2,206 research outputs found
On the masses and evolutionary status of the black hole binary GX 339-4. A twin system of XTE J1550-564?
We apply the K-correction to the black hole LMXB GX 339-4 which implies Mx >
6 Msun by only assuming that the companion is more massive than ~0.17 Msun, the
lower limit allowed by applying a 'stripped-giant' model. This evolutionary
model successfully reproduces the observed properties of the system. We obtain
a maximum mass for the companion of M2 < 1.1 Msun and an upper limit to the
mass ratio of q(=M2/Mx)< 0.125. The high X-ray activity displayed by the source
suggests a relatively large mass transfer rate which, according to the model,
results in M2 > 0.3 Msun and Mx > 7 Msun. We have also applied this scenario to
the black hole binary XTE J1550-564, which has a similar orbital period but the
donor is detected spectroscopically. The model successfully reproduces the
observed stellar parameters.Comment: 5 pages, 2 tables, 1 figues. Accepted for publication in MNRA
First Simultaneous Optical and EUV Observations of the Quasi-Coherent Oscillations of SS Cygni
Using EUV photometry obtained with the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE)
satellite and UBVR optical photometry obtained with the 2.7-m telescope at
McDonald Observatory, we have detected quasi-coherent oscillations (so-called
``dwarf nova oscillations'') in the EUV and optical flux of the dwarf nova SS
Cygni during its 1996 October outburst. There are two new results from these
observations. First, we have for the first time observed ``frequency
doubling:'' during the rising branch of the outburst, the period of the EUV
oscillation was observed to jump from 6.59 s to 2.91 s. Second, we have for the
first time observed quasi-coherent oscillations simultaneously in the optical
and EUV. We find that the period and phase of the oscillations are the same in
the two wavebands, finally confirming the long-held assumption that the periods
of the optical and EUV/soft X-ray oscillations of dwarf novae are equal. The
UBV oscillations can be simply the Rayleigh-Jeans tail of the EUV oscillations
if the boundary layer temperature kT_bb <~ 15 eV and hence the luminosity L_bb
>~ 1.2e34 (d/75 pc)^2 erg/s (comparable to that of the accretion disk).
Otherwise, the lack of a phase delay between the EUV and optical oscillations
requires that the optical reprocessing site lies within the inner third of the
accretion disk. This is strikingly different from other cataclysmic variables,
where much or all of the disk contributes to the optical oscillations.Comment: 16 pages including 3 tables and 4 encapsulated postscript figures;
LaTeX format, uses aastex.cls; accepted on 2001 August 2 for publication in
The Astrophysical Journa
The "K-Correction" for Irradiated Emission Lines in LMXBs: Evidence for a Massive Neutron Star in X1822-371 (V691 CrA)
We study the K-correction for the case of emission lines formed in the X-ray
illuminated atmosphere of a Roche lobe filling star. We compute the
K-correction as function of the mass ratio 'q' and the disc flaring angle
'alpha' using a compact binary code where the companion's Roche lobe is divided
into 10^5 resolution elements. We also study the effect of the inclination
angle in the results. We apply our model to the case of the neutron star
low-mass X-ray binary X1822-371 (V691 CrA), where a K-emission velocity
K_em=300 +-8 km/s has been measured by Casares et al. (2003). Our numerical
results, combined with previous determination of system parameters, yields
1.61Msun < M_NS < 2.32Msun and 0.44Msun < M_2 < 0.56Msun for the two binary
components(i. e. 0.24 < q < 0.27), which provide a compelling evidence for a
massive neutron star in this system. We also discuss the implications of these
masses into the evolutionary history of the binary.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
The Nature of the Secondary Star in the Black Hole X-Ray Transient V616 Mon (=A0620-00)
We have used NIRSPEC on Keck II to obtain -band spectroscopy of the low
mass X-ray binary V616 Mon (= A062000). V616 Mon is the proto-typical soft
x-ray transient containing a black hole primary. As such it is important to
constrain the masses of the binary components. The modeling of the infrared
observations of ellipsoidal variations in this system lead to a derived mass of
11.0 M_{\sun} for the black hole. The validity of this derivation has been
called into question due to the possiblity that the secondary star's spectral
energy distribution is contaminated by accretion disk emission (acting to
dilute the variations). Our new -band spectrum of V616 Mon reveals a
late-type K dwarf secondary star, but one that has very weak CO
absorption features. Comparison of V616 Mon with SS Cyg leads us to estimate
that the accretion disk supplies only a small amount of -band flux, and the
ellipsoidal variations are not seriously contaminated. If true, the derived
orbital inclination of V616 Mon is not greatly altered, and the mass of the
black hole remains large. A preliminary stellar atmosphere model for the
-band spectrum of V616 Mon reveals that the carbon abundance is
approximately 50% of the solar value. We conclude that the secondary star in
V616 Mon has either suffered serious contamination from the accretion of
supernova ejecta that created the black hole primary, or it is the stripped
remains of a formerly more massive secondary star, one in which the CNO cycle
had been active.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure
Echo Tomography of Sco X-1 using Bowen Fluorescence Lines
We present preliminary results of a simultaneous X-ray/optical campaign of
the prototypical LMXB Sco X-1 at 1-10 Hz time resolution. Lightcurves of the
high excitation Bowen/HeII emission lines were obtained through narrow
interference filters with ULTRACAM, and these were cross-correlated with X-ray
lightcurves. We find evidence for correlated variability, in particular when
Sco X-1 enters the Flaring Branch. The Bowen/HeII lightcurves lag the X-ray
lightcurves with a light travel time which is consistent with reprocessing in
the companion star.Comment: Contribution presented at the conference "Interacting Binaries:
Accretion, Evolution and Outcomes", held in Cefalu, Sicily (Italy) in July
2004. To be published by AIP (American Institute of Physics), eds. L. A.
Antonelli, L. Burderi, F. D'Antona, T. Di Salvo, G.L. Israel, L. Piersanti,
O. Straniero, A. Tornambe. 6 pages, 5 figure
A ZZ Ceti white dwarf in SDSS J133941.11+484727.5
We present time-resolved spectroscopy and photometry of the cataclysmic
variable (CV) SDSSJ133941.11+484727.5 (SDSS1339) which has been discovered in
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4. The orbital period determined from
radial velocity studies is 82.524(24)min, close to the observed period minimum.
The optical spectrum of SDSS1339 is dominated to 90% by emission from the white
dwarf. The spectrum can be successfully reproduced by a three-component model
(white dwarf, disc, secondary) with Twd=12500K for a fixed log g=8.0, d=170pc,
and a spectral type of the secondary later than M8. The mass transfer rate
corresponding to the optical luminosity of the accretion disc is very
low,~1.7x10^-13Msun/yr. Optical photometry reveals a coherent variability at
641s with an amplitude of 0.025mag, which we interpret as non-radial pulsations
of the white dwarf. In addition, a long-period photometric variation with a
period of either 320min or 344min and an amplitude of 0.025mag is detected,
which bears no apparent relation with the orbital period of the system. Similar
long-period photometric signals have been found in the CVs
SDSSJ123813.73-033933.0, SDSSJ204817.85-061044.8, GW Lib and FS Aur, but so far
no working model for this behaviour is available.Comment: MNRAS, in press, 8 pages, 10 figures, some figures downgraded to meet
the file size constraint of arxiv.or
The Masses and Evolutionary State of the Stars in the Dwarf Nova SS Cygni
The dwarf nova SS Cygni is a close binary star consisting of a K star transferring mass to a white dwarf by way of an accretion disk. We have obtained new spectroscopic observations of SS Cyg with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). Fits of synthetic spectra for Roche-lobe-filling stars to the absorption-line spectrum of the K star yield the amplitude of the K star's radial velocity curve and the mass ratio: K_{K} = 162.5 +/- 1.0 km/s and q= M_{K} /M_{wd} = 0.685 +/- 0.015. The fits also show that the accretion disk and white dwarf contribute a fraction f = 0.535 +/- 0.075 of the total flux at 5500 angstroms. Taking the weighted average of our results with previously published results obtained using similar techniques, we find = 163.7 +/- 0.7 km/s and = 0.683 +/- 0.012. The orbital light curve of SS Cyg shows an ellipsoidal variation diluted by light from the disk and white dwarf. From an analysis of the ellipsoidal variations we limit the orbital inclination to the range 45 deg. <= i <= 56 deg. The derived masses of the K star and white dwarf are M_{K} = 0.55 +/- 0.13 M_sun and M_{wd} = 0.81 +/- 0.19 M_sun, where the uncertainties are dominated by systematic errors in the orbital inclination. The K star in SS Cyg is 10% to 50% larger than an unevolved star with the same mass and thus does not follow the mass-radius relation for Zero-Age Main-Sequence stars; nor does it follow the ZAMS mass/spectral-type relation. Its mass and spectral type are, however, consistent with models in which the core hydrogen has been significantly depleted
The 2005 outburst of the halo black hole X-ray transient XTE J1118+480
We present optical and infrared monitoring of the 2005 outburst of the halo black hole X-ray transient XTE J1118+480. We measured a total outburst amplitude of ~5.7 ± 0.1 mag in the R band and ~5 mag in the infrared J, H, and Ks bands. The hardness ratio HR2 (5-12 keV : 3-5 keV) from the RXTE ASM data is 1.53 ± 0.02 at the peak of the outburst, indicating a hard spectrum. Both the shape of the light curve and the ratio LX(1-10 keV)/Lopt resemble the minioutbursts observed in GRO J0422+32 and XTE J1859+226. During early decline, we find a 0.02 mag amplitude variation consistent with a superhump modulation, like the one observed during the 2000 outburst. Similarly, XTE J1118+480 displayed a double-humped ellipsoidal modulation distorted by a superhump wave when settled into a near-quiescence level, suggesting that the disk expanded to the 3 : 1 resonance radius after outburst, where it remained until early quiescence. The system reached quiescence at R = 19.02 ± 0.03, about 3 months after the onset of the outburst. The optical rise preceded the X-ray rise by at most 4 days. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) at the different epochs during outburst are all quasi-power laws with FΜ Μα increasing toward the blue. At the peak of the outburst, we derived α = 0.49 ± 0.04 for the optical data alone and α = 0.1 ± 0.1 when fitting solely the infrared. This difference between the optical and the infrared SEDs suggests that the infrared is dominated by a different component (a jet?), whereas the optical is presumably showing the disk evolution
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