Discovery of orbital decay in SMC X-1

Levine, A.; Rappaport, S.; Deeter, J. E.; Boynton, P. E.; Nagase, F.

doi:10.1086/172750

Cited by 59 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…These effects may even allow violations of the Eddington limit by a factor as large as 100 (Begelman 2002(Begelman , 2006) so our super-Eddington model may remain conservative. On the other hand, NS accretors seem to remain within twice the Eddington rate (Levine et al 1991(Levine et al , 1993Grimm et al 2003a). This approximation has subsequently been employed in several theoretical models of luminous X-ray binary formation (Rappaport et al 2005;Fragos et al 2008), and we adopt this assumption throughout.…”

Section: Simulation Code and Modelsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Effect of Starburst Metallicity on Bright X-Ray Binary Formation Pathways

Linden

Kalogera

Sepinsky

et al. 2010

ApJ

178

227

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We investigate the characteristics of young (<20 Myr) and bright (L X > 1 × 10 36 erg s −1 ) high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) and find the population to be strongly metallicity dependent. We separate the model populations among two distinct formation pathways: (1) systems undergoing active Roche lobe overflow (RLO) and (2) wind accretion systems with donors in the (super)giant stage, which we find to dominate the HMXB population. We find metallicity to primarily affect the number of systems which move through each formation pathway, rather than the observable parameters of systems which move through each individual pathway. We discuss the most important model parameters affecting the HMXB population at both low and high metallicities. Using these results, we show that (1) the population of ultra-luminous X-ray sources can be consistently described by very bright HMXBs which undergo stable RLO with mild super-Eddington accretion and (2) the HMXB population of the bright starburst galaxy NGC 1569 is likely dominated by one extremely metal-poor starburst cluster.

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Section: Simulation Code and Modelsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Effect of Starburst Metallicity on Bright X-Ray Binary Formation Pathways

Linden

Kalogera

Sepinsky

et al. 2010

ApJ

178

227

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“…For all these sources, a number of different mechanisms have been invoked to explain the orbital period decay (see, e.g., Kelley et al 1983; van der Klis 1983; van der Klis & Bonnet-Bidaud 1984; Levine et al 1993Levine et al , 2000Rubin et al 1996;Safi Harb et al 1996;Jenke et al 2012). The hypothesis that the period change is entirely due to angular momentum loss in the stellar wind, that is, to mass transfer without interaction, can be ruled out.…”

Section: Orbital Period Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tidal interactions in close binary systems have also been investigated in detail theoretically by using different approaches, for example, by assuming that the rotation of the donor star is synchronized or pseudosynchronized 6 with the orbital motion of the compact star (see, e.g., Moreno et al 2011;Hut 1981;Zahn 1977;Lecar et al 1976). A number of other works argued that the combined effects of the evolutionary growth of the moment of inertia (expansion of the donor star) and mass loss by stellar wind from a donor star can explain the orbital decay in HMXBs (Bagot 1996;Levine et al 1993). In these models, it is considered that as the companion star evolves, it expands and increases its moment of inertia, leading to a slowdown of the stellar rotation.…”

Section: Orbital Period Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these models, it is considered that as the companion star evolves, it expands and increases its moment of inertia, leading to a slowdown of the stellar rotation. Tidal torques would then transfer orbital momentum to synchronize the binary system, finally causing orbital decay (see, e.g., Levine et al 1993, and references therein). As the lifetime of a supergiant star does not exceed a few 10 6 yr, we expect that most of the systems considered in this work are nearly synchronized, but not fully circularized yet.…”

Section: Orbital Period Changementioning

confidence: 99%

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Ephemeris, orbital decay, and masses of ten eclipsing high-mass X-ray binaries

Falanga

Bozzo

Lutovinov

et al. 2015

A&A

180

265

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We update the ephemeris of the eclipsing high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) systems LMC X-4, Cen X-3, 4U 1700-377, 4U 1538-522, SMC X-1, IGR J18027-2016, Vela X-1,IGR J17252-3616, XTE J1855-026, and OAO 1657-415 with the help of more than ten years of monitoring these sources with the All Sky Monitor onboard RXTE and with the Integral Soft Gamma-Ray Imager onboard INTEGRAL. These results are used to refine previous measurements of the orbital period decay of all sources (where available) and provide the first accurate values of the apsidal advance in Vela X-1 and 4U 1538-522. Updated values for the masses of the neutron stars hosted in the ten HMXBs are also provided, as well as the long-term light curves folded on the best determined orbital parameters of the sources. These light curves reveal complex eclipse ingresses and egresses that are understood mostly as being caused by accretion wakes. Our results constitute a database to be used for population and evolutionary studies of HMXBs and for theoretical modeling of long-term accretion in wind-fed X-ray binaries.

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“…Orbital decay in high-mass X-ray binaries (containing a massive main-sequence or giant star with an accreting neutron star companion) can be driven by a secular instability of the type discussed here. Examples of systems where rapid orbital decay has been directly observed include Cen X-3, where the orbital period is decreasing on a timescale t decay ' 5 10 5 yr (Kelley et al 1983), and SMC X-1, where t decay ' 3 10 5 yr (Levine et al 1993). In both cases it is thought that the unstable orbital decay is driven by tidal dissipation (Levine et al 1991(Levine et al , 1993.…”

Section: Common Envelope Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrodynamic Instabilities in Close Binary Systems

Rasio¹

1996

Evolutionary Processes in Binary Stars

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Equilibrium uid con gurations for close binary systems can become globally unstable. Instabilities arise from the strong tidal interaction between the two components, which tends to make the e ective two-body potential governing the orbital motion steeper than 1=r. As a result, a circular orbit can become unstable to small radial perturbations. The instability can be either secular or dynamical. In both cases it leads to the coalescence and merging of the two components on a timescale generally much shorter than the lifetime of a stable system. In a secularly unstable system, orbital decay is driven by viscous dissipation and proceeds on a timescale comparable to the tidal circularization time of a stable binary. In a dynamically unstable system, the two stars suddenly plunge toward each other and merge hydrodynamically in just a few orbital periods. These instabilities are relevant to a wide variety of astrophysical problems involving coalescing binaries, such as the formation of blue stragglers, Type Ia supernovae, the orbital decay of massive X-ray binaries, and the calculation of gravitational radiation signals from close neutron star binaries.

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Discovery of orbital decay in SMC X-1

Abstract: If you have any further questions of an administrative nature please call me at (617) 253-6103. Questions of a technical nature should be directed to Professor Rappaport (617) 253-7551. Thank you for your help.

Cited by 59 publications

References 5 publications

The Effect of Starburst Metallicity on Bright X-Ray Binary Formation Pathways

The Effect of Starburst Metallicity on Bright X-Ray Binary Formation Pathways

Ephemeris, orbital decay, and masses of ten eclipsing high-mass X-ray binaries

Hydrodynamic Instabilities in Close Binary Systems

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