ON THE BINDING ENERGY PARAMETER {lambda} OF COMMON ENVELOPE EVOLUTION
The binding energy parameter {lambda} plays an important role in common envelope evolution. Previous works have already pointed out that {lambda} varies throughout the stellar evolution, though it has been adopted as a constant in most of the population synthesis calculations. We have systematically calculated the binding energy parameter {lambda} for both Population I and Population II stars of masses 1-20 M {sub sun}, taking into account the contribution from the internal energy of stellar matter. We present fitting formulae for {lambda} that can be incorporated into future population synthesis investigations. We also briefly discuss the possible applications of the results in binary evolutions.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗