Constructing synchronously rotating double white dwarf binaries

Abstract

We have developed a self-consistent-field (SCF) technique similar to the one described by Hachisu etal. in 1986 that can be used to construct detailed force-balanced models of synchronously rotating, double white dwarf (DWD) binaries that have a wide range of total masses, mass ratios, and separations. In addition to providing a computational tool that can be used to provide quiet initial starts for dynamical studies of the onset of mass transfer in DWD systems, we show that this SCF technique can be used to construct model sequences that mimic the last portion of the detached inspiral phase of DWD binary evolutions, and semi-detached model sequences that mimic a phase of conservative mass transfer. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.