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"The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems"
Konstantin A. Postnov and Lev R. Yungelson 
Abstract
1 Introduction
1.1 Formation of stars and end products of their evolution
1.2 Binary stars
2 Observations of Double Compact Stars
2.1 Compact binaries with neutron stars
2.2 How frequent are NS binary coalescences?
2.3 Black holes in binary systems
2.4 A model-independent upper limit on the BH-BH/BH-NS coalescence rate
3 Basic Principles of the Evolution of Binary Stars
3.1 Keplerian binary system and radiation back reaction
3.2 Mass exchange in close binaries
3.3 Mass transfer modes and mass and angular momentum loss in binary systems
3.4 Supernova explosion
3.5 Kick velocity of neutron stars
3.6 Common envelope stage
3.7 Other notes on the CE problem
4 Evolutionary Scenario for Compact Binaries with Neutron Star or Black Hole Components
4.1 Compact binaries with neutron stars
4.2 Black-hole–formation parameters
5 Formation of Double Compact Binaries
5.1 Analytical estimates
5.2 Population synthesis results
6 Detection Rates
7 Short-Period Binaries with White-Dwarf Components
7.1 Formation of compact binaries with white dwarfs
7.2 White-dwarf binaries
7.3 Type Ia supernovae
7.4 Ultra-compact X-ray binaries
8 Observations of Double-Degenerate Systems
8.1 Detached white dwarf and subdwarf binaries
9 Evolution of Interacting Double-Degenerate Systems
9.1 “Double-degenerate family” of AM CVn stars
9.2 “Helium-star family” of AM CVn stars
9.3 Final stages of evolution of interacting double-degenerate systems
10 Gravitational Waves from Compact Binaries with White-Dwarf Components
11 AM CVn-Type Stars as Sources of Optical and X-Ray Emission
12 Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References
Footnotes
Updates
Figures
Tables
Figure 22
Figure 22: Birthrates and stability limits for mass transfer between close WD binaries. The shaded areas show the birth probability of progenitors of AM CVn stars in double-degenerate channel scaled to the maximum birth rate per bin of − 5 − 1 9 × 10 yr [518]. The upper dashed line corresponds to the upper limit for stable mass transfer. The lower solid line is the lower limit for direct accretion. The upper dash-dot line is the limit set by the Eddington luminosity for stable mass transfer at a synchronization time limit τ → 0. The lower dash-dot line is the limit set by the Eddington luminosity for τ → ∞, and the lower broken line is the strict stability limit for the same. The three dotted lines show how the strict stability limit is raised for shorter synchronization time-scales ranging from 1000 yr (bottom), 10 yr (center), and 0.1 yr (top). Image reproduced with permission from Figure 3 of [725], copyright by ASP.

Konstantin A. Postnov and Lev R. Yungelson, "The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems",
Living Rev. Relativity, 17 (2014), 3, doi:10.12942/lrr-2014-3, URL (accessed <date>): http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2014-3.
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. © The author(s), except where otherwise noted.