Mass from a third star: transformations of close compact-object binaries within hierarchical triples

Abstract

Close-orbit binaries consisting of two compact objects are a center of attention because of the detection of gravitational-radiation-induced mergers. The creation of close, compact-object binaries involves physical processes that are not yet well understood; there are open questions about the manner in which two compact objects come to be close enough to merge within a Hubble time. Here we explore an important, and likely common physical process: mass transfer from a third star in a wider, hierarchical orbit. Mass added to the close binary's components can reduce the time to merger and can even change the nature of an accretor, transforming a white dwarf to a neutron star and/or a neutron star to a black hole. Some accreting white dwarfs in close binaries may even explode as Type Ia supernovae. Given the ubiquity of higher-order multiples, the evolutionary channels we lay out may be important pathways to gravitational mergers, including Type Ia supernovae. Fortunately, these pathways also lead to testable predictions.