scholarly journals Observations of low mass companions to massive stars

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 760-760
Author(s):  
H. Zinnecker

Massive stars are known to be multiple systems, often in tight, short-period OB stars binaries (SB1 and SB2, found by spectroscopic monitoring). However, little is known about low-mass companions to massive stars, such as A, F, and G stars with masses in the range of 1 to 3 solar masses. Yet systems of massive stars with wide low-mass companions (of the order of a few AU) must exist, for these are the progenitors of LMXB and HMXB (low-mass and high-mass X-ray binaries).

New Astronomy ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.E. Brown ◽  
C.-H. Lee ◽  
Hans A. Bethe
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
Low Mass ◽  

2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinwu Cao ◽  
Andrzej A Zdziarski

ABSTRACT The high-mass accreting binary Cyg X-3 is distinctly different from low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in having powerful radio and γ-ray emitting jets in its soft spectral state. However, the transition from the hard state to the soft one is first associated with quenching of the hard-state radio emission, as in LMXBs. The powerful soft-state jets in Cyg X-3 form, on average, ∼50 d later. We interpret the initial jet quenching as due to the hard-state vertical magnetic field quickly diffusing away in the thin disc extending to the innermost stable circular orbit in the soft state, or, if that field is produced in situ, also cessation of its generation. The subsequent formation of the powerful jets occurs due to advection of the magnetic field from the donor. We find this happens only above certain threshold accretion rate associated with appearance of magnetically driven outflows. The ∼50 d lag is of the order of the viscous time-scale in the outer disc, while the field advection is much faster. This process does not happen in LMXBs due to the magnetic fluxes available from their donors being lower than that for the wind accretion from the Wolf–Rayet donor of Cyg X-3. In our model, the vertical magnetic field in the hard state, required to form the jets both in Cyg X-3 and LMXBs, is formed in situ rather than advected from the donor. Our results provide a unified scenario of the soft and hard states in both Cyg X-3 and LMXBs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Edward P. J. van den Heuvel

AbstractA summary is given of the present state of our knowledge of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs), their formation and expected future evolution. Among the HMXB-systems that contain neutron stars, only those that have orbital periods upwards of one year will survive the Common-Envelope (CE) evolution that follows the HMXB phase. These systems may produce close double neutron stars with eccentric orbits. The HMXBs that contain black holes do not necessarily evolve into a CE phase. Systems with relatively short orbital periods will evolve by stable Roche-lobe overflow to short-period Wolf-Rayet (WR) X-ray binaries containing a black hole. Two other ways for the formation of WR X-ray binaries with black holes are identified: CE-evolution of wide HMXBs and homogeneous evolution of very close systems. In all three cases, the final product of the WR X-ray binary will be a double black hole or a black hole neutron star binary.


2004 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Andrea H. Prestwich

AbstractChandra and XMM-Newton are revolutionizing our understanding of compact binaries in external galaxies, allowing us to study sources in detail in Local Group Galaxies and study populations in more distant systems. In M31 the X-ray luminosity function depends on the local stellar population in the sense that areas with active star formation have more high luminosity sources, and a higher overall source density (Kong. Di Stefano. Garcia, & Greiner 2003). This result is also true in galaxies outside the Local Group; starburst galaxies have flatter X-ray luminosity functions than do spiral galaxies which are in turn flatter than elliptical galaxies. These observational results suggest that the high end of the luminosity function in star forming regions is dominated by short-lived high mass X-ray binaries.In Chandra Cycle 2 we started a Large Project to survey a sample of 11 nearby (< 10Mpc) face-on spiral galaxies. We find that sources can be approximately classified on the basis of their X-ray color into low mass X-ray binaries, high mass X-ray binaries and supersoft sources. There is an especially interesting class of source that has X-ray colors softer (“redder”) than a typical low mass X-ray binary source, but not so extreme as supersoft sources. Most of these are probably X-ray bright supernova remnants, but some may be a new type of black hole accretor. Finally, when we construct a luminosity function of sources selecting only sources with low mass X-ray binary colors (removing soft sources) we find that there is a dip or break probably associated with the Eddington luminosity for a neutron star.


1999 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 100-103
Author(s):  
A. P. Cowley ◽  
P. C. Schmidtke ◽  
V. A. Taylor ◽  
T.K. McGrath ◽  
J. B. Hutchings ◽  
...  

In this study we compare the global populations of stellar X-ray sources in the LMC, SMC, and the Galaxy. After removing foreground stars and background AGN from the samples, the relative numbers of the various types of X-ray point sources within the LMC and SMC are similar, but differ markedly from those in the Galaxy. The Magellanic Clouds are rich in high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB), especially those containing rapidly rotating Be stars. However, the LMC and SMC both lack the large number of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB) found in the Milky Way, which are known to represent a very old stellar population based on their kinematics, chemical composition, and spatial distribution.


1996 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 289-300
Author(s):  
F. Nagase

There are about a dozen extensively investigated high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), including LMC X-4, Cen X-3, 4U 1700-37, SMC X-1, Cyg X-1, and Vela X-1. Bhattacharya & Van den Heuvel (1991) compiled a list of “standard” HMXBs (see table 8 of their review article) and most of them, except for Cyg X-1 and 4U 1700-37, are accreting X-ray pulsars with an early-type or a Be star companion. Cyg X-3 was long considered to be a low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB). It was, however, recently revealed from infrared observations that the companion star has characteristics of a Wolf-Rayet star and it may be a fairly massive helium star (Van Kerkwijk et al. 1992; Van Kerkwijk 1993). I shall review here some recent progress in observational studies of the “standard” HMXBs and Cyg X-3.


1987 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 135-148
Author(s):  
N.E. White

This paper reviews accreting neutron stars in X-ray binaries, with particular emphasis on how variations in magnetic field strength may be responsible for explaining the spectral and temporal properties observed from the various systems. This includes a review of X-ray pulsars in both low and high mass systems, and a discussion of the spectral properties of the low mass X-ray binaries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 316-321
Author(s):  
Vallia Antoniou ◽  
Andreas Zezas ◽  
Jeremy J. Drake ◽  
Carles Badenes ◽  
Frank Haberl ◽  
...  

AbstractNearby star-forming galaxies offer a unique environment to study the populations of young (<100 Myr) accreting binaries. These systems are tracers of past populations of massive stars that heavily affect their immediate environment and parent galaxies. Using a Chandra X-ray Visionary program, we investigate the young neutron-star binary population in the low metallicity of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by reaching quiescent X-ray luminosity levels (~few times 1032 erg/s). We present the first measurement of the formation efficiency of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) as a function of the age of their parent stellar populations by using 3 indicators: the number ratio of HMXBs to OB stars, to the SFR, and to the stellar mass produced during the specific star-formation burst they are associated with. In all cases, we find that the HMXB formation efficiency increases as a function of time up to ~40–60 Myr, and then gradually decreases.


Author(s):  
R M Arnason ◽  
H Papei ◽  
P Barmby ◽  
A Bahramian ◽  
M Gorski

Abstract Precise and accurate measurements of distances to Galactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) reduce uncertainties in the determination of XRB physical parameters. We have cross-matched the XRB catalogues of Liu et al. (2006, 2007) to the results of Gaia Data Release 2. We identify 86 X-ray binaries with a Gaia candidate counterpart, of which 32 are low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and 54 are high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). Distances to Gaia candidate counterparts are, on average, consistent with those measured by Hipparcos and radio parallaxes. When compared to distances measured by Gaia candidate counterparts, distances measured using Type I X-ray bursts are systematically larger, suggesting that these bursts reach only 50% of the Eddington limit. However, these results are strongly dependent on the prior assumptions used for estimating distance from the Gaia parallax measurements. Comparing positions of Gaia candidate counterparts for XRBs in our sample to positions of spiral arms in the Milky Way, we find that HMXBs exhibit mild preference for being closer to spiral arms; LMXBs exhibit mild preference for being closer to inter-arm regions. LMXBs do not exhibit any preference for leading or trailing their closest spiral arm. HMXBs exhibit a mild preference for trailing their closest spiral arm. The lack of a strong correlation between HMXBs and spiral arms may be explained by star formation occurring closer to the midpoint of the arms, or a time delay between star formation and HMXB formation manifesting as a spatial separation between HMXBs and the spiral arm where they formed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 432-432
Author(s):  
Atsuo T. Okazaki

AbstractAbout one half of high-mass X-ray binaries host a Be star [an OB star with a viscous decretion (slowly outflowing) disk]. These Be/X-ray binaries exhibit two types of X-ray outbursts (Stella et al. 1986), normal X-ray outbursts (LX~1036−37 erg s−1) and occasional giant X-ray outbursts (LX > 1037 erg s−1). The origin of giant X-ray outbursts is unknown. On the other hand, a half of gamma-ray binaries have a Be star as the optical counterpart. One of these systems [LS I +61 303 (Porb = 26.5 d)] shows the superorbital (1,667 d) modulation in radio through X-ray bands. No consensus has been obtained for its origin. In this paper, we study a possibility that both phenomena are caused by a long-term, cyclic evolution of a highly misaligned Be disk under the influence of a compact object, by performing 3D hydrodynamic simulations. We find that the Be disk cyclically evolves in mildly eccentric, short-period systems. Each cycle consists of the following stages: 1)As the Be disk grows with time, the initially circular disk becomes eccentric by the Kozai-Lidov mechanism.2)At some point, the disk is tidally torn off near the base and starts precession.3)Due to precession, a gap opens between the disk base and mass ejection region, which allows the formation of a new disk in the stellar equatorial plane (see Figure 1).4)The newly formed disk finally replaces the precessing old disk. Such a cyclic disk evolution has interesting implications for the long-term behavior of high energy emission in Be/X-ray and gamma-ray binaries.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document