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Register a new userOrbital Period Determinations for Four SMC Be/X-ray Binaries
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We present an optical and X-ray study of four Be/X-ray binaries located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). OGLE I-band data of up to 11 years of semi-continuous monitoring has been analysed for SMC X-2, SXP172 and SXP202B, providing both a measurement of the orbital period (Porb = 18.62, 68.90, and 229.9 days for the pulsars respectively) and a detailed optical orbital profile for each pulsar. For SXP172 this has allowed a direct comparison of the optical and X-ray emission seen through regular RXTE monitoring, revealing that the X-ray outbursts precede the optical by around 7 days. Recent X-ray studies by XMM-Newton have identified a new source in the vicinity of SXP15.3 raising doubt on the identification of the optical counterpart to this X-ray pulsar. Here we present a discussion of the observations that led to the proposal of the original counterpart and a detailed optical analysis of the counterpart to the new X-ray source, identifying a 21.7 d periodicity in the OGLE I-band data. The optical characteristics of this star are consistent with that of a SMC Be/X-ray binary. However, this star was rejected as the counterpart to SXP15.3 in previous studies due to the lack of H{alpha} emission.
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Be X-ray binaries (BeXRBs) consist of rapidly rotating Be stars with neutron star companions accreting from the circumstellar emission disk. We compare the observed population of BeXRBs in the Small Magellanic Cloud with simulated populations of BeXRB-like systems produced with the COMPAS population synthesis code. We focus on the apparently higher minimal mass of Be stars in BeXRBs than in the Be population at large. Assuming that BeXRBs experienced only dynamically stable mass transfer, their mass distribution suggests that at least 30% of the mass donated by the progenitor of the neutron star is typically accreted by the B-star companion. We expect these results to affect predictions for the population of double compact object mergers. A convolution of the simulated BeXRB population with the star formation history of the Small Magellanic Cloud shows that the excess of BeXRBs is most likely explained by this galaxys burst of star formation around 20--40 Myr ago.
Using TESS photometry and Rozhen spectra of the Be/gamma-ray binaries MWC 148 and MWC 656, we estimate the projected rotational velocity ($ {v} sin i$), the rotational period (P$_{rm rot}$), radius (R$_{rm 1}$), and inclination ($i$) of the mass donor. For MWC 148 we derive P$_{rm rot} = 1.10 pm 0.03$~d, R$_{rm 1}= 9.2 pm 0.5$~R$_odot$, $i = 40^circ pm 2^circ$, and $ {v} sin i =272 pm 5$~km~s$^{-1}$. For MWC 656 we obtain P$_{rm rot} = 1.12 pm 0.03$~d, R$_{rm 1}= 8.8 pm 0.5$~R$_odot$, $i = 52^circ pm 3^circ$, and $ {v} sin i =313 pm 3$~km~s$^{-1}$. For MWC 656 we also find that the rotation of the mass donor is coplanar with the orbital plane.
The X-ray binary population of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) contains a large number of massive X-ray binaries and the recent survey of the SMC by XMM-Newton has resulted in almost 50 more tentative high mass X-ray binary candidates. Using probability parameters from Haberl & Sturm (2016) together with the optical spectra and timing in this work, we confirm six new massive X-ray binaries in the SMC. We also report two very probable binary periods; of 36.4d in XMM 1859 and of 72.2 d in XMM 2300. These Be X-ray binaries are likely part of the general SMC population which rarely undergoes an X-ray outburst.
There is a remarkable correlation between the spin periods of the accreting neutron stars in Be/X-ray binaries (BeXBs) and their orbital periods . Recently Knigge et al. (2011) showed that the distribution of the spin periods contains two distinct subpopulations peaked at $sim 10$ s and $sim 200$ s respectively, and suggested that they may be related to two types of supernovae for the formation of the neutron stars, i.e., core-collapse and electron-capture supernovae. Here we propose that the bimodal spin period distribution is likely to be ascribed to different accretion modes of the neutron stars in BeXBs. When the neutron star tends to capture material from the warped, outer part of the Be star disk and experiences giant outbursts, a radiatively-cooling dominated disk is formed around the neutron star, which spins up the neutron star, and is responsible for the short period subpopulation. In BeXBs that are dominated by normal outbursts or persistent, the accretion flow is advection-dominated or quasi-spherical. The spin-up process is accordingly inefficient, leading to longer periods of the neuron stars. The potential relation between the subpopulations and the supernova mechanisms is also discussed.
We investigate the optical counterparts of recently discovered Be/X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud. In total four sources, SXP101, SXP700, SXP348 and SXP65.8 were detected during the Chandra Survey of the Wing of the SMC. SXP700 and SXP65.8 were previously unknown. Many optical ground based telescopes have been utilised in the optical follow-up, providing coverage in both the red and blue bands. This has led to the classification of all of the counterparts as Be stars and confirms that three lie within the Galactic spectral distribution of known Be/X-ray binaries. SXP101 lies outside this distribution becoming the latest spectral type known. Monitoring of the Halpha emission line suggests that all the sources bar SXP700 have highly variable circumstellar disks, possibly a result of their comparatively short orbital periods. Phase resolved X-ray spectroscopy has also been performed on SXP65.8, revealing that the emission is indeed harder during the passage of the X-ray beam through the line of sight.
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