INVESTIGATING POPULATION SYNTHESIS SIMULATION OF CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES USING MESA

• Main Author: Rifaldi Kusuma Putra, Aulia
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/86976
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Cataclysmic Variables (CV) are binary star systems involving mass transfer from a donor star to a white dwarf (WD), resulting in explosive phenomena such as novae. This study aims to investigate the potential use of MESA simulation outputs in synthesizing CV populations. By combining an empirical grid of ZAMS binary star characteristics and evolutionary database from MESA, a model of the present-day CV population has been constructed. The research methodology involves several key steps, including obtaining the stellar formation history of the Milky Way, constructing the ZAMS distribution, simulating stellar evolution using MESA, as well as interpolating and extrapolating data to build the CV model. The resulting ZAMS distribution includes parameters such as the primary star mass, orbital period, and mass ratio and secondary star mass of ZAMS binaries. The simulation outputs provide WD masses and final orbital periods, which are then used to synthesize the present-day CV population. The results show consistency with other simulation works. However, some discrepancies remain when compared to observations. Moreover, the use of a WD accretion efficiency of 10%, ? CE = 1, and the interpolation method employed successfully yielded valid results, while also opening opportunities for further exploration. This research provides new insights into CV evolution while establishing a simulation-based framework applicable to other binary star populations.