Variable O VI and N V Emission from the X-ray Binary LMC X-3: Heating of the Black Hole Companion
Limin Song, Todd M. Tripp, Q. Daniel Wang, Yangsen Yao, Wei Cui, Yongquan Xue, Jerome A. Orosz, Danny Steeghs, James F. Steiner, Manuel A. P. Torres, Jeffrey E. McClintock
备注：
To be published in the Astronomical Journal; 10 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables
Based on high-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy obtained with FUSE and COS, we present new detections of O VI and N V emission from the black-hole X-ray binary (XRB) system LMC X-3. We also update the ephemeris of the XRB using recent radial velocity measurements obtained with the echelle spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay telescope. We observe significant velocity variability of the UV emission, and we find that the O VI and N V emission velocities follow the optical velocity curve of the XRB. Moreover, the O VI and N V intensities regularly decrease between binary phase = 0.5 and 1.0, which suggests that the source of the UV emission is increasingly occulted as the B star in the XRB moves from superior to inferior conjunction. These trends suggest that illumination of the B-star atmosphere by the intense X-ray emission from the accreting black hole creates a hot spot on one side of the B star, and this hot spot is the origin of the O VI and N V emission. However, the velocity semiamplitude of the ultraviolet emission, K_{UV}~180 km/s, is lower than the optical semiamplitude; this difference could be due to rotation of the B star. If our hypothesis about the origin of the highly ionized emission is correct, then careful analysis of the emission occultation could, in principle, constrain the inclination of the XRB and the mass of the black hole.
The companions of evaporating binary pulsars (black widows and related systems) show optical emission suggesting strong heating. In a number of cases large observed temperatures and asymmetries are inconsistent with direct radiative heating for the observed pulsar spindown power and expected distance. Here we describe a heating model in which the pulsar wind sets up an intrabinary shock (IBS) against the companion wind and magnetic field, and a portion of the shock particles duct along this field to the companion magnetic poles. We show that a variety of heating patterns, and improved fits to …
We investigate the evaporation of close-by pulsar companions, such as planets, asteroids, and white dwarfs, by induction heating. Assuming that the outflow energy is dominated by a Poynting flux (or pulsar wave) at the location of the companions, we calculate their evaporation timescales, by applying the Mie theory. Depending on the size of the companion compared to the incident electromagnetic wavelength, the heating regime varies and can lead to a total evaporation of the companion. In particular, we find that inductive heating is mostly inefficient for small pulsar companions, although it i…
Although Type Ia supernovae have been heavily scrutinized due to their use in making cosmological distance estimates, we are still unable to definitively identify the progenitors for the entire population. While answers have been presented for certain specific systems, a complete solution remains elusive. We present observations of two supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, SNR 0505-67.9 and SNR 0509-68.7, for which we have identified the center of the remnant and the 99.73% containment central region in which any companion star left over after the supernova must be located. …
The low mass companions of evaporating binary pulsars (black widows and their ilk) are strongly heated on the side facing the pulsar. However in high-quality photometric and spectroscopic data the heating pattern does not match that expected for direct pulsar illumination. Here we explore heating mediated by an intra-binary shock (IBS). We develop a simple analytic model and implement it in the popular `ICARUS' light curve code. The model is parameterized by the wind momentum ratio beta and velocity v_Rel v_orb and assumes that the reprocessed pulsar wind emits prompt particles or radiation to…
We propose a mechanism of state transition in wind-fed black hole binaries (high-mass X-ray binaries) such as Cyg X-1 and LMC X-1. Modeling a line-driven stellar wind from the companion by two-dimensional hydrodynamical calculations, we investigate the processes of wind capture by and accretion onto the black hole. We assume that the wind acceleration is terminated at the He II ionization front because ions responsible for line-driven acceleration are ionized within the front, i.e. He III region. It is found that the mass accretion rate inferred from the luminosity is remarkably smaller than t…
We are monitoring established and putative redback millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in time-series photometry, repeatedly covering their 5-6 hr orbital light curves in $r^{\prime}$ or $R$. On timescales of months, PSR J1048+2339 and XMMU J083850.38$-$282756.8 exhibit similar variability of $\approx0.3$ mag on the heated side of the companion star. However, the heating light curve is rarely symmetric, suggesting that the intrabinary shock generated by the pulsar wind is skewed in addition to being variable, or that changing magnetic fields intrinsic to the companion channel the pulsar wind. In additi…
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright radio transients with short durations and extremely high brightness temperatures, and their physical origins are still unknown. Recently, a repeating source, FRB 20200120E, was found in a globular cluster in the very nearby M81 galaxy. The associated globular cluster has an age of $\sim9.13~{\rm Gyr}$, and hosts an old population of stars. In this work, we consider that an FRB source is in a close binary system with a low-mass main sequence star as its companion. Due to the large burst energy of the FRB, when the companion star stops the FRB, its surface wou…
We present optical observations of the redback millisecond pulsar PSR J1048+2339, which is a 4.66 ms radio pulsar in a compact binary with an orbital period of six hours. We obtained high-quality light curves of PSR J1048+2339 with the Lulin 1 m Telescope. The system shows two distinct six-hour orbital modulations, in which an ellipsoidal modulation changes into a sinusoidal-like profile in less than 14 days. In addition to the change, the brightness of the companion increased by one magnitude, suggesting that the latter type of modulation is caused by the pulsar wind heating of the companion …
Massive stars are predominantly found in binaries and higher order multiples. While the period and eccentricity distributions of OB stars are now well established across different metallicity regimes, the determination of mass-ratios has been mostly limited to double-lined spectroscopic binaries. As a consequence, the mass-ratio distribution remains subject to significant uncertainties. Open questions include the shape and extent of the companion mass-function towards its low-mass end and the nature of undetected companions in single-lined spectroscopic binaries. In this contribution, we prese…
The X-ray persistence and characteristically soft spectrum of the black hole X-ray binary LMC X-3 make this source a touchstone for penetrating studies of accretion physics. We analyze a rich, 10-year collection of optical/infrared (OIR) time-series data in conjunction with all available contemporaneous X-ray data collected by the ASM and PCA detectors aboard the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. A cross-correlation analysis reveals an X-ray lag of ~2 weeks. Motivated by this result, we develop a model that reproduces the complex OIR light curves of LMC X-3. The model is comprised of three componen…
We report on the X-ray and optical properties of two high-mass X-ray binary systems located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Based on the obtained optical spectra, we classify the massive companion as a supergiant star in both systems. Timing analysis of the X-ray events collected by XMM-Newton revealed the presence of coherent pulsations (spin period $\sim$2013 s) for XMMU J053108.3-690923 and fast flaring behaviour for XMMU J053320.8-684122. The X-ray spectra of both systems can be modelled sufficiently well by an absorbed power-law, yielding hard spectra and high intrinsic absorption fr…
We report on a series of spectroscopic observations of PSR J1311-3430, an extreme black-widow gamma-ray pulsar with a helium-star companion. In a previous study we estimated the neutron star mass as M_NS= 2.68+/-0.14M_Sun (statistical error), based on limited spectroscopy and a basic (direct heating) light curve model; however, much larger model-dependent systematics dominate the mass uncertainty. Our new spectroscopy reveals a range of complex source behavior. The variable He I companion wind emission lines can dominate broad-band photometry, especially in red filters or near minimum brightne…
Keck-telescope spectrophotometry of the companion of PSR J1810+1744 shows a flat, but asymmetric light-curve maximum and a deep, narrow minimum. The maximum indicates strong gravity darkening near the L_1 point, along with a heated pole and surface winds. The minimum indicates a low underlying temperature and substantial limb darkening. The gravity darkening is a consequence of extreme pulsar heating and the near-filling of the Roche lobe. Light-curve modeling gives a binary inclination i=65.7+/-0.4deg. With the Keck-measured radial-velocity amplitude K_c=462.3+/-2.2km/s, this gives an accurat…
Binary systems composed of a recycled millisecond pulsar and a stellar companion in close orbit could be excellent sites to diagnose pulsar winds. In such systems, the pulsar outflow irradiates and heats up the companion atmosphere, which can lead to the observation of strong day/night modulations in temperature. We demonstrate with particle shower simulations that the particle energy of the wind affects the heating depth in the atmosphere: the wind heat can be deposited above or below the photosphere, leading to different signatures in the observed spectra. We apply our method to four specifi…
The optical study of the heated substellar companions of `Black Widow' (BW) millisecond pulsars (MSP) provides unique information on the MSP particle and radiation output and on the neutron star mass. Here we present analysis of optical photometry and spectroscopy of a set of relatively bright BWs, many newly discovered in association with Fermi $γ$-ray sources. Interpreting the optical data requires sophisticated models of the companion heating. We provide a uniform analysis, selecting the preferred heating model and reporting on the companion masses and radii, the pulsar heating power and ne…
We study GeV emission from gamma-ray binaries by assuming that the compact object is a young pulsar. We assume that the relativistic unshocked pulsar wind with Lorentz factor of 10^4~5 can produce the GeV emission by the inverse-Compton scattering process in the dense soft-photon field of the companion star. The travel distance of the unshocked pulsar wind that moves toward the observer depends on the orbital phase of the pulsar. We discuss that the orbital modulation of the GeV emission is a result of combination of the effects of the travel distance of the unshocked pulsar wind and of the an…
We collect new and archival optical observations of nine "black-widow" millisecond pulsar binaries. New measurements include direct imaging with the Keck, Gemini-S, MDM, and LCO 2~m telescopes. This is supplemented by synthesized colors from Keck long-slit spectra. Four black-widow optical companions are presented here for the first time. Together these data provide multicolor photometry covering a large fraction of the orbital phase. We fit these light curves with a direct (photon) heating model using a version of the ICARUS light-curve modeling code. The fits provide distance and fill-factor…
We present a model for atmospheric wind circulation in binary millisecond pulsar (MSP) companions, showing how the optical light curve (LC) and radial velocities (RV) are sensitive to the wind flow, causing LC orbital phase shifts and asymmetries, as observed for several `spider' MSP. Velocity widths of spectral lines offer additional opportunities for measuring surface wind speed. As examples, we fit optical data for a black widow pulsar J1959+2048 and a redback pulsar J2215+5135; the wind heating models (WH) are statistically strongly preferred over direct heating (DH) for both objects, alth…
We present results from a deep Suzaku observation of the black hole in LMC X-1, supplemented by coincident monitoring with RXTE. We identify broad relativistic reflection features in a soft disc-dominated spectrum. A strong and variable power-law component of emission is present which we use to demonstrate that enhanced Comptonisation strengthens disc reflection. We constrain the spin parameter of the black hole by modelling LMC X-1's broad reflection features. For our primary and most comprehensive spectral model, we obtain a high value for the spin: a* = 0.97(+0.01,-0.13) (68 per cent confid…
Spider pulsars are binary systems containing an energetic millisecond pulsar that intensely irradiates a closely orbiting low-mass companion. Modelling their companion's optical light curves is essential to the study of the orbital properties of the binary, including the determination of the pulsar mass, characterising the pulsar wind and the star itself. We aim to generalise the traditional direct heating model of irradiation, whereby energy deposited by the pulsar wind into the stellar envelope is locally re-emitted, by introducing heat redistribution via diffusion and convection within the …
Constraining the Binarity of Massive Black Holes in the Galactic Center and Some Nearby Galaxies via Pulsar Timing Array Observations of Gravitational Waves
We obtained new optical observations of the X-ray source XMMU J083850.38-282756.8, the previously proposed counterpart of the gamma-ray source 3FGL J0838.8-2829. Time-series photometry in the $r'$ band reveals periodic modulation of $\approx1$ magnitude that is characteristic of the heating of the photosphere of a low-mass companion star by a compact object. The measured orbital period is 5.14817$\pm$0.00012 hr. The shape of the light curve is variable, evidently due to the effects of flaring and asymmetric heating. Spectroscopy reveals a companion of type M1 or later, having a radial velocity…
ALMA Observations of DEM L241/LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud: Evidence for the Formation of Cool Molecular Jets Driven by a Microquasar
Nagoya University（名古屋大学）；Gifu University（岐阜大学）；Institute for Advanced Study, Gifu University（岐阜大学高等研究院）；National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences（日本国立天文台，国立自然科学研究所）；Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University（名古屋大学高等研究院）；Western Sydney University（西悉尼大学）
We have obtained initial spectroscopic observations and additional photometry of the newly discovered Pb=94min gamma-ray black-widow pulsar PSR J1311-3430. The Keck spectra show a He-dominated, nearly H-free photosphere and a large radial-velocity amplitude of 609.5+/-7.5km/s. Simultaneous seven-color GROND photometry further probes the heating of this companion, and shows the presence of a flaring infrared excess. We have modeled the quiescent light curve, constraining the orbital inclination and masses. Simple heated light-curve fits give M_NS=2.7Msun, but show systematic light-curve differe…
During the early phase of in-spiral of a binary system, the tidal heating of a compact object due to its companion plays a significant role in the determination of the orbital evolution of the binary. The phenomenon depends crucially on the `hairs', as well as on the nature of the compact object. It turns out that the presence of extra dimension affects both these properties, by incorporating an extra tidal charge for braneworld black holes and also by introducing quantum effects, leading to possible existence of exotic compact objects. It turns out that the phasing information from tidal heat…
The recent gravitational wave measurements have demonstrated the existence of stellar mass black hole binaries. It is essential for our understanding of massive star evolution to identify the contribution of binary evolution to the formation of double black holes. A promising way to progress is investigating the progenitors of double black hole systems and comparing predictions with local massive star samples such as the population in 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Methods. To this purpose, we analyse a large grid of detailed binary evolution models at LMC metallicity with ini…
We have endeavoured to understand the formation and evolution of the black hole (BH) X-ray binary LMC X-3. We estimate the properties of the system at 4 evolutionary stages: 1) at the Zero Age Main Sequence (ZAMS), 2) just prior to the supernova (SN) explosion of the primary, 3) just after the SN, and 4) at the moment of RLO onset.We use a hybrid approach, combining detailed stellar structure and binary evolution calculations with approximate population synthesis models. This allows us to estimate potential natal kicks and the evolution of the BH spin. In the whole analysis we incorporate as m…
We describe Keck-telescope spectrophotometry and imaging of the companion of the ``black widow" pulsar PSR~J0952$-$0607, the fastest known spinning neutron star (NS) in the disk of the Milky Way. The companion is very faint at minimum brightness, presenting observational challenges, but we have measured multicolor light curves and obtained radial velocities over the illuminated ``day" half of the orbit. The model fits indicate system inclination $i=59.8\pm 1.9^\circ$ and a pulsar mass $M_{NS} = 2.35\pm 0.17 M_\odot$, the largest well-measured mass found to date. Modeling uncertainties are smal…
We report the discovery of LXP169, a new high-mass X-ray binary (XRB) in the LMC. The optical counterpart has been identified and appears to exhibit an eclipsing light curve. We performed follow-up observations to clarify the eclipsing nature of the system. Energy spectra and time series were extracted from two XMM-Newton observations to search for pulsations, characterise the spectrum, and measure spectral and timing changes. Long-term X-ray variability was studied using archival ROSAT data. The XMM positions were used to identify the optical counterpart. We obtained UV to NIR photometry to c…
Recent studies have suggested that type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) are likely to result from a weak deflagration explosion of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf in a binary system with a helium (He)-star companion. Assuming that most SNe Iax are produced from this scenario, in this work we extend our previous work on the three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation of ejecta-companion interaction by taking the orbital and spin velocities of the progenitor system into account. We then follow the post-impact evolution of a surviving He-star companion by using the one-dimensional stellar evolution cod…
The Scoured Spike: Suppression of Indirect Dark Matter Signals by a Hidden Companion
University of California, Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校）；Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校圣克鲁兹粒子物理研究所）
We have used deep V and R images acquired at the ESO Very Large Telescope to identify the optical companion to the binary pulsar PSR J0610-2100, one of the black-widow millisecond pulsars recently detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope in the Galactic plane. We found a faint star (V~26.7) nearly coincident (δr ~0".28) with the pulsar nominal position. This star is visible only in half of the available images, while it disappears in the deepest ones (those acquired under the best seeing conditions), thus indicating that it is variable. Although our observations do not sample the entire orbit…
The progenitors of Type Ia and some core collapse supernovae are thought to be stars in binary systems, but little observational evidence exists to confirm the hypothesis. We suggest that the collision of the supernova ejecta with its companion star should produce detectable emission in the hours and days following the explosion. The interaction occurs at distances ~10^11-10^13 cm and shocks the impacting supernova debris, dissipating kinetic energy and re-heating the gas. Initially, some radiation may escape promptly through the evacuated region of the shadowcone, producing a bright X-ray (0.…
A comprehensive catalogue of high-mass X-ray binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud detected during the first eROSITA all-sky survey
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik（马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所）；Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（大学间天文学与天体物理学中心）；Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam（阿姆斯特丹大学安东·潘内库克天体物理研究所）；Department of Astronomy, The University of Michigan（密歇根大学天文学系）；Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM（巴黎萨克雷大学、巴黎西岱大学、CEA、CNRS、AIM）；Southern African Astronomical Observatory（南非天文台）；Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town（开普敦大学天文学系）；Leibniz Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam（波茨坦莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）
Dark matter can capture in neutron stars from scattering off ultra-relativistic electrons. We present a method to calculate the capture rate on degenerate targets with ultra-relativistic momenta in a compact astronomical object. Our treatment accounts for the target momentum and the Fermi degeneracy of the system. We derive scaling relations for scattering with relativistic targets and confirm consistency with the non-relativistic limit and Lorentz invariance. The potential observation of kinetic heating of neutron stars has a larger discovery reach for dark matter-lepton interactions than con…
The progenitors of many CCSNe are expected to be in binary systems. After the SN explosion, the companion may suffer from mass stripping and be shock heated as a result of the impact of the SN ejecta. If the binary system is disrupted, the companion is ejected as a runaway and hypervelocity star. By performing a series of 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the collision of SN ejecta with the companion star, we investigate how CCSN explosions affect their companions. We use the BEC code to construct the detailed companion structure at the time of SN explosion. The impact of the SN blast wave on t…
We present Keck spectroscopic measurements of the millisecond pulsar binary J2215+5135. These data indicate a neutron-star (NS) mass M_NS=1.6Mo, much less than previously estimated. The pulsar heats the companion face to T_D~9000K; the large heating efficiency may be mediated by the intrabinary shock dominating the X-ray light curve. At the best-fit inclination i=88.8deg, the pulsar should be eclipsed. We find weak evidence for such eclipses in the pulsed gamma-rays; an improved radio ephemeris allows use of up to 5 times more Fermi-LAT gamma-ray photons for a definitive test of this picture. …
This thesis work is focused on the study of millisecond pulsars in globular cluster by using multi-wavelength observations obtained with radio and optical telescopes. Radio observations have been used to search for and timing the pulsars. While classical search routines are based on the analysis of single and long time sequence of data, we present here an alternative method. This method exploits the large amount of available archival radio data to search for very faint pulsars by stacking all the daily power spectra. This method led to the discovery of three new pulsars in the stellar system T…
We present simultaneous, multi-colour optical light curves of the companion star to the black-widow pulsar PSR J2051-0827, obtained approximately 10 years apart using ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM, respectively. The ULTRACAM light curves confirm the previously reported asymmetry in which the leading hemisphere of the companion star appears to be brighter than the trailing hemisphere. The HiPERCAM light curves, however, do not show this asymmetry, demonstrating that whatever mechanism is responsible for it varies on timescales of a decade or less. We fit the symmetrical HiPERCAM light curves with a dir…
In a substantial number of core-collapse supernovae, early-time interaction indicates a dense circumstellar medium (CSM) that may be produced by outbursts from the progenitor star. Wave-driven mass loss is a possible mechanism to produce these signatures, with previous work suggesting this mechanism is most effective for low mass ($ \sim \! 11 \, M_\odot$) SN progenitors. Using one-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with MESA, we study the effects of this wave heating in SN progenitors of masses $M_{\rm ZAMS} = 10-13\, M_{\odot}$. This range encompasses stars that experience semi-degenerate,…
We propose that nebular H-alpha emission as detected in the Type Ic superluminous supernova iPTF13ehe stems from matter which is stripped from a companion star when the supernova ejecta collide with it. The temporal evolution, the line broadening, and the overall blueshift of the emission are consistent with this interpretation. We scale the nebular H-alpha luminosity predicted for Type Ia supernovae in single-degenerate systems to derive the stripped mass required to explain the H-alpha luminosity of iPTF13ehe. We find a stripped mass of 0.1 - 0.9 solar masses, assuming that the supernova lum…
