Population demographics of white dwarf binaries with intermediate separations: Gaia constraints on post-AGB mass transfer

Abstract: Astrometry from the Gaia mission has revealed a large population of white dwarf (WD) + main sequence (MS) binaries with periods of $100 - 1000\,$d. Such systems have separations intermediate to predictions from standard binary evolution scenarios, challenging models of binary interaction and mass transfer. Because the selection function of Gaia astrometric catalogs is complex, the underlying population demographics of WD+MS binaries remain imperfectly understood. We present a forward-model of the au-scale WD+MS binary population probed by Gaia that begins with a realistic binary population and incorporates a full model of Gaia mock observations and astrometric model fitting, as well as cuts employed in producing the Gaia astrometric catalog and selecting WD+MS binary candidates. Our model allows us to constrain the intrinsic population demographics of intermediate-separation WD+MS binaries. The inferred period distribution is close to flat, with ${\rm d}N/{\rm d}P_{{\rm orb}}\propto P_{{\rm orb}}^{-0.25}$, while the WD mass distribution is sharply peaked at $0.6\,M_{\odot}$. We model the formation of au-scale WD+MS binaries as the result of interaction when the WD progenitor is an AGB star. Explaining the mass distributions of both components requires two key assumptions: (1) the mass growth of the WD is terminated when its AGB progenitor overflows its Roche lobe, and (2) post-AGB binaries binaries remain wide only if the accretor-to-donor mass ratio exceeds a critical threshold, $q_{\rm crit} \approx 0.4$. Systems with more unequal mass ratios likely shrink to shorter periods and become classical post-common envelope binaries or merge. The model implies that $\sim 1\%$ of solar-type stars have WD companions with periods of $100 - 1000\,$d, consistent with complementary constraints from self-lensing binaries.