Identification of the optical counterparts of high-mass X-ray binaries through optical photometry and spectroscopy

Reig, P.; Negueruela, I.; Papamastorakis, I.; Manousakis, A.; Kougentakis, T.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20052684

Cited by 63 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…, 2004). Studying the nature of the source Reig et al (2005b) found that the optical counterpart is neither a Be star nor a supergiant star (the most adequate classification was to be B0.5 II-III at the distance of ∼ 3 kpc) and so IGR J00370+6122 appears difficult to fit within the classical classification scheme of HMXBs (see, however, González-Galán et al 2014 for the recent classification of the source as a BN0.7Ib and discussion its possible supergiant nature). Later den Hartog et al (2006) and in't Zand et al (2007) showed that the source is a recurrent transient X-ray pulsar (with a spin period of P spin ≃ 359 s) in an eccentric orbit (with the orbital period P orb = 15.667 days), demonstrating s flaring behavior within a dynamic range about 10-20.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way

Walter

Lutovinov

Bozzo

et al. 2015

Astron Astrophys Rev

230

234

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High-mass X-ray binaries are fundamental in the study of stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, structure and evolution of galaxies and accretion processes. Hard X-rays observations by INTEGRAL and Swift have broadened significantly our understanding in particular for the super-giant systems in the Milky Way, which number has increased by almost a factor of three. INTEGRAL played a crucial role in the discovery, study and understanding of heavily obscured systems and of fast X-ray transients. Most super-giant systems can now be classified in three categories: classical/obscured, eccentric and fast transient.The classical systems feature low eccentricity and variability factor of ∼ 10 3 , mostly driven by hydrodynamic phenomena occurring on scales larger than the accretion radius. Among them, systems with short orbital periods and close to Roche-Lobe overflow or with slow winds, appear highly obscured. In eccentric systems, the variability amplitude can reach even higher factors, because of the contrast of the wind density along the orbit. Four super-giant systems, featuring fast outbursts, very short orbital periods and anomalously low accretion rates, are not yet understood.Simulations of the accretion processes on relatively large scales have progressed and reproduce parts of the observations. The combined effects of wind

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way

Walter

Lutovinov

Bozzo

et al. 2015

Astron Astrophys Rev

230

234

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“…The instrumental magnitudes were used to construct a colour-colour (R−Hα vs. B−V) diagram following the procedure described in Reig et al (2005). Be stars are expected to occupy the upper (because they are Hα emitters) and left (because they are early-type objects).…”

Section: Optical Observations and Infrared Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Accretion regimes in the X-ray pulsar 4U 1901+03

Reig

Milonaki

2016

A&A

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Context. The source 4U 1901+03 is a high-mass X-ray pulsar than went into outburst in 2003. Observation performed with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer showed spectral and timing variability, including the detection of flares, quasi-periodic oscillations, complex changes in the pulse profiles, and pulse phase dependent spectral variability. Aims. We re-analysed the data covering the 2003 X-ray outburst and focused on several aspects of the variability that have not been discussed so far. These are the 10 keV feature and the X-ray spectral states and their association with accretion regimes, including the transit to the propeller state at the end of the outburst. Methods. We extracted light curves and spectra using data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. Low time resolution light curves were used to create hardness-intensity diagrams and study daily changes in flux. High time resolution light curves were used to create pulse profiles. An average spectrum per observation allowed us to investigate the evolution of the spectral parameters with time. Results. We find that 4U 1901+03 went through three accretion regimes over the course of the X-ray outburst. At the peak of the outburst and for a very short time, the X-ray flux may have overcome the critical limit that marks the formation of a radiative shock at a certain distance above the neutron star surface. Most of the time, however, the source is in the subcritical regime. Only at the end of the outburst, when the luminosity decreased below ∼10 36 (d/10 kpc) 2 erg s −1 , did the source enter the propeller regime. Evidence for the existence of these regimes comes from the pulse profiles, the shape of the hardness-intensity diagram, and the correlation of various spectral parameters with the flux. The 10 keV feature appears to strongly depend on the X-ray flux and on the pulse phase, which opens the possibility to interpret this feature as a cyclotron line.

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“…7), occasionally interrupted by short spindown intervals (e.g. middle panel of Photometric and spectroscopic observations performed in 2004 (Reig et al 2005) during the faint state showed that SAX J2103.5+4545 continued to emit X-rays even after having completely lost the Be disc. A gradual flux decline was also seen during quiescence after the type II outburst in 2004, but the frequency continued to increase (see Fig 7).…”

Section: X-ray Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent activity of the Be/X-ray binary system SAX J2103.5+4545

Camero

Zurita

Gutiérrez‐Soto

et al. 2014

A&A

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Aims. We present a multiwavelength study of the Be/X-ray binary system SAX J2103.5+4545 with the goal of better characterizing the transient behaviour of this source. Methods. SAX J2103.5+4545 was observed by Swift/XRT four times in 2007 from April 25 to May 5, and during quiescence in 2012 August 31. In addition, this source has been monitored from the ground-based astronomical observatories of El Teide (Tenerife, Spain), Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma, Spain), and Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain) since 2011 August, and from the TÜBİTAK National Observatory (Antalya, Turkey) since 2009 June. We performed spectral and photometric temporal analyses to investigate the different states exhibited by SAX J2103.5+4545. Results. In X-rays, an absorbed power-law model provided the best fit for all the XRT spectra. An iron-line feature at ∼6.42 keV was present in all the observations except for that taken during quiescence in 2012. The photon indexes are consistent with previous studies of SAX J2103.5+4545 in high/low-luminosity states. Pulsations were found in all the XRT data from 2007 (2.839(2) mHz; MJD 54 222.02), but not during quiescence. The two optical outbursts in 2010 and 2012 lasted for about eight or nine months (as the one in 2007 probably did and the current one in 2014 might do) and were most probably caused by mass-ejection events from the Be star that eventually fed the circumstellar disc. All of these outbursts started about three months before the triggering of the X-ray activity, and at about the same period before the maximum of the Hα line equivalent width (in emission) was reached at only ∼-5 Å. The global correlation between the BV variability and the X-ray intensity was also observed at longer wavelengths in the IR domain.

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Identification of the optical counterparts of high-mass X-ray binaries through optical photometry and spectroscopy

Cited by 63 publications

References 36 publications

High-mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way

High-mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way

Accretion regimes in the X-ray pulsar 4U 1901+03

Recent activity of the Be/X-ray binary system SAX J2103.5+4545

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