Dynamical formation of cataclysmic variables in globular clusters

Abstract

The formation and evolution of X-ray sources in globular clusters is likely to be affected by the cluster internal dynamics and the stellar interactions in the cluster dense environment. Several observational studies have revealed a correlation between the number of X-ray sources and the stellar encounter rate, and provided evidence of the role of dynamics in the formation of X-ray binaries. We have performed a survey of Monte Carlo simulations aimed at exploring the connection between the dynamics and formation of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and the origin of the observed correlation between the number of these objects, Ncv, and the stellar encounter rate, Γ. The results of our simulations show a correlation between Ncv and Γ, as found in observational data, illustrate the essential role played by the dynamics, and shed light on the dynamical history behind this correlation. CVs in our simulations are more centrally concentrated than single stars with masses close to those of turn-off stars, although this trend is stronger for CVs formed from primordial binaries undergoing exchange encounters, which include a population of more massive CVs absent in the group of CVs formed from binaries not suffering any component exchange.