Paper detail

Tidal dissipation due to inertial waves can explain the circularization periods of solar-type binaries

Tidal dissipation is responsible for circularizing the orbits and synchronizing the spins of solar-type close binary stars, but the mechanisms responsible are not fully understood. Previous work has indicated that significant enhancements to the theoretically-predicted tidal dissipation rates are required to explain the observed circularization periods ($P_\mathrm{circ}$) in various stellar populations, and their evolution with age. This was based partly on the common belief that the dominant mechanism of tidal dissipation in solar-type stars is turbulent viscosity acting on equilibrium tides in convective envelopes. In this paper we study tidal dissipation in both convection and radiation zones of rotating solar-type stars following their evolution. We study equilibrium tide dissipation, incorporating a frequency-dependent effective viscosity motivated by the latest hydrodynamical simulations, and inertial wave (dynamical tide) dissipation, adopting a frequency-averaged formalism that accounts for the realistic structure of the star. We demonstrate that the observed binary circularization periods can be explained by inertial wave (dynamical tide) dissipation in convective envelopes. This mechanism is particularly efficient during pre-main sequence phases, but it also operates on the main sequence if the spin is close to synchronism. The predicted $P_\mathrm{circ}$ due to this mechanism increases with main-sequence age in accord with observations. We also demonstrate that both equilibrium tide and internal gravity wave dissipation are unlikely to explain the observed $P_\mathrm{circ}$, even during the pre-main sequence, based on our best current understanding of these mechanisms. Finally, we advocate more realistic dynamical studies of stellar populations that employ tidal dissipation due to inertial waves.