Double neutron star formation via consecutive type II supernova explosions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since the discovery of the first double neutron star (DNS) system, the number of these exotic binaries has reached 15. Here we investigate a channel of DNS formation in binary systems with components above the mass limit of Type II supernova explosion (SN II), that is, 8M⊙. We apply a spherically symmetric homologous envelope expansion model to account for mass-loss, and follow the dynamical evolution of the system numerically with a high-precision integrator. The first SN occurs in a binary system whose orbital parameters are pre-defined, then, the homologous expansion model is applied again in the newly formed system. Analysing 1 658 880 models we find that DNS formation via subsequent SN II explosions requires a fine-tuning of the initial parameters. Our model can explain DNS systems with a separation greater than 2.95 au. The eccentricity of the DNS systems spans a wide range thanks to the orbital circularization effect due to the second SN II explosion. The eccentricity of the DNS is sensitive to the initial eccentricity of the binary progenitor and the orbital position of the system preceding the second explosion. In agreement with the majority of the observations of DNS systems, we find the system centre-of-mass velocities to be less than 60 km s−1. Neutron stars that become unbound in either explosion gain a peculiar velocity in the range of 0.02 − 240 km s−1. In our model, the formation of tight DNS systems requires a post-explosion orbit-shrinking mechanism, possibly driven by the ejected envelopes.