Wolf--Rayet and O star runaway populations from supernovae

We present numerical simulations of the runaway fractions expected amongst O and Wolf—Rayet star populations resulting from stars ejected from binaries by the supernova of the companion. Observationally, the runaway fraction for both types of star is similar, prompting the explanation that close dynamical interactions are the main cause of these high-velocity stars. We show that, provided that the initial binary fraction is high, a scenario in which two-thirds of massive runaways are from supernovae is consistent with these observations. Our models also predict a low frequency of runaways with neutron star companions and a very low fraction of observable Wolf—Rayet—compact companion systems.