An evolutionary study of the pulsating subdwarf B eclipsing binary PG 1336-018 (NY Virginis)

¹ Department of Astrophysics, IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands e-mail: hailihu@astro.ru.nl
² Institute of Astronomy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium

Received: 19 January 2007
Accepted: 31 July 2007

Abstract

Context.The formation of subdwarf B (sdB) stars is not well understood within the current framework of stellar single and binary evolution.

Aims.In this study, we focus on the formation and evolution of the pulsating sdB star in the very short-period eclipsing binary PG 1336-018. We aim at refining the formation scenario of this unique system, so that it can be confronted with observations.

Methods.We probe the stellar structure of the progenitors of sdB stars in short-period binaries using detailed stellar evolution calculations. Applying this to PG 1336-018 we reconstruct the common-envelope phase during which the sdB star was formed. The results are interpreted in terms of the standard common-envelope formalism (the α-formalism) based on the energy equation, and an alternative description (the γ-formalism) using the angular momentum equation.

Results.We find that if the common-envelope evolution is described by the α-formalism, the sdB progenitor most likely experienced a helium flash. We then expect the sdB mass to be between 0.39 and 0.48 , and the sdB progenitor initial mass to be below ~2 . However, the results for the γ-formalism are less restrictive, and a broader sdB mass range (0.3–0.8 ) is possible in this case. Future seismic mass determination will give strong constraints on the formation of PG 1336-018 and, in particular, on the CE phase.