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Abstract The formation of cataclysmic variables (CVs) has long been modeled as a product of common envelope evolution (CEE) in isolated binaries. However, a significant fraction of intermediate-mass stars—the progenitors of the white dwarfs (WDs) in CVs—are in triples. We therefore investigate the importance of triple star dynamics in CV formation. Using Gaia astrometry and existing CV catalogs, we construct a sample of ∼50 CVs in hierarchical triples within 1 kpc of the Sun, containing main-sequence and WD tertiaries at separations of 100–30,000 au. We infer that at least 10% of CVs host wide tertiaries. To interpret this discovery, we evolve a population of 2000 triples using detailed three-body simulations, 47 of which become CVs. We predict that 20% of CVs in triples form without ever experiencing CEE, where the WD and donor are brought together by the eccentric Kozai-Lidov mechanism after the formation of the WD. These systems favor larger donor stars and longer birth orbital periods (8–20 hr) than typical CVs. Among systems that do undergo CEE, about half would not have interacted without the presence of the tertiary. Triple formation channels both with and without CEE require initially wide inner orbits (≳1 au), which in turn require larger tertiary separations to be stable. Consistent with this prediction, we find that the observed Gaia CV triples have wider separations on average than normal wide binaries selected in the same way. Our work underscores the importance of triples in shaping interacting binary populations including CVs, ultracompact binaries, and low-mass X-ray binaries.
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This content will become publicly available on September 1, 2026
10,000 Resolved Triples from Gaia: Empirical Constraints on Triple Star Populations
Abstract We present a catalog of ∼10,000 resolved triple star systems within 500 pc of the Sun, constructed using Gaia data. The triples include main-sequence, red giant, and white dwarf components spanning separations of 10–50,000 au. A well-characterized selection function allows us to constrain intrinsic demographics of the triple star population. We find that (a) all systems are compatible with being hierarchical and dynamically stable; (b) mutual orbital inclinations are isotropic for wide triples but show modest alignment as the systems become more compact; (c) primary masses follow a Kroupa initial mass function weighted by the triple fraction; (d) inner binary orbital periods, eccentricities, and mass ratios mirror those of isolated binaries, including a pronounced twin excess (mass ratios greater than 0.95) out to separations of 1000+ au, suggesting a common formation pathway; (e) tertiary mass ratios follow a power-law distribution with slope −1.4; (f) tertiary orbits are consistent with a log-normal period distribution and thermal eccentricities, subject to dynamical stability. Informed by these observations, we develop a publicly available prescription for generating mock triple star populations. Finally, we estimate the catalog’s completeness and infer the intrinsic triple fraction, which rises steadily with primary mass: from 5% at ≲0.5M⊙to 35% at 2M⊙. The public catalog provides a robust testbed for models of triple star formation and evolution.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2206428
- PAR ID:
- 10647809
- Publisher / Repository:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Volume:
- 137
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 0004-6280
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 094201
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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