No Arabic abstract
Based on its Hipparcos proper motion, we propose that the high-mass X-ray binary HD153919/4U1700-37 originates in the OB association Sco OB1. At a distance of 1.9 kpc the space velocity of 4U1700-37 with respect to Sco OB1 is 75 km/s. This runaway velocity indicates that the progenitor of the compact X-ray source lost about 7 Msun during the (assumed symmetric) supernova explosion. The systems kinematical age is about 2 +/- 0.5 million years which marks the date of the supernova explosion forming the compact object. The present age of Sco OB1 is <8 Myr; its suggested core, NGC 6231, seems to be somewhat younger (~5 Myr). If HD153919/4U1700-37 was born as a member of Sco OB1, this implies that the initially most massive star in the system terminated its evolution within <6 million years, corresponding to an initial mass >30 Msun. With these parameters the evolution of the binary system can be constrained.
We present the results of a detailed non-LTE analysis of the UV and optical spectrum of the O6.5Iaf+ star HD153919 - the mass donor in the high-mass X-ray binary 4U1700-37. Given the eclipsing nature of the system these results allow us to determine the most likely masses of both components of the binary via Monte Carlo simulations. These suggest a mass for HD153919 of 58+/-11M_sun - implying the initial mass of the companion was rather high (>60 M_sun). The most likely mass for the compact companion is found to be 2.44+/-0.27M_sun, with only 3.5 per cent of the trials resulting in a mass less than 2.0M_sun and none less than 1.65M_sun. Our observational data is inconsistent with the canonical neutron star mass and the lowest black hole mass observed (>4.4M_sun; Nova Vel). Significantly changing observational parameters can force the compact object mass into either of these regimes but this results in the O-star mass changing by factors of greater than 2, well beyond the limits determined from its evolutionary state and surface gravity. The low mass of the compact object implies that it is difficult to form high mass black holes through both the Case A & B mass transfer channels and, if the compact object is a neutron star, would significantly constrain the high density nuclear EoS
We have re-analysed all available high-resolution ultraviolet IUE spectra of the high-mass X-ray binary HD153919/4U1700-37. The radial velocity semi-amplitude of 20.6 +/- 1.0 km/s and orbital eccentricity of 0.22 +/- 0.04 agree very well with the values obtained earlier from optical spectra. They disagree with earlier conclusions for the same data reduced by Heap & Corcoran (1992) and by Stickland & Lloyd (1993).
We present results of a monitoring campaign of the high-mass X-ray binary system 4U 1700-37/HD 153919, carried out with XMM-Newton in February 2001. The system was observed at four orbital phase intervals, covering 37% of one 3.41-day orbit. The lightcurve includes strong flares, commonly observed in this source. We focus on three epochs in which the data are not affected by photon pile up: the eclipse, the eclipse egress and a low-flux interval in the lightcurve around orbital phase phi ~0.25. The high-energy part of the continuum is modelled as a direct plus a scattered component, each represented by a power law with identical photon index (alpha ~1.4), but with different absorption columns. We show that during the low-flux interval the continuum is strongly reduced, probably due to a reduction of the accretion rate onto the compact object. A soft excess is detected in all spectra, consistent with either another continuum component originating in the outskirts of the system or a blend of emission lines. Many fluorescence emission lines from near-neutral species and discrete recombination lines from He- and H-like species are detected during eclipse and egress. The detection of recombination lines during eclipse indicates the presence of an extended ionised region surrounding the compact object. The observed increase in strength of some emission lines corresponding to higher values of the ionisation parameter xi further substantiates this conclusion.
We present an analysis of the first observation of the iconic High Mass X-ray Binary so with the chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings during an X-ray eclipse. The goal of the observation was to study the structure/physical conditions in the clumpy stellar wind through high resolution spectroscopy. We find that: a) emission line brightness from K shell transitions, corresponding to near neutral species, directly correlates with continuum illumination. However, these lines do not greatly diminish during eclipse. This is readily explained if fluorescence K$alpha$ emission comes from the bulk of the wind. b) The highly ionised Fexxv and Fexxvi Ly$alpha$ diminish during eclipse. Thus, they must be produced in the vicinity of the compact object where $log xi >3$. c) to describe the emission line spectrum, the sum of two self consistent photo ionisation models with low ionisation ($log xisim -1$) and high ionisation ($log xisim 2.4$) is required. From their emission measures, the clump-to-interclump density ratio can be estimated to be $n_c/n_isim 300$. To fit the complex He-like ion{Si}{xiii}{} profile, the plasma requires a broadening with $v_{rm bulk}sim 840$ km s$^{-1}$. Reproducing the observed $rapprox f$ line fluxes requires the addition of a third collisionally ionised plasma. d) Emission lines widths appear unresolved at the textsc{hetg} gratings resolution with exception of Silicon. There is no clear radial segregation between (quasi)neutral and ionised species, consistent with cold wind clumps interspersed in a hot rarefied interclump medium.
A significant fraction of the most massive stars move through space with a high velocity. One of the possible physical explanations is that a supernova in a compact binary system results in a high recoil velocity of the system. If the system remains bound, it can be subsequently observed as a spectroscopic binary (SB1), a high-mass X-ray binary, a compact binary, and finally a gravitational-wave event. If such a system is traced back to its parent cluster, binary evolution models can be tested in great detail. The Gaia proper motions and parallaxes are used to demonstrate that the high-mass X-ray binary HD153919/4U 1700-37 originates from NGC6231, the nucleus of the OB association Sco OB1. The O supergiant and its compact companion, of which the physical nature (a neutron star or a black hole) is unknown, move with a space velocity of 63 km/s with respect to NGC6231. The kinematical age of the system is 2.2 Myr. The parallaxes and accurate proper motions in Gaia DR2 were used to perform a membership analysis of NGC 6231. The distance to NGC6231 is 1.63 kpc. Isochrone fitting results in an age of 4.7 Myr. With the identification of NGC6231 as the parent cluster, the upper limit on the age of the progenitor of 4U1700-37 at the moment of the supernova explosion is 3.0 Myr. With these constraints, the evolutionary history of the system can be reconstructed with an initial mass of the progenitor of the compact object >60 Msun. Given its current high space velocity and the derived evolutionary history, the compact object in the system is more likely to have received a large natal kick, which suggests that it is more likely a neutron star than a black hole. HD153919/4U1700-37 might be a prototype in the Milky Way for the progenitor of gravitational wave events such as GW190412