October 2025
15/10/25 (Wednesday)
10:00, Library (ESO HQ, Garching) | ESO Garching
Informal Discussion
Talk — The role of triple star evolution in forming Galactic compact binaries and Type Ia supernova progenitors
Abinaya Swaruba Rajamuthukumar (MPA)
View Abstract
Abstract
Binary interactions are known to drive many of the most
energetic stellar transients, yet most close binaries reside in triples,
where dynamical perturbations and coupled evolution can profoundly alter
their fates. Using models of hierarchical triple evolution, we find that
triples can produce a substantial fraction of the Galactic double white
dwarf population, comparable to the contribution from isolated binaries.
In parallel, triple interactions significantly enhance the formation of
Type Ia supernova progenitors, both through circular mergers and
eccentric collisions, yielding rates comparable to those from binaries.
In this talk, I will present population statistics demonstrating that
triple star evolution is a key but often overlooked channel in the
formation of compact binaries and supernova Ia progenitors.