel.ac.il, kashi@ariel.ac.ilDepartment of Physics, Ariel University , Ariel, 4070000, Israel ; bhawnam@ariel.ac.il, kashi@ariel.ac.il; Astrophysics, Geophysics, and Space Science (AGASS) Center, Ariel University , Ariel, 4070000, IsraelGiant eruptions are episodic high-rate mass-loss events that massive stars experience in the late-stage of their evolution before exploding as a core-collapse supernova. If a giant eruption occurs in a binary system, the companion star can accrete part of the mass. We use numerical simulations to analyze how the companion responds to accretion and how its structure and evolution are altered. We run a grid of massive stars with masses from 20 M _⊙ to 60 M _⊙ , and accretion rates from 10 ^−4 to 0.1 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , over a duration of 20 yr. For accretion rates ≲0.01 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , the star remains on the hotter side of the HR diagram with a minor increase in luminosity without expanding because the accretion timescale exceeds the thermal time scale by a larger factor. Mass loss through stellar winds leads to a minor drop in luminosity shortly after the accretion phase as the star enters the recovery phase. For ≳0.01 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , the companion star experiences a sudden increase in luminosity by about one order of magnitude, inflates, and cools. Under the accreted gas layer, the star retains its structure and continues to eject radiation-driven wind during the recovery phase, namely the time it takes to regain equilibrium. Eventually, the accreted material mixes with the inner layers of the star and the star continues to evolve as a more massive star.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add3f1Massive starsStellar windsAccretionStellar evolution
spellingShingle Bhawna Mukhija
Amit Kashi
Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars
The Astrophysical Journal
Massive stars
Stellar winds
Accretion
Stellar evolution
title Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars
title_full Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars
title_fullStr Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars
title_full_unstemmed Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars
title_short Accretion and Recovery in Giant Eruptions of Massive Stars
title_sort accretion and recovery in giant eruptions of massive stars
topic Massive stars
Stellar winds
Accretion
Stellar evolution
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add3f1
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