Reduction of the maximum mass-loss rate of OH/IR stars due to unnoticed binary interaction

In 1981, the idea of a superwind that ends the life of cool giant stars was proposed1. Extreme oxygen-rich giants, OH/IR stars, develop superwinds with the highest mass-loss rates known so far, up to a few 10−4 solar masses (M⊙) per year2–12, informing our understanding of the maximum mass-loss rate achieved during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. A conundrum arises whereby the observationally determined duration of the superwind phase is too short for these stars to lose enough mass to become white dwarfs2–4,6,8–10. Here we report on the detection of spiral structures around two cornerstone extreme OH/IR stars, OH 26.5 + 0.6 and OH 30.1 − 0.7, thereby identifying them as wide binary systems. Hydrodynamic simulations show that the companion’s gravitational attraction creates an equatorial density enhancement mimicking a short, extreme superwind phase, thereby solving the decades-old conundrum. This discovery restricts the maximum mass-loss rate of AGB stars to around the single-scattering radiation pressure limit of a few 10−5 M⊙ yr−1. This has crucial implications for nucleosynthetic yields, planet survival and the wind-driving mechanism.