Blue large-amplitude pulsators formed from the merger of low-mass white dwarfs

¹ University of Wrocław, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute, ul. Kopernika 11, 51-622 Wrocław, Poland
² Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research (STAR) Institute, Université de Liège, Allée du 6 Août 19c, Bât. B5c, 4000 Liège, Belgium

^⋆ Corresponding author; piotr.kolaczek-szymanski@uwr.edu.pl

Received: 23 July 2024
Accepted: 24 September 2024

Abstract

Context. Blue large-amplitude pulsators (BLAPs) are a recently discovered group of hot stars pulsating in radial modes. Their origin needs to be explained, and several scenarios for their formation have already been proposed.

Aims. We investigate whether BLAPs can originate as the product of a merger of two low-mass white dwarfs (WDs) and estimate how many BLAPs can be formed in this evolutionary channel.

Methods. We used the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) code to model the merger of three different double extremely low-mass (DELM) WDs and the subsequent evolution of the merger product. We also performed a population synthesis of Galactic DELM WDs using the COSMIC code.

Results. We find that BLAPs can be formed from DELM WDs provided that the total mass of the system ranges between 0.32 and 0.7 M_⊙. BLAPs born in this scenario either do not have any thermonuclear fusion at all or show off-centre He burning. The final product evolves to hot subdwarfs and eventually finishes its evolution either as a cooling He WD or a hybrid He/CO WD. The merger products become BLAPs only a few thousand years after coalescence, and it takes them 20–70 thousand years to pass the BLAP region. We found the instability of the fundamental radial mode to be in fair agreement with observations, but we also observed instability of the radial first overtone. The calculated evolutionary rates of period change can be both positive and negative. From the population synthesis, we found that up to a few hundred BLAPs born in this scenario can exist at present in the Galaxy.

Conclusions. Given the estimated number of BLAPs formed in the studied DELM WD merger scenario, there is a good chance to observe BLAPs that originated through this scenario. Since strong magnetic fields can be generated during mergers, this scenario could lead to the formation of magnetic BLAPs. This fits well with the discovery of two likely magnetic BLAPs whose pulsations can be explained in terms of the oblique rotator model.