Inferring the Presence of Tides in Detached White Dwarf Binaries

Understand

Tidal interactions can play an important role as compact white dwarf (WD) binaries are driven together by gravitational waves (GWs).

• This will modify the strain evolution measured by future space-based GW detectors and impact the potential outcome of the mergers.
• Surveys now and in the near future will generate an unprecedented population of detached WD binaries to constrain tidal interactions.
• Motivated by this, I summarize the deviations between a binary evolving under the influence of only GW emission and a binary that is also experiencing some degree of tidal locking.