Stars In Binary Systems Research Articles

The mass ratio and formation mechanisms of Herbig Ae/Be star binary systems

We present B and R band spectroastrometry of a sample of 45 Herbig Ae/Be stars in order to study their binary properties. All but one of the targets known to be binary systems with a separation of ~0.1-2.0 arcsec are detected by a distinctive spectroastrometric signature. Some objects in the sample exhibit spectroastrometric features that do not appear attributable to a binary system. We find that these may be due to light reflected from dusty halos or material entrained in winds. We present 8 new binary detections and 4 detections of an unknown component in previously discovered binary systems. The data confirm previous reports that Herbig Ae/Be stars have a high binary fraction, 74+/-6 per cent in the sample presented here. We use a spectroastrometric deconvolution technique to separate the spatially unresolved binary spectra into the individual constituent spectra. The separated spectra allow us to ascertain the spectral type of the individual binary components, which in turn allows the mass ratio of these systems to be determined. In addition, we appraise the method used and the effects of contaminant sources of flux. We find that the distribution of system mass ratios is inconsistent with random pairing from the Initial Mass Function, and that this appears robust despite a detection bias. Instead, the mass ratio distribution is broadly consistent with the scenario of binary formation via disk fragmentation.

Population synthesis of gamma-ray bursts with precursor activity and the spinar paradigm

We study statistical properties of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) produced by the collapsing cores of WR stars in binary systems. Fast rotation of the cores enables a two-stage collapse scenario, implying the formation of a spinar-like object. A burst produced by such a collapse consists of two pulses, whose energy budget is enough to explain observed GRBs. We calculate models of spinar evolution using results from a population synthesis of binary systems (done by the `Scenario Machine') as initial parameters for the rotating massive cores. Among the resulting bursts, events with the weaker first peak, namely, precursor, are identified, and the precursor-to-main-pulse time separations fully agree with the range of the observed values. The calculated fraction of long GRBs with precursor (about 10 per cent of the total number of long GRBs) and the durations of the main pulses are also consistent with observations. Precursors with lead times greater by up to one order of magnitude than those observed so far are expected to be about twice less numerous. Independently of a GRB model assumed, we predict the existence of precursors that arrive up to >~ 10^3 s in advance of the main events of GRBs.

A parsec scale X-ray extended structure from the X-ray binary Circinus X–1

Abstract We present the results of the analysis of two Chandra observations of Circinus X–1 performed in 2007, for a total exposure time of ∼50 ks. The source was observed with the High Resolution Camera during a long X-ray low-flux state of the source. Cir X–1 is an accreting neutron star binary system that exhibits ultra-relativistic arcsec-scale radio jets and an extended arcmin-scale radio nebula. Furthermore, a recent paper has shown an X-ray excess on arcmin-scale prominent on the side of the receding radio jet. In our images, we clearly detect X-ray structures on both the side of the receding and the approaching radio jet. The X-ray emission is consistent with a synchrotron origin. Our detection is consistent with neutron star binaries being as efficient as black hole binaries in producing X-ray outflows, despite their shallower gravitational potential.

A semi-relativistic model for tidal interactions in BH–NS coalescing binaries

We study the tidal effects of a Kerr black hole on a neutron star in black hole–neutron star (BH–NS) binary systems by using a semi-analytical approach which describes the neutron star as a deformable ellipsoid. Relativistic effects on the neutron star self-gravity are taken into account by employing a scalar potential resulting from relativistic stellar structure equations. We calculate quasi-equilibrium sequences of BH–NS binaries and the critical orbital separation at which the star is disrupted by the black hole tidal field: the latter quantity is of particular interest because when it is greater than the radius of the innermost stable circular orbit, a short gamma-ray burst scenario may develop.

PARAMETER CONSTRAINTS FOR HIGH-ENERGY MODELS OF COLLIDING WINDS OF MASSIVE STARS: THE CASE WR 147

We explore the ability of high energy observations to constrain orbital parameters of long period massive binary systems by means of an inverse Compton model acting in colliding wind environments. This is particular relevant for (very) long period binaries where orbital parameters are often poorly known from conventional methods, as is the case e.g. for the Wolf-Rayet (WR) star binary system WR 147 where INTEGRAL and MAGIC upper limits on the high-energy emission have recently been presented. We conduct a parameter study of the set of free quantities describing the yet vaguely constrained geometry and respective effects on the non-thermal high-energy radiation from WR 147. The results are confronted with the recently obtained high-energy observations and with sensitivities of contemporaneous high-energy instruments like Fermi-LAT. For binaries with sufficient long periods, like WR 147, gamma-ray attenuation is unlikely to cause any distinctive features in the high-energy spectrum. This leaves the anisotropic inverse Compton scattering as the only process that reacts sensitively on the line-of-sight angle with respect to the orbital plane, and therefore allows the deduction of system parameters even from observations not covering a substantial part of the orbit. Provided that particle acceleration acts sufficiently effectively to allow the production of GeV photons through inverse Compton scattering, our analysis indicates a preference for WR 147 to possess a large inclination angle. Otherwise, for low inclination angles, electron acceleration is constrained to be less efficient as anticipated here.

Tracing the young massive high-eccentricity binary system $\theta^{\mathsf 1}$Orionis C through periastron passage

Context. The nearby high-mass star binary system θ 1 Ori C is the brightest and most massive of the Trapezium OB stars at the core of the Orion Nebula Cluster, and it represents a perfect laboratory to determine the fundamental parameters of young hot stars and to constrain the distance of the Orion Trapezium Cluster. Aims. By tracing the orbital motion of the θ 1 Ori C components, we aim to refine the dynamical orbit of this important binary system. Methods. Between January 2007 and March 2008, we observed θ 1 Ori C with VLTI/AMBER near-infrared (H -a ndK-band) longbaseline interferometry, as well as with bispectrum speckle interferometry with the ESO 3.6 m and the BTA 6 m telescopes (B � and V � -band). Combining AMBER data taken with three different 3-telescope array configurations, we reconstructed the first VLTI/AMBER closure-phase aperture synthesis image, showing the θ 1 Ori C system with a resolution of ∼2 mas. To extract the astrometric data from our spectrally dispersed AMBER data, we employed a new algorithm, which fits the wavelength-differential visibility and closure phase modulations along the H -a ndK-band and is insensitive to calibration errors induced, for instance, by changing atmospheric conditions. Results. Our new astrometric measurements show that the companion has nearly completed one orbital revolution since its discovery in 1997. The derived orbital elements imply a short-period (P ≈ 11.3 yr) and high-eccentricity orbit (e ≈ 0.6) with periastron passage around 2002.6. The new orbit is consistent with recently published radial velocity measurements, from which we can also derive the first direct constraints on the mass ratio of the binary components. We employ various methods to derive the system mass (Msystem = 44 ± 7 M� ) and the dynamical distance (d = 410 ± 20 pc), which is in remarkably good agreement with recently published trigonometric parallax measurements obtained with radio interferometry.

Effect of Coriolis force on the shapes of rotating stars and stars in binary systems

In this paper an attempt has been made to determine the effect of Coriolis force on the shapes of Roche equipotential surfaces of rotating stars and stars in binary systems. Equations of Roche equipotential surfaces have been obtained for rotating and binary stars which take into account the effects of Coriolis force besides the centrifugal and gravitational forces. Shapes of Roche equipotentials and values of Roche limits are obtained for different values of angular velocity of rotation for rotating stars and for different values of mass ratios for the binary stars. The obtained results have been compared with the corresponding results in which the effect of Coriolis force has not been considered.

Quasiperiodic oscillations in a strong gravitational field around neutron stars testing braneworld models

The strong gravitational field of neutron stars in the brany universe could be described by spherically symmetric solutions with a metric in the exterior to the brany stars being of the Reissner–Nordström type containing a brany tidal charge representing the tidal effect of the bulk spacetime onto the star structure. We investigate the role of the tidal charge in orbital models of high-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in neutron star binary systems. We focus on the relativistic precession model. We give the radial profiles of frequencies of the Keplerian (vertical) and radial epicyclic oscillations. We show how the standard relativistic precession model modified by the tidal charge fits the observational data, giving estimates of the allowed values of the tidal charge and the brane tension based on the processes going in the vicinity of neutron stars. We compare the strong field regime restrictions with those given in the weak-field limit of solar system experiments.

Spatially ResolvedChandraImaging Spectroscopy of the Classical/Weak‐Lined T Tauri System V710 Tau

We present spatially resolved X-ray observations of the binary T Tauri star system V710 Tau. Using Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS), we imaged this 3.2'' separation binary system, consisting of a classical T Tauri star, V710 Tau N, and a weak-lined T Tauri star, V710 Tau S. The Chandra ACIS-S3 images—obtained in two 9 ks exposures separated by about 3 months (2004 December and 2005 April)—cleanly resolve the V710 Tau binary, demonstrating that both stars emit X-rays, and thereby enabling the first spectral/temporal study of the individual components of this mixed (classical and weak-lined) T Tauri star binary system. The northern component, V710 Tau N, appears to have been in a flaring state during the first (2004 December) exposure. During this flare event, the X-ray flux of the classical T Tauri star hardened significantly. Single-component plasma models with plasma temperatures in the range kTX ~ 0.7–1.1 keV are adequate to fit the observed X-ray spectra of V710 Tau S in 2004 December and both stars in 2005 April. The 2004 December flare-state observation of V710 Tau N requires a higher temperature plasma component (kTX ~ 2.5–3.0 keV) in addition to the soft component (kTX ~ 0.5 keV), and is better fit by a model that includes a slightly enhanced Ne/Fe abundance ratio. These results are generally consistent with statistical contrasts between the X-ray emission properties of classical (rapidly accreting) versus weak-lined (weakly accreting or nonaccreting) T Tauri stars.

Mergers of Black Hole–Neutron Star Binaries. I. Methods and First Results

We use a 3D relativistic SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) code to study mergers of black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) binary systems with low mass ratios, adopting q ≡ MNS/MBH 0.1 as a representative case. The outcome of such mergers depends sensitively on both the magnitude of the BH spin and its obliquity (i.e., the inclination of the binary orbit with respect to the equatorial plane of the BH). In particular, only systems with sufficiently high BH spin parameter a and sufficiently low orbital inclinations allow any NS matter to escape or to form a long-lived disk outside the BH horizon after disruption. Mergers of binaries with orbital inclinations above ~60° lead to complete prompt accretion of the entire NS by the BH, even for the case of an extreme Kerr BH. We find that the formation of a significant disk or torus of NS material around the BH always requires a near-maximal BH spin and a low initial inclination of the NS orbit just prior to merger.

Gravitational radiation from approaching neutron stars and the rotational explosion mechanism for collapsing supernovae

We consider the evolution of a neutron star binary system under the effect of two factors: gravitational radiation and mass transfer between the components. Gravitational radiation is specified under the justified assumption of a circular orbit and point masses and in the approximation of a weak gravitational field at nonrelativistic velocities of the binary components. During the first evolutionary phase determined only by gravitational radiation, the neutron stars approach each other according to a simple analytical solution. The second evolutionary phase begins at the time of Roche-lobe filling by the low-mass component, when the second factor, mass transfer as a result of mass loss by the latter, also begins to affect the evolution. Under the simplest assumptions of conservative mass transfer and exact equality between the Roche-lobe radius and the radius of the low-mass neutron star, it is still possible to extend the analytical solution of the problem of evolution to its second phase. We present this complete solution at both phases and, in particular, give theoretical light curves of gravitational radiation that depend only on two dimensionless parameters (mt and δ0). Based on the solution found, we analyze the theoretical gravitational signals from SN 1987A; this analysis includes the hypothesis about the rotational explosion mechanism for collapsing supernovae.

Effect of Coriolis force on the equilibrium structures of rotating stars and stars in binary systems

Kopal (Adv. Astron. Astrophys. 9:1–65, 1972) introduced the concept of Roche equipotentials to incorporate the effects of rotation and tidal distortions on the equilibrium structure and periods of small oscillations of rotating stars and stars in binary systems. However his expression for the Roche equipotential accounts for only the effects of centrifugal and gravitational forces and does not take into account the effect of Coriolis force. In this paper we have suitably modified Kopal’s expression for Roche equipotentials to incorporate into it the effect of Coriolis force as well. The modified expression for the Roche equipotential has then been used to compute the equilibrium structures and shapes of polytropic models of rotating stars and stars in binary systems.

Two-Micron All-Sky Survey J01542930+0053266: a new eclipsing M dwarf binary system

We report on 2MASS J01542930+0053266, a faint eclipsing system composed of two M dwarfs. The variability of this system was originally discovered during a pilot study of the 2MASS Calibration Point Source Working Database. Additional photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey yields an 8-passband lightcurve, from which we derive an orbital period of 2.6390157 +/- 0.0000016 days. Spectroscopic followup confirms our photometric classification of the system, which is likely composed of M0 and M1 dwarfs. Radial velocity measurements allow us to derive the masses (M_1 = 0.66 +/- 0.03 M_sun; M_2 = 0.62 +/- 0.03 M_sun) and radii (R_1 = 0.64 +/- 0.08 R_sun; R_2 = 0.61 +/- 0.09 R_sun) of the components, which are consistent with empirical mass-radius relationships for low-mass stars in binary systems. We perform Monte Carlo simulations of the lightcurves which allow us to uncover complicated degeneracies between the system parameters. Both stars show evidence of H-alpha emission, something not common in early-type M dwarfs. This suggests that binarity may influence the magnetic activity properties of low-mass stars; activity in the binary may persist long after the dynamos in their isolated counterparts have decayed, yielding a new potential foreground of flaring activity for next generation variability surveys.

Post-Newtonian diagnosis of quasiequilibrium configurations of neutron star–neutron star and neutron star–black hole binaries

We use a post-Newtonian diagnostic tool to examine numerically generated quasiequilibrium initial data sets for nonspinning double neutron star and neutron star-black hole binary systems. The post-Newtonian equations include the effects of tidal interactions, parametrized by the compactness of the neutron stars and by suitable values of 'apsidal' constants, which measure the degree of distortion of stars subjected to tidal forces. We find that the post-Newtonian diagnostic agrees well with the double neutron star initial data, typically to better than half a percent except where tidal distortions are becoming extreme. We show that the differences could be interpreted as representing small residual eccentricity in the initial orbits. In comparing the diagnostic with preliminary numerical data on neutron star-black hole binaries, we find less agreement.

Taking the Measure of the Universe: Precision Astrometry with SIM PlanetQuest

ABSTRACTPrecision astrometry at microarcsecond accuracy has applications for a wide range of astrophysical problems. This paper is a study of the science questions that can be addressed using an instrument with flexible scheduling that delivers parallaxes at about 4 μas on targets as faint as V = 20, and differential accuracy of 0.6 μas on bright targets. The science topics are drawn primarily from the team key projects, selected in 2000, for the Space Interferometry Mission PlanetQuest (SIM PlanetQuest). We use the capabilities of this mission to illustrate the importance of the next level of astrometric precision in modern astrophysics. SIM PlanetQuest is currently in the detailed design phase, having completed in 2005 all of the enabling technologies needed for the flight instrument. It will be the first space-based long-baseline Michelson interferometer designed for precision astrometry. SIM PlanetQuest will contribute strongly to many astronomical fields, including stellar and galactic astrophysics, planetary systems around nearby stars, and the study of quasar and AGN nuclei. Using differential astrometry SIM PlanetQuest will search for planets with masses as small as Earth orbiting in the “habitable zone” around the nearest stars, and could discover many dozen if Earth-like planets are common. It will characterize the multiple-planet systems that are now known to exist, and it will be able to search for terrestrial planets around all of the candidate target stars in the Terrestrial Planet Finder and Darwin mission lists. It will be capable of detecting planets around young stars, thereby providing insights into how planetary systems are born and how they evolve with time. Precision astrometry allows the measurement of accurate dynamical masses for stars in binary systems. SIM PlanetQuest will observe significant numbers of very high- and low-mass stars, providing stellar masses to 1%, the accuracy needed to challenge physical models. Using precision proper-motion measurements, SIM PlanetQuest will probe the Galactic mass distribution, and, through studies of tidal tails, the formation and evolution of the Galactic halo. SIM PlanetQuest will contribute to cosmology through improved accuracy of the Hubble constant. With repeated astrometric measurements of the nuclei of active galaxies, SIM PlanetQuest will probe the dynamics of accretion disks around supermassive black holes, and the relativistic jets that emerge from them.

Properties of double neutron stars

We summarize our studies on properties of double neutron stars observable in gravitational waves and in the radio. Binary population synthesis is used to calculate expected masses of neutron stars in binary systems taking into account the selection efects specific to each method of detection. We discuss recent relativistic results on final phase of inspiral of neutron star binaries showing how we can impose constraints on the equation of state of dense nuclear matter with gravitational wave observations.

A Rotating Hollow Cone Anisotropy of TeV Emission from Binary Systems

We show that TeV gamma-ray emission produced via interactions of high-energy particles with anisotropic radiation field of a massive star in binary systems should have a characteristic rotating hollow cone anisotropy pattern. The hollow cone, whose axis is directed away from the massive star, rotates with the period equal to the orbital period of the system. We note that the two maxima pattern of the TeV energy band lightcurve of the gamma-ray loud binary LS 5039 can be interpreted in terms of this rotating hollow cone model. Adopting such an interpretation, we are able to constrain the geometry of the system - either the inclination angle of the binary orbit, or the elevation of the gamma-ray emission region above the orbital plane.

Magnetically Arrested Disks and the Origin of Poynting Jets: A Numerical Study

The dynamics and structure of accretion disks, which accumulate a vertical magnetic field in their centers, are investigated using two- and three-dimensional MHD simulations. The central field can be built up to the equipartition level, where it disrupts a nearly axisymmetric outer accretion disk inside a magnetospheric radius, forming a magnetically arrested disk (MAD). In the MAD, the mass accretes in the form of irregular dense spiral streams, and the vertical field, split into separate bundles, penetrates through the disk plane in low-density magnetic islands. The accreting mass, when spiraling inward, drags the field and twists it around the axis of rotation, resulting in collimated Poynting jets in the polar directions. These jets are powered by the accretion flow with an efficiency of up to ~1.5% (in units of inc2). The spiral flow pattern in the MAD is dominated by modes with low azimuthal wavenumbers m ~ 1–5 and can be a source of quasi-periodic oscillations in the outgoing radiation. The formation of the MAD and the Poynting jets can naturally explain the observed changes of spectral states in galactic black hole binaries. Our study is focused on black hole accretion flows; however, the results can also be applied to accretion disks around nonrelativistic objects, such as young stellar objects and stars in binary systems.

Thermal timescale mass transfer rates in intermediate-mass X-ray binaries

Thermal timescale mass transfer generally occurs in close binaries where the donor star is more massive than the accreting star. The mass transfer rates are usually estimated in terms of the Kelvin-Helmholtz timescale of the donor star. However, recent investigations indicate that this method may overestimate the real mass transfer rates in accreting white dwarf or neutron star binary systems. We have systematically investigated the thermal timescale mass transfer processes in intermediate-mass X-ray binaries, by calculating binary evolution sequences with various initial donor masses and orbital periods. From the calculated results we find that on average the mass transfer rates are lower than traditional estimates by a factor of ~4.

On the validity of series expansion being used for the position of a point on a Roche equipotential

The concept of Roche equipotentials has been frequently used in literature to study the problems of rotating stars and stars in binary systems. However in spite of using this simplifying concept, it is still not possible to express the position of a point in the potential field of such a system in a closed analytic form. In order to carry out further analytic studies, Kopal (Adv. Astron. Astrophys. 9:1–65, 1972), therefore, developed a series expansion for it. The series expansion of Kopal has often been used in the analysis of the problem of equilibrium structure and the periods of oscillations of rotating stars and stars in binary systems, but its validity and convergence has not been analytically established. It is important that this aspect of the problem is checked so that one is sure of the correctness of subsequent analysis and results based on this series expansion. In the present brief note, we have addressed ourselves to this problem and validated the correctness of the numerical results obtained through the use of this series expansion.