scholarly journals Stellar winds in high-mass X-ray binaries

1995 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 271-279
Author(s):  
Lex Kaper
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
High Mass ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Ionization Zone ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Massive Binary Systems ◽  
X Ray Binaries

High-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) represent an important stage in the evolution of massive binary systems. The compact object (in most cases an X-ray pulsar) not only provides information on the orbital and stellar parameters, but also probes the stellar wind of the massive companion, an OB supergiant or Be star. The X-ray luminosity directly depends on the density and the velocity of the wind at the orbit of the X-ray source. Important constraints on the stellar-wind structure can be set by studying the orbital modulation of UV P-Cygni profiles. In this paper different aspects of the interactive wind-accretion process are highlighted, such as the highly variable X-ray luminosity, the influence of the X-rays on the radiative acceleration of the wind inside the ionization zone, and the large-scale structures that trail the X-ray source in its orbit.

scholarly journals Color–color diagrams as tools for assessment of the variable absorption in high mass X-ray binaries

2020 ◽  
Vol 643 ◽  
pp. A109
Author(s):  
V. Grinberg ◽  
M. A. Nowak ◽  
N. Hell
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Spectral Shape ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Current Generation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Partial Covering ◽  
X Ray Binaries

High mass X-ray binaries hold the promise of allowing us to understand the structure of the winds of their supermassive companion stars by using the emission from the compact object as a backlight to evaluate the variable absorption in the structured stellar wind. The wind along the line of sight can change on timescales as short as minutes and below. However, such short timescales are not available for the direct measurement of absorption through X-ray spectroscopy with the current generation of X-ray telescopes. In this paper, we demonstrate the usability of color–color diagrams for assessing the variable absorption in wind accreting high mass X-ray binary systems. We employ partial covering models to describe the spectral shape of high mass X-ray binaries and assess the implication of different absorbers and their variability on the shape of color–color tracks. We show that in taking into account, the ionization of the absorber, and in particular accounting for the variation of ionization with absorption depth, is crucial to describe the observed behavior well.

scholarly journals Stellar Winds in Massive X-ray Binaries

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 355-358
Author(s):  
Peter Kretschmar ◽  
Silvia Martínez-Núñez ◽  
Enrico Bozzo ◽  
Lidia M. Oskinova ◽  
Joachim Puls ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compact Object ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Stellar Winds ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Current State ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Strong Winds ◽  
The One ◽  
X Ray Binaries

AbstractStrong winds from massive stars are a topic of interest to a wide range of astrophysical fields. In High-Mass X-ray Binaries the presence of an accreting compact object on the one side allows to infer wind parameters from studies of the varying properties of the emitted X-rays; but on the other side the accretor’s gravity and ionizing radiation can strongly influence the wind flow. Based on a collaborative effort of astronomers both from the stellar wind and the X-ray community, this presentation attempts to review our current state of knowledge and indicate avenues for future progress.

Mass Loss and Stellar Wind in Massive X-Ray Binaries

1980 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 541-547
Author(s):  
H. F. Henrichs
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Compact Star ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Early Type ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Loss Rates

A number of massive stars of early type is found in X-ray binary systems. The catalog of Bradt et al. (1979) contains 21 sources optically identified with massive stars ranging in spectral type from 06 to B5 out of which 13 are (nearly) unevolved stars and 8 are supergiants. Single stars of this type generally show moderate to strong stellar winds. The X-rays in these binaries originate from accretion onto a compact companion (we restrict the discussion to this type of X-rays).We consider the compact star as a probe traveling through the stellar wind. This probe enables us to derive useful information about the mass outflow of massive stars.After presenting the basic data we derive an upper limit to mass loss rates of unevolved early type stars by studying X-ray pulsars. Next we consider theoretical predictions concerning the influence of X-rays on the stellar wind and compare these with the observations. Finally, using new data from IUE, we draw some conclusions about mass loss rates and velocity laws as derived from X-ray binaries.

scholarly journals Wind inhibition by X-ray irradiation in high-mass X-ray binaries

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 417-417
Author(s):  
Jiří Krtička ◽  
Jiří Kubát ◽  
Iva Krtičková
Keyword(s):  
Optical Depth ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
High Mass ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Radiative Force ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
X Ray Binaries

AbstractWinds of hot massive stars are driven radiatively by light absorption in the lines of heavier elements. Therefore, the radiative force depends on the wind ionization. That is the reason why the accretion powered X-ray emission of high-mass X-ray binaries influences the radiative force and may even lead to wind inhibition. We model the effect of X-ray irradiation on the stellar wind in high-mass X-ray binaries. The influence of X-rays is given by the X-ray luminosity, by the optical depth between a given point and the X-ray source, and by the distance to the X-ray source. The influence of X-rays is stronger for higher X-ray luminosities and in closer proximity of the X-ray source. There is a forbidden area in the diagrams of X-ray luminosity vs. the optical depth parameter. The observations agree with theoretical predictions, because all wind-powered high-mass X-ray binary primaries lie outside the forbidden area. The positions of real binaries in the diagram indicate that their X-ray luminosities are self-regulated.

scholarly journals Monitoring clumpy wind accretion in supergiant fast-X-ray transients with XMM-Newton

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A73 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ferrigno ◽  
E. Bozzo ◽  
P. Romano
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
High Mass ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Absorption Column ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Massive Structure ◽  
Observational Program

Supergiant fast-X-ray transients (SFXTs) are a sub-class of supergiant high-mass X-ray binaries hosting a neutron star accreting from the stellar wind of a massive OB companion. Compared to the classical systems, SFXTs display a pronounced variability in X-rays that has long been (at least partly) ascribed to the presence of clumps in the stellar wind. Here, we report on the first set of results of an ongoing XMM-Newton observational program searching for spectroscopic variability during the X-ray flares and outbursts of the SFXTs. The goal of the paper is to present the observational program and show that the obtained results are in agreement with expectations, with a number of flares (between one and four) generally observed per source and per observation (20 ks-long, on average). We base our work on a systematic and uniform analysis method optimized to consistently search for spectral signatures of a variable absorption column density, as well as other parameters of the spectral continuum. Our preliminary results show that the program is successful and the outcomes of the analysis support previous findings that most of the X-ray flares seem associated to the presence of a massive structure approaching and being accreted by the compact object. However, we cannot rule out that other mechanisms are at work together with clumps to enhance the X-ray variability of SFXTs. This is expected according to current theoretical models. The success of these observations shows that our observational program can be a powerful instrument to deepen our understanding of the X-ray variability in SFXTs. Further observations will help us to obtain a statistically robust sample. This will be required to conduct a systematic analysis of the whole SFXT class with the ultimate goal being to disentangle the roles of the different mechanisms giving rise to these events.

scholarly journals Inventory of black hole binaries

2003 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome A. Orosz
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Optical Studies ◽  
Dynamical Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Black Hole Binaries ◽  
X Ray Binaries

A small group of X-ray binaries currently provides the best evidence for the existence of stellar-mass black holes. These objects are interacting binary systems where the X-rays arise from accretion of material onto a compact object (i.e., an object with a radius of less than a few hundred km). In some favourable cases, optical studies of the companion star lead to dynamical mass estimates for both components. In 17 cases, the mass of the compact object in an X-ray binary has been shown to exceed the maximum mass of a stable neutron star (about 3 M⊙), which leads to the conclusion that these objects are black holes. In this contribution I will review the basic properties of these black hole binaries.

scholarly journals Clumped stellar winds in supergiant high-mass X-ray binaries

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S290) ◽  
pp. 287-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Oskinova ◽  
A. Feldmeier ◽  
P. Kretschmar
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Stellar Winds ◽  
Degree Of Ionization ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Wind Theory ◽  
Supergiant Star ◽  
X Ray Binaries

AbstractThe clumping of massive star winds is an established paradigm, which is confirmed by multiple lines of evidence and is supported by stellar wind theory. We use the results from time-dependent hydrodynamical models of the instability in the line-driven wind of a massive supergiant star to derive the time-dependent accretion rate on to a compact object in the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton approximation. The strong density and velocity fluctuations in the wind result in strong variability of the synthetic X-ray light curves. Photoionization of inhomogeneous winds is different from the photoinization of smooth winds. The degree of ionization is affected by the wind clumping. The wind clumping must also be taken into account when comparing the observed and model spectra of the photoionized stellar wind.

scholarly journals Wind inhibition by X-ray irradiation in HMXBs: the influence of clumping and the final X-ray luminosity

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Krtička ◽  
J. Kubát ◽  
I. Krtičková
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Terminal Velocity ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Context. In wind-powered X-ray binaries, the radiatively driven stellar wind from the primary may be inhibited by the X-ray irradiation. This creates the feedback that limits the X-ray luminosity of the compact secondary. Wind inhibition might be weakened by the effect of small-scale wind inhomogeneities (clumping) possibly affecting the limiting X-ray luminosity. Aims. We study the influence of X-ray irradiation on the stellar wind for different radial distributions of clumping. Methods. We calculate hot star wind models with external irradiation and clumping using our global wind code. The models are calculated for different parameters of the binary. We determine the parameters for which the X-ray wind ionization is so strong that it leads to a decrease of the radiative force. This causes a decrease of the wind velocity and even of the mass-loss rate in the case of extreme X-ray irradiation. Results. Clumping weakens the effect of X-ray irradiation because it favours recombination and leads to an increase of the wind mass-loss rate. The best match between the models and observed properties of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) is derived with radially variable clumping. We describe the influence of X-ray irradiation on the terminal velocity and on the mass-loss rate in a parametric way. The X-ray luminosities predicted within the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton theory agree nicely with observations when accounting for X-ray irradiation. Conclusions. The ionizing feedback regulates the accretion onto the compact companion resulting in a relatively stable X-ray source. The wind-powered accretion model can account for large luminosities in HMXBs only when introducing the ionizing feedback. There are two possible states following from the dependence of X-ray luminosity on the wind terminal velocity and mass-loss rate. One state has low X-ray luminosity and a nearly undisturbed wind, and the second state has high X-ray luminosity and exhibits a strong influence of X-rays on the flow.

scholarly journals The dark side of supergiant High-Mass X-ray Binaries

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 161-169
Author(s):  
Sylvain Chaty ◽  
Francis Fortin ◽  
Federico García ◽  
Federico Fogantini
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Companion Star ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Active Stars ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Abstract. High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB) have been revealed by a wealth of multi-wavelength observations, from X-ray to optical and infrared domain. After describing the 3 different kinds of HMXB, we focus on 3 HMXB hosting supergiant stars: IGR J16320-4751, IGR J16465-4507 and IGR J16318-4848, respectively called “The Good”, “The Bad” and “The Ugly”. We review in these proceedings what the observations of these sources have brought to light concerning our knowledge of HMXB, and what part still remains in the dark side. Many questions are still pending, related to accretion processes, stellar wind properties in these massive and active stars, and the overall evolution due to transfer of mass and angular momentum between the companion star and the compact object. Future observations should be able to answer these questions, which constitute the dark side of HMXB.

scholarly journals A Machine Learning Approach For Classifying Low-mass X-ray Binaries Based On Their Compact Object Nature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Pattnaik ◽  
K Sharma ◽  
K Alabarta ◽  
D Altamirano ◽  
M Chakraborty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Average Accuracy ◽  
Machine Learning Approach ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Abstract Low Mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are binary systems where one of the components is either a black hole or a neutron star and the other is a less massive star. It is challenging to unambiguously determine whether a LMXB hosts a black hole or a neutron star. In the last few decades, multiple observational works have tried, with different levels of success, to address this problem. In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning to tackle this observational challenge. We train a random forest classifier to identify the type of compact object using the energy spectrum in the energy range 5-25 keV obtained from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer archive. We report an average accuracy of 87±13% in classifying the spectra of LMXB sources. We further use the trained model for predicting the classes for LMXB systems with unknown or ambiguous classification. With the ever-increasing volume of astronomical data in the X-ray domain from present and upcoming missions (e.g., SWIFT, XMM-Newton, XARM, ATHENA, NICER), such methods can be extremely useful for faster and robust classification of X-ray sources and can also be deployed as part of the data reduction pipeline.

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