45 research outputs found
X-ray and optical periodicities in X-ray binaries. I.A0535+26
A homogeneous set of UBV photometry (354 data points obtained between 1983
and 1998) for the Be/X-ray binary A0535+26 = V725Tau is analysed, aiming to
look for possible periodic component(s). After subtraction of the long-term
variation it was found that only a 103-day periodic component remains in the
power spectra in both the V and B colour bands. The probability of chance
occurrence of such a peak is less than 0.1%. There are no signs of optical
variability at the X-ray period (111 d). We discuss possible reasons for a
103-day modulation and suggest that it corresponds to a beat frequency of the
orbital period of the neutron star and the precession period (~1400 d) either
of an accretion disc around the neutron star or a warped decretion disc around
the Be star.Comment: LaTeX, 6 pages, 5 figures, uses psfig.st
Variability of the Halpha emission of Cygnus X-1 and its connection with the soft X-ray radiation
High-resolution Halpha monitoring of Cyg X-1, HD226868 was carried out during
1996-2002 and the resultant spectra analysed in conjunction with 1.5-12 keV
X-ray monitoring. We demonstrate that the Halpha line-profiles have complex
variability on different timescales, controlled in particular by the orbital
period and the focused wind model of mass loss. We find that long-term
variability of the mass loss by the supergiant and short-term variability due
to clumpy structure of the stellar wind dominate during the low/hard X-ray
state and that X-ray photoionization has a relatively small influence on the
line-profile shape and EW variability. During the high/soft X-ray state and
flaring the effect of photoionization the line-profile and EW of Halpha
increases but is still unable to describe the loose anti-correlation between EW
and the low energy X-ray emission. We propose that variability of the mass loss
by the supergiant can change wind velocities in the Stromgren zone around the
accretion disc of the secondary, leading to an increase in accretion rate
through the disc.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Orbital, precessional and flaring variability of Cygnus X-1
We present the results of a 2.5-year multiwavelength monitoring programme of
Cygnus X-1, making use of hard and soft X-ray data, optical spectroscopy,
UBVJHK photometry and radio data. In particular we confirm that the 5.6-day
orbital period is apparent in all wavebands and note the existence of a
wavelength-dependence to the modulation, in the sense that higher energies
reach minimum first. We also find a strong modulation at a period of 142 +/- 7
days, which we suggest is due to precession and/or radiative warping of the
accretion disc. Strong modulation of the hard and soft X-ray flux at this long
period may not be compatible with simple models of an optically thin accretion
flow and corona in the low state. We present the basic components required for
more detailed future modelling of the system - including a partially optically
thick jet, quasi-continuous in the low state, the base of which acts as the
Comptonising corona. In addition, we find that there are a number of flares
which appear to be correlated in at least two wavebands and generally in more.
We choose two of these flares to study in further detail and find that the hard
and soft X-rays are well-correlated in the first and that the soft X-rays and
radio are correlated in the second. In general, the optical and infrared show
similar behaviour to each other but are not correlated with the X-rays or
radio.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 2 figures in colou
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Photometric observations of the radio bright B[e]/X-ray binary CI Cam
We present multiwavelength (optical, IR, radio) observations of CI Cam, the optical counterpart to the transient X-ray source XTE J0421+560. Pre-outburst quiescent observations reveal the presence of a dusty envelope around the system. Pronounced short term variability is observed at all wavebands from U-K, but no indication of prior flaring of a similar magnitude to the 1998 April outburst is found in these data.
Data obtained during the 1998 April X-ray flare reveal pronounced optical-radio flaring. The optical flux was observed to quickly return to quiescent levels, while the radio flare was of much longer duration. The optical component is likely to result from a combination of free-free/free-bound emission, emission line and thermal dust emission, caused by re-radiation of the X-ray flux, while the behaviour of the multiwavelength radio data is consistent with emission from expanding ejecta emitting via the synchrotron mechanism.
Post-outburst (1998 August-1999 March) U-M broadband photometric observations reveal that while the optical (UBV) flux remains at pre-outburst quiescent levels, near IR (JHKLM) fluxes exceed the pre-outburst fluxes by ~0.5 magnitudes. Modelling the pre- and post-outburst spectral energy distribution of CI Cam reveals that the structure and/or composition of the dusty component of the circumstellar envelope appears to have changed. Due to a lack of information on the precise chemical composition of the dust within the system several explanations for this behaviour are possible, such as the production of new dust at the inner edge of the envelope, or modification of the composition of the dust due to X-ray irradiation
Steps Toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XVI. A Thirteen-Year Study of Spectral Variability in NGC 5548
We present the final installment of an intensive 13-year study of variations
of the optical continuum and broad H-beta emission line in the Seyfert 1 galaxy
NGC 5548. The data base consists of 1530 optical continuum measurements and
1248 H-beta measurements. The H-beta variations follow the continuum variations
closely, with a typical time delay of about 20 days. However, a year-by-year
analysis shows that the magnitude of emission-line time delay is correlated
with the mean continuum flux. We argue that the data are consistent with the
simple model prediction that the size of the broad-line region is proportional
to the square root of the ionizing luminosity. Moreover, the apparently linear
nature of the correlation between the H-beta response time and the nonstellar
optical continuum arises as a consequence of the changing shape of the
continuum as it varies, specifically with the optical (5100 A) continuum
luminosity proportional to the ultraviolet (1350 A) continuum luminosity to the
0.56 power.Comment: 20 pages plus 4 figures. Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Fast optical variability of SS 433
We study the optical variability of the peculiar Galactic source SS 433 using
the observations made with the Russian Turkish 1.5-m telescope (RTT150). A
simple technique which allows to obtain high-quality photometric measurements
with 0.3-1 s time resolution using ordinary CCD is described in detail. Using
the test observations of nonvariable stars, we show that the atmospheric
turbulence introduces no significant distortions into the measured light
curves. Therefore, the data obtained in this way are well suited for studying
the aperiodic variability of various objects.
The large amount of SS 433 optical light curve measurements obtained in this
way allowed us to obtain the power spectra of its flux variability with a
record sensitivity up to frequencies of ~0.5 Hz and to detect its break at
frequency =~2.4e-3 Hz. We suggest that this break in the power spectrum results
from the smoothing of the optical flux variability due to a finite size of the
emitting region. Based on our measurement of the break frequency in the power
spectrum, we estimated the size of the accretion-disk photosphere as 2e12 cm.
We show that the amplitude of the variability in SS 433 decreases sharply
during accretion-disk eclipses, but it does not disappear completely. This
suggests that the size of the variable optical emission source is comparable to
that of the normal star whose size is therefore R_O \approx 2e12 cm \approx 30
R_sun. The decrease in flux variability amplitude during eclipses suggests the
presence of a nonvariable optical emission component with a magnitude
m_R=~13.2.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy Letters.
The original version in Russian is available at
http://hea.iki.rssi.ru/rtt150/ru/ss433_pazh10/pss433_fast.pd
Variability of Hot Supergiant IRAS 19336-0400 in the Early Phase of its Planetary Nebula Ionization
We present photoelectric and spectral observations of a hot candidate
proto-planetary nebula - early B-type supergiant with emission lines in
spectrum - IRAS 19336-0400. The light and color curves display fast irregular
brightness variations with maximum amplitudes Delta V=0.30 mag, Delta B=0.35
mag, Delta U=0.40 mag and color-brightness correlations. By the variability
characteristics IRAS 19336-0400 appears similar to other hot proto-planetary
nebulae. Based on low-resolution spectra in the range lambda 4000-7500 A we
have derived absolute intensities of the emission lines H_alpha, H_beta,
H_gamma, [SII], [NII], physical conditions in gaseous nebula: n_e=10^4 cm^{-3},
T_e=7000 \pm 1000 K. The emission line H_alpha, H_beta equivalent widths are
found to be considerably variable and related to light changes. By
UBV-photometry and spectroscopy the color excess has been estimated:
E_{B-V}=0.50-0.54. Joint photometric and spectral data analysis allows us to
assume that the star variability is caused by stellar wind variations.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Pis'ma
Astron. Zh. (Astronomy Letters
One Hundred Years of Observations of the Be Star HDE 245770 (the X-ray Binary A0535+26/V725 Tau): The End of an Active Phase
UBV observations of the X-ray binary system A0535+26/V725 Tau at the Crimean
Station of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute in 1980-1998 are presented.
Based on our and published data, we analyze the photometric history of the star
from 1898.Comment: Translated from Pis'ma Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 26, No. 1,
2000, pp. 13-2