Detailed Binary Evolution Modeling: Comparing COSMIS and MESA

Overview

The study of the evolution and formation of binary star systems is an instrumental component to both interpreting gravitational wave observations and predicting the fate of binaries in the universe. Rapid binary 63 population synthesis codes like COSMIC are often used to model and simulate binary star systems. However, these codes usually simplify the complexity of stellar and binary physics by interpolating single-star evolutionary tracks. The more detailed stellar evolutionary code MESA is considered a state-of-the-art modeling code that addresses caveats and inaccuracies of traditional population synthesis codes, like COSMIC. This paper compares binary star system results predicted by rapid binary population synthesis code COSMIC with those predicted by MESA binary evolution models. This comparison presents a novel application of comparing MESA and COSMIC simulation results. We discover that COSMIC allows for more survival of common envelope evolution and simulates binaries with larger initial radii which contributes to more unstable mass transfer. We also discover that MESA tends to produce black holes through a different evolutionary process than COSMIC. We conclude that comparing COSMIC and MESA provides deeper understanding in binary evolution. My research will contribute to the movement in making binary star simulations more accurate and will allow for the making of more robust gravitational wave merger interpretations and predictions.

Competition history

• JSHS 2023 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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