Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userRevealing the nature of high-mass X-ray binaries through multi-wavelength and statistical analyses
115
0
0.0
(
0
)
Authors
Arash Bodaghee n SSL-UC Berkeley
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We summarize the results of our long-running campaign to help understand the nature of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), emphasizing recent Suzaku observations of IGR J16207-5129 and IGR J17391-3021. Thanks to the expanding ranks of HMXBs in our Galaxy, we are able to perform more reliable statistical analyses on the three currently-known sub-classes of HMXB: those with supergiant companions (SGXBs); those with Be companions (BEXBs); and the enigmatic Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs). We discuss new diagnostic tools, akin to the Corbet diagram, in which HMXBs tend to segregate based on their dominant accretion mechanism. We show how SFXTs span across the divided populations of BEXBs and SGXBs, bolstering the intriguing possibility that some SFXTs represent an evolutionary link. The use of HMXBs as tracers of recent massive star formation is revisited as we present the first ever spatial correlation function for HMXBs and OB star-forming complexes. Our results indicate that at distances less than a few kpc from a given HMXB, it is more likely to have neighbors that are known massive-star forming regions as opposed to objects drawn from random distributions. The characteristic scale of the correlation function holds valuable clues to HMXB evolutionary timescales.
rate research
Read More
The aim of this review is to describe the nature, formation and evolution of the three kinds of high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) population: i. systems hosting Be stars (BeHMXBs), ii. systems accreting the stellar wind of supergiant stars (sgHMXBs), and iii. supergiant stars overflowing their Roche lobe. There are now many new observations, from the high-energy side (mainly from the INTEGRAL satellite), complemented by multi-wavelength observations (mainly in the optical, near and mid-infrared from ESO facilities), showing that a new population of supergiant HMXBs has been recently revealed. New observations also suggest the existence of evolutionary links between Be and stellar wind accreting supergiant X-ray binaries. I describe here the observational facts about the different categories of HMXBs, discuss the different models of accretion in these sources (e.g. transitory accretion disc versus clumpy winds), show the evidences of a link between different kinds of HMXBs, and finally compare observations with population synthesis models.
In this review I first describe the nature of the three kinds of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs), accreting through: (i) Be circumstellar disc, (ii) supergiant stellar wind, and (iii) Roche lobe filling supergiants. I then report on the discovery of two new populations of HMXBs hosting supergiant stars, recently revealed by a wealth of new observations, coming from the high energy side (INTEGRAL, Swift, XMM, Chandra satellites), and complemented by multi-wavelength optical/infrared observations (mainly ESO facilities). The first population is constituted of obscured supergiant HMXBs, the second one of supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs), exhibiting short and intense X-ray flares. I finally discuss the formation and evolution of HMXBs, constrain the accretion models (e.g. clumpy winds, transitory accretion disc, magneto-centrifugal barrier), show evidences suggesting the existence of an evolutionary link, include comparisons with population synthesis models, and finally build a consistent scenario explaining the various characteristics of these extreme celestial sources. Because they are the likely progenitors of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), and also of neutron star/black hole binary mergers, related to short/hard gamma-ray bursts, the knowledge of the nature, formation and evolution of these HMXB populations is of prime importance.
High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) are interesting objects that provide a wide range of observational probes to the nature of the two stellar components, accretion process, stellar wind and orbital parameters of the systems. A large fraction of the transient HMXBs are found to be Be/X-ray binaries in which the companion Be star with its circumstellar disk governs the outburst. These outbursts are understood to be due to the sudden enhanced mass accretion to the neutron star and is likely to be associated with changes in the circumstellar disk of the companion. In the recent years, another class of transient HMXBs have been found which have supergiant companions and show shorter bursts. X-ray, infrared and optical observations of these objects provide vital information regarding these systems. Here we review some key observational properties of the transient HMXBs and also discuss some important recent developments from studies of this class of sources. The X-ray properties of these objects are discussed in some detail whereas the optical and infrared properties are briefly discussed.
We present preliminary results on Herschel/PACS mid/far-infrared photometric observations of INTEGRAL supergiant High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs), with the aim of detecting the presence and characterizing the nature of absorbing material (dust and/or cold gas), either enshrouding the whole binary systems, or surrounding the sources within their close environment. These unique observations allow us to better characterize the nature of these HMXBs, to constrain the link with their environment (impact and feedback), and finally to get a better understanding of the formation and evolution of such rare and short-living supergiant HMXBs in our Galaxy.
We present photometric observations of the field around the optical counterparts of high-mass X-ray binaries. Our aim is to study the long-term photometric variability in correlation with their X-ray activity and derive a set of secondary standard stars that can be used for time series analysis. We find that the donors in Be/X-ray binaries exhibit larger amplitude changes in the magnitudes and colours than those hosting a supergiant companion. The amplitude of variability increases with wavelength in Be/X-ray binaries and remains fairly constant in supergiant systems. When time scales of years are considered, a good correlation between the X-ray and optical variability is observed. The X-rays cease when optical brightness decreases. These results reflect the fact that the circumstellar disk in Be/X-ray binaries is the main source of both optical and X-ray variability. We also derive the colour excess, E(B-V), selecting data at times when the contribution of the circumstellar disk was supposed to be at minimum, and we revisit the distance estimates.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
