Sample records for galactic binary systems

  1. A Speeding Binary in the Galactic Halo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2016-04-01

    The recent discovery of a hyper-velocity binary star system in the halo of the Milky Way poses a mystery: how was this system accelerated to its high speed?Accelerating StarsUnlike the uniform motion in the Galactic disk, stars in the Milky Ways halo exhibit a huge diversity of orbits that are usually tilted relative to the disk and have a variety of speeds. One type of halo star, so-called hyper-velocity stars, travel with speeds that can approach the escape velocity of the Galaxy.How do these hyper-velocity stars come about? Assuming they form in the Galactic disk, there are multiple proposed scenarios through which they could be accelerated and injected into the halo, such as:Ejection after a close encounter with the supermassive black hole at the Galactic centerEjection due to a nearby supernova explosionEjection as the result of a dynamical interaction in a dense stellar population.Further observations of hyper-velocity stars are necessary to identify the mechanism responsible for their acceleration.J1211s SurpriseModels of J1211s orbit show it did not originate from the Galactic center (black dot). The solar symbol shows the position of the Sun and the star shows the current position of J1211. The bottom two panels show two depictions(x-y plane and r-z plane) of estimated orbits of J1211 over the past 10 Gyr. [Nmeth et al. 2016]To this end, a team of scientists led by Pter Nmeth (Friedrich Alexander University, Erlangen-Nrnberg) recently studied the candidate halo hyper-velocity star SDSS J121150.27+143716.2. The scientists obtained spectroscopy of J1211 using spectrographs at the Keck Telescope in Hawaii and ESOs Very Large Telescope in Chile. To their surprise, they discovered the signature of a companion in the spectra: J1211 is actually a binary!Nmeth and collaborators found that J1211, located roughly 18,000 light-years away, is moving at a rapid ~570 km/s relative to the galactic rest frame. The binary system consists of a hot (30,600 K) subdwarf and a

  2. A Galactic Binary Detection Pipeline

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Littenberg, Tyson B.

    2011-01-01

    The Galaxy is suspected to contain hundreds of millions of binary white dwarf systems, a large fraction of which will have sufficiently small orbital period to emit gravitational radiation in band for space-based gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). LISA's main science goal is the detection of cosmological events (supermassive black hole mergers, etc.) however the gravitational signal from the galaxy will be the dominant contribution to the data - including instrumental noise over approximately two decades in frequency. The catalogue of detectable binary systems will serve as an unparalleled means of studying the Galaxy. Furthermore, to maximize the scientific return from the mission, the data must be "cleansed" of the galactic foreground. We will present an algorithm that can accurately resolve and subtract 2:: 10000 of these sources from simulated data supplied by the Mock LISA Data Challenge Task Force. Using the time evolution of the gravitational wave frequency, we will reconstruct the position of the recovered binaries and show how LISA will sample the entire compact binary population in the Galaxy.

  3. The OGLE Collection of Variable Stars. Over 450 000 Eclipsing and Ellipsoidal Binary Systems Toward the Galactic Bulge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soszyński, I.; Pawlak, M.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Udalski, A.; Szymański, M. K.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Ulaczyk, K.; Poleski, R.; Kozłowski, S.; Skowron, D. M.; Skowron, J.; Mróz, P.; Hamanowicz, A.

    2016-12-01

    We present a collection of 450 598 eclipsing and ellipsoidal binary systems detected in the OGLE fields toward the Galactic bulge. The collection consists of binary systems of all types: detached, semi-detached, and contact eclipsing binaries, RS CVn stars, cataclysmic variables, HW Vir binaries, double periodic variables, and even planetary transits. For all stars we provide the I- and V-band time-series photometry obtained during the OGLE-II, OGLE-III, and OGLE-IV surveys. We discuss methods used to identify binary systems in the OGLE data and present several objects of particular interest.

  4. Galactic binary science with the new LISA design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cornish, Neil; Robson, Travis

    2017-05-01

    Building on the great success of the LISA Pathfinder mission, the outlines of a new LISA mission design were laid out at the 11th International LISA Symposium in Zurich. The revised design calls for three identical spacecraft forming an equilateral triangle with 2.5 million kilometer sides, and two laser links per side delivering full polarization sensitivity. With the demonstrated Pathfinder performance for the disturbance reduction system, and a well studied design for the laser metrology, it is anticipated that the new mission will have a sensitivity very close to the original LISA design. This implies that the mid-band performance, between 0.5 mHz and 3 mHz, will be limited by unresolved signals from compact binaries in our galaxy. Here we use the new LISA design to compute updated estimates for the galactic confusion noise, the number of resolvable galactic binaries, and the accuracy to which key parameters of these systems can be measured.

  5. The population of single and binary white dwarfs of the Galactic bulge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres, S.; García-Berro, E.; Cojocaru, R.; Calamida, A.

    2018-05-01

    Recent Hubble Space Telescope observations have unveiled the white dwarf cooling sequence of the Galactic bulge. Although the degenerate sequence can be well fitted employing the most up-to-date theoretical cooling sequences, observations show a systematic excess of red objects that cannot be explained by the theoretical models of single carbon-oxygen white dwarfs of the appropriate masses. Here, we present a population synthesis study of the white dwarf cooling sequence of the Galactic bulge that takes into account the populations of both single white dwarfs and binary systems containing at least one white dwarf. These calculations incorporate state-of-the-art cooling sequences for white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient atmospheres, for both white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen and helium cores, and also take into account detailed prescriptions of the evolutionary history of binary systems. Our Monte Carlo simulator also incorporates all the known observational biases. This allows us to model with a high degree of realism the white dwarf population of the Galactic bulge. We find that the observed excess of red stars can be partially attributed to white dwarf plus main sequence binaries, and to cataclysmic variables or dwarf novae. Our best fit is obtained with a higher binary fraction and an initial mass function slope steeper than standard values, as well as with the inclusion of differential reddening and blending. Our results also show that the possible contribution of double degenerate systems or young and thick-discbulge stars is negligible.

  6. Eclipsing Stellar Binaries in the Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Gongjie; Ginsburg, Idan; Naoz, Smadar; Loeb, Abraham

    2017-12-01

    Compact stellar binaries are expected to survive in the dense environment of the Galactic center. The stable binaries may undergo Kozai–Lidov oscillations due to perturbations from the central supermassive black hole (Sgr A*), yet the general relativistic precession can suppress the Kozai–Lidov oscillations and keep the stellar binaries from merging. However, it is challenging to resolve the binary sources and distinguish them from single stars. The close separations of the stable binaries allow higher eclipse probabilities. Here, we consider the massive star SO-2 as an example and calculate the probability of detecting eclipses, assuming it is a binary. We find that the eclipse probability is ∼30%–50%, reaching higher values when the stellar binary is more eccentric or highly inclined relative to its orbit around Sgr A*.

  7. An Eccentric Binary Millisecond Pulsar in the Galactic Plane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Champion, David J.; Ransom, Scott M.; Lazarus, Patrick; Camilo, Fernando; Bassa, Cess; Kaspi, Victoria M.; Nice, David J.; Freire, Paulo C. C.; Stairs, Ingrid H.; vanLeeuwen, Joeri; hide

    2008-01-01

    Binary pulsar systems are superb probes of stellar and binary evolution and the physics of extreme environments. In a survey with the Arecibo telescope, we have found PSR J1903+0327, a radio pulsar with a rotational period of 2.15 milliseconds in a highly eccentric (e = 0.44) 95-day orbit around a solar mass (M.) companion. Infrared observations identify a possible main-sequence companion star. Conventional binary stellar evolution models predict neither large orbital eccentricities nor main-sequence companions around millisecond pulsars. Alternative formation scenarios involve recycling a neutron star in a globular cluster, then ejecting it into the Galactic disk, or membership in a hierarchical triple system. A relativistic analysis of timing observations of the pulsar finds its mass to be 1.74 +/- 0.04 Solar Mass, an unusually high value.

  8. Black holes in binary stellar systems and galactic nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cherepashchuk, A. M.

    2014-04-01

    In the last 40 years, following pioneering papers by Ya B Zeldovich and E E Salpeter, in which a powerful energy release from nonspherical accretion of matter onto a black hole (BH) was predicted, many observational studies of black holes in the Universe have been carried out. To date, the masses of several dozen stellar-mass black holes (M_BH = (4{-}20) M_\\odot) in X-ray binary systems and of several hundred supermassive black holes (M_BH = (10^{6}{-}10^{10}) M_\\odot) in galactic nuclei have been measured. The estimated radii of these massive and compact objects do not exceed several gravitational radii. For about ten stellar-mass black holes and several dozen supermassive black holes, the values of the dimensionless angular momentum a_* have been estimated, which, in agreement with theoretical predictions, do not exceed the limiting value a_* = 0.998. A new field of astrophysics, so-called black hole demography, which studies the birth and growth of black holes and their evolutionary connection to other objects in the Universe, namely stars, galaxies, etc., is rapidly developing. In addition to supermassive black holes, massive stellar clusters are observed in galactic nuclei, and their evolution is distinct from that of supermassive black holes. The evolutionary relations between supermassive black holes in galactic centers and spheroidal stellar components (bulges) of galaxies, as well as dark-matter galactic haloes are brought out. The launch into Earth's orbit of the space radio interferometer RadioAstron opened up the real possibility of finally proving that numerous discovered massive and highly compact objects with properties very similar to those of black holes make up real black holes in the sense of Albert Einstein's General Relativity. Similar proofs of the existence of black holes in the Universe can be obtained by intercontinental radio interferometry at short wavelengths \\lambda \\lesssim 1 mm (the international program, Event Horizon Telescope).

  9. Black hole binaries in galactic nuclei and gravitational wave sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Jongsuk; Lee, Hyung Mok

    2015-03-01

    Stellar black hole (BH) binaries are one of the most promising gravitational wave (GW) sources for GW detection by the ground-based detectors. Nuclear star clusters (NCs) located at the centre of galaxies are known to harbour massive black holes (MBHs) and to be bounded by a gravitational potential by other galactic components such as the galactic bulge. Such an environment of NCs provides a favourable conditions for the BH-BH binary formation by the gravitational radiation capture due to the high BH number density and velocity dispersion. We carried out detailed numerical study of the formation of BH binaries in the NCs using a series of N-body simulations for equal-mass cases. There is no mass segregation introduced. We have derived scaling relations of the binary formation rate with the velocity dispersion of the stellar system beyond the radius of influence and made estimates of the rate of formation of BH binaries per unit comoving volume and thus expected detection rate by integrating the binary formation rate over galaxy population within the detection distance of the advanced detectors. We find that the overall formation rates for BH-BH binaries per NC is ˜10-10 yr-1 for the Milky Way-like galaxies and weakly dependent on the mass of MBH as Γ ∝ M_MBH^{3/28}. We estimate the detection rate of 0.02-14 yr-1 for advanced LIGO/Virgo considering several factors such as the dynamical evolution of NCs, the variance of the number density of stars and the mass range of MBH giving uncertainties.

  10. A Detection Pipeline for Galactic Binaries in LISA Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Littenberg, Tyson B.

    2012-01-01

    The Galaxy is suspected to contain hundreds of millions of binary white dwarf systems, a large fraction of which will have sufficiently small orbital period to emit gravitational radiation in band for space-based gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). LISA's main science goal is the detection of cosmological events (supermassive black hole mergers) etc.) however the gravitational signal from the galaxy will be the dominant contribution to the data - including instrumental noise - over approximately two decades in frequency. The catalogue of detectable binary systems will serve as an unparalleled means of studying the Galaxy. Furthermore, to maximize the scientific return from the mission, the data must be "cleansed" of the galactic foreground. We will present an algorithm that can accurately resolve and subtract greater than or equal to 10000 of these sources from simulated data supplied by the Mock LISA Data Challenge Task Force. Using the time evolution of the gravitational wave frequency, we will reconstruct the position of the recovered binaries and show how LISA will sample the entire compact binary population in the Galaxy.

  11. Binary stars in the Galactic thick disc

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Izzard, Robert G.; Preece, Holly; Jofre, Paula; Halabi, Ghina M.; Masseron, Thomas; Tout, Christopher A.

    2018-01-01

    The combination of asteroseismologically measured masses with abundances from detailed analyses of stellar atmospheres challenges our fundamental knowledge of stars and our ability to model them. Ancient red-giant stars in the Galactic thick disc are proving to be most troublesome in this regard. They are older than 5 Gyr, a lifetime corresponding to an initial stellar mass of about 1.2 M⊙. So why do the masses of a sizeable fraction of thick-disc stars exceed 1.3 M⊙, with some as massive as 2.3 M⊙? We answer this question by considering duplicity in the thick-disc stellar population using a binary population-nucleosynthesis model. We examine how mass transfer and merging affect the stellar mass distribution and surface abundances of carbon and nitrogen. We show that a few per cent of thick-disc stars can interact in binary star systems and become more massive than 1.3 M⊙. Of these stars, most are single because they are merged binaries. Some stars more massive than 1.3 M⊙ form in binaries by wind mass transfer. We compare our results to a sample of the APOKASC data set and find reasonable agreement except in the number of these thick-disc stars more massive than 1.3 M⊙. This problem is resolved by the use of a logarithmically flat orbital-period distribution and a large binary fraction.

  12. MS 1603.6 + 2600, an unusual X-ray selected binary system at high Galactic latitude

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morris, Simon L.; Liebert, James; Stocke, John T.; Gioia, Isabella M.; Schild, Rudy E.

    1990-01-01

    The discovery of an eclipsing binary system at Galactic latitude 47 deg, found as a serendipitous X-ray source in the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey, is described. The object has X-ray flux 1.1 x 10 to the -12th ergs/sq cm s (0.3-3.5 keV) and mean magnitude R = 19.4. An orbital period of 111 minutes is found. The problem discussed is whether the system has a white dwarf or neutron star primary, in the end preferring the neutron star primary model. If the system has either optical or X-ray luminosities typical of low mass X-ray binaries (LMXB), it must be at a very large distance (30-80 kpc). Blueshifted He I absorption is seen, indicating cool outflowing material, similar to that seen in the LMXB AC 211 in the globular cluster M15.

  13. Photometric detection of a candidate low-mass giant binary system at the Milky Way Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishna Gautam, Abhimat; Do, Tuan; Ghez, Andrea; Sakai, Shoko; Morris, Mark; Lu, Jessica; Witzel, Gunther; Jia, Siyao; Becklin, Eric Eric; Matthews, Keith

    2018-01-01

    We present the discovery of a new periodic variable star at the Milky Way Galactic Center (GC). This study uses laser guide-star adaptive optics data collected with the W. M. Keck 10 m telescope in the K‧-band (2.2 µm) over 35 nights spanning an 11 year time baseline, and 5 nights of additional H-band (1.6 µm) data. We implemented an iterative photometric calibration and local correction technique, resulting in a photometric uncertainty of Δm_K‧ ∼ 0.03 to a magnitude of m_K‧ ∼ 16.The periodically variable star has a 39.42 day period. We find that the star is not consistent with known periodically variable star classes in this period range with its observed color and luminosity, nor with an eclipsing binary system. The star's color and luminosity are however consistent with an ellipsoidal binary system at the GC, consisting of a K-giant and a dwarf component with an orbital period of 78.84 days. If a binary system, it represents the first detection of a low-mass giant binary system in the central half parsec of the GC. Such long-period binary systems can easily evaporate in the dense environment of the GC due to interactions with other stars. The existence and properties of a low-mass, long-period binary system can thus place valuable constraints on dynamical models of the GC environment and probe the density of the hypothesized dark cusp of stellar remnants at the GC.

  14. Shrinking of Binaries in a WIMPY Background at the Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hills, J. G.

    2001-12-01

    The nature of the dark matter in the Galactic Halo is still not clear. Constraints can be placed on it; e.g., it cannot be in baryons less massive than about 1022 grams (Hills, 1986, Astron. J. 92, 595). It may be in elementary weakly interacting massive particles, WIMPS. Apart from providing most of the mass of the Galaxy, the only known significant dynamical effect of WIMPS is to cause a gradual shrinking of tightly bound binaries (Hills 1983, Astron. J. 88, 1269) as they interact with the background soup of WIMPS. This effect may be observable in binaries close to the Galactic Center if a significant fraction of the mass density near the central black hole is from WIMPS. The requisite binaries would have to have orbital velocities greater than the local velocity dispersion of the WIMPS relative to the binary. The velocity dispersion increases near the black hole. The binary cannot be too close to the black hole or its tidal field will breakup the binary. If the local WIMP density is 107 g/cm3, the fractional rate of reduction in the binary orbital period is about 5 x 10-10/yr for a binary having a semimajor axis equal to 3 solar radii in a soup of WIMPS having a velocity dispersion of 200 km/s relative to the binary. This gradual erosion of the binary period may be detectable, particularly, if one of the binary components is a pulsar.

  15. V474 Car: A RARE HALO RS CVn BINARY IN RETROGRADE GALACTIC ORBIT

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bubar, Eric J.; Mamajek, Eric E.; Jensen, Eric L. N.

    We report the discovery that the star V474 Car is an extremely active, high velocity halo RS CVn system. The star was originally identified as a possible pre-main-sequence star in Carina, given its enhanced stellar activity, rapid rotation (10.3 days), enhanced Li, and absolute magnitude which places it above the main sequence (MS). However, its extreme radial velocity (264 km s{sup -1}) suggested that this system was unlike any previously known pre-MS system. Our detailed spectroscopic analysis of echelle spectra taken with the CTIO 4 m finds that V474 Car is both a spectroscopic binary with an orbital period similarmore » to the photometric rotation period and metal-poor ([Fe/H] {approx_equal}-0.99). The star's Galactic orbit is extremely eccentric (e {approx_equal} 0.93) with a perigalacticon of only {approx}0.3 kpc of the Galactic center-and the eccentricity and smallness of its perigalacticon are surpassed by only {approx}0.05% of local F/G-type field stars. The observed characteristics are consistent with V474 Car being a high-velocity, metal-poor, tidally locked, chromospherically active binary, i.e., a halo RS CVn binary, and one of only a few such specimens known.« less

  16. Studying Variance in the Galactic Ultra-compact Binary Population

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Larson, Shane L.; Breivik, Katelyn

    2017-01-01

    In the years preceding LISA, Milky Way compact binary population simulations can be used to inform the science capabilities of the mission. Galactic population simulation efforts generally focus on high fidelity models that require extensive computational power to produce a single simulated population for each model. Each simulated population represents an incomplete sample of the functions governing compact binary evolution, thus introducing variance from one simulation to another. We present a rapid Monte Carlo population simulation technique that can simulate thousands of populations on week-long timescales, thus allowing a full exploration of the variance associated with a binary stellar evolution model.

  17. Confusing Binaries: The Role of Stellar Binaries in Biasing Disk Properties in the Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naoz, Smadar; Ghez, Andrea M.; Hees, Aurelien; Do, Tuan; Witzel, Gunther; Lu, Jessica R.

    2018-02-01

    The population of young stars near the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the Galactic Center (GC) has presented an unexpected challenge to theories of star formation. Kinematic measurements of these stars have revealed a stellar disk structure (with an apparent 20% disk membership) that has provided important clues regarding the origin of these mysterious young stars. However, many of the apparent disk properties are difficult to explain, including the low disk membership fraction and the high eccentricities given the youth of this population. Thus far, all efforts to derive the properties of this disk have made the simplifying assumption that stars at the GC are single stars. Nevertheless, stellar binaries are prevalent in our Galaxy, and recent investigations suggested that they may also be abundant in the Galactic Center. Here, we show that binaries in the disk can largely alter the apparent orbital properties of the disk. The motion of binary members around each other adds a velocity component, which can be comparable to the magnitude of the velocity around the SMBH in the GC. Thus, neglecting the contribution of binaries can significantly vary the inferred stars’ orbital properties. While the disk orientation is unaffected, the apparent disk’s 2D width will be increased to about 11.°2, similar to the observed width. For a population of stars orbiting the SMBH with zero eccentricity, unaccounted for binaries will create a wide apparent eccentricity distribution with an average of 0.23. This is consistent with the observed average eccentricity of the stars’ in the disk. We suggest that this high eccentricity value, which poses a theoretical challenge, may be an artifact of binary stars. Finally, our results suggest that the actual disk membership might be significantly higher than the one inferred by observations that ignore the contribution of binaries, alleviating another theoretical challenge.

  18. Modeling mergers of known galactic systems of binary neutron stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feo, Alessandra; De Pietri, Roberto; Maione, Francesco; Löffler, Frank

    2017-02-01

    We present a study of the merger of six different known galactic systems of binary neutron stars (BNS) of unequal mass with a mass ratio between 0.75 and 0.99. Specifically, these systems are J1756-2251, J0737-3039A, J1906  +  0746, B1534  +  12, J0453  +  1559 and B1913  +  16. We follow the dynamics of the merger from the late stage of the inspiral process up to  ∼20ms after the system has merged, either to form a hyper-massive neutron star (NS) or a rotating black hole (BH), using a semi-realistic equation of state (EOS), namely the seven-segment piece-wise polytropic SLy with a thermal component. For the most extreme of these systems (q  =  0.75, J0453  +  1559), we also investigate the effects of different EOSs: APR4, H4, and MS1. Our numerical simulations are performed using only publicly available open source code such as, the Einstein toolkit code deployed for the dynamical evolution and the LORENE code for the generation of the initial models. We show results on the gravitational wave signals, spectrogram and frequencies of the BNS after the merger and the BH properties in the two cases in which the system collapses within the simulated time.

  19. The great escape - III. Placing post-main-sequence evolution of planetary and binary systems in a Galactic context

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veras, Dimitri; Evans, N. Wyn; Wyatt, Mark C.; Tout, Christopher A.

    2014-01-01

    Our improving understanding of the life cycle of planetary systems prompts investigations of the role of the Galenvironment before, during and after asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stellar evolution. Here, we investigate the interplay between stellar mass-loss, Galactic tidal perturbations and stellar flybys for evolving stars which host one planet, smaller body or stellar binary companion and reside in the Milky Way's bulge or disc. We find that the potential evolutionary pathways from a main sequence (MS) to a white dwarf (WD) planetary system are a strong function of Galactocentric distance only with respect to the prevalence of stellar flybys. Planetary ejection and collision with the parent star should be more common towards the bulge. At a given location anywhere in the Galaxy, if the mass-loss is adiabatic, then the secondary is likely to avoid close flybys during AGB evolution, and cannot eventually escape the resulting WD because of Galactic tides alone. Partly because AGB mass-loss will shrink a planetary system's Hill ellipsoid axes by about 20 to 40 per cent, Oort clouds orbiting WDs are likely to be more depleted and dynamically excited than on the MS.

  20. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Galactic bulge eclipsing & ellipsoidal binaries (Soszynski+, 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soszynski, I.; Pawlak, M.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Udalski, A.; Szymanski, M. K.; Wyrzykowski, L.; Ulaczyk, K.; Poleski, R.; Kozlowski, S.; Skowron, D. M.; Skowron, J.; Mroz, P.; Hamanowicz, A.

    2018-04-01

    Our collection of binary systems in the Galactic bulge is based on the photometric data collected by the OGLE survey between 1997 and 2015 at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, with the 1.3-m Warsaw Telescope. The observatory is operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science. In 1997-2000, during the OGLE-II stage, about 30 million stars in the area of 11 square degrees in the central parts of the Milky Way were constantly monitored. In 2001, with the beginning of the OGLE-III survey, the sky coverage was extended to nearly 69 square degrees and the number of monitored stars increased to 200 million. Finally, from 2010 until today the OGLE-IV project regularly observes about 400 million stars in 182 square degrees of the densest regions of the Galactic bulge. Our search for eclipsing variables was based primarily on the OGLE-IV data. (4 data files).

  1. The Merger Rate of Binary White Dwarfs in the Galactic Disk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Badenes, Carles; Maoz, Dan

    2012-04-01

    We use multi-epoch spectroscopy of ~4000 white dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to constrain the properties of the Galactic population of binary white dwarf systems and calculate their merger rate. With a Monte Carlo code, we model the distribution of ΔRVmax, the maximum radial velocity shift between exposures of the same star, as a function of the binary fraction within 0.05 AU, f bin, and the power-law index in the separation distribution at the end of the common-envelope phase, α. Although there is some degeneracy between f bin and α, the 15 high-ΔRVmax systems that we find constrain the combination of these parameters, which determines a white dwarf merger rate per unit stellar mass of 1.4+3.4 -1.0 × 10-13 yr-1 M -1 ⊙ (1σ limits). This is remarkably similar to the measured rate of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) per unit stellar mass in Milky-Way-like Sbc galaxies. The rate of super-Chandrasekhar mergers is only 1.0+1.6 -0.6 × 10-14 yr-1 M -1 ⊙. We conclude that there are not enough close binary white dwarf systems to reproduce the observed SN Ia rate in the "classic" double degenerate super-Chandrasekhar scenario. On the other hand, if sub-Chandrasekhar mergers can lead to SNe Ia, as has been recently suggested by some studies, they could make a major contribution to the overall SN Ia rate. Although unlikely, we cannot rule out contamination of our sample by M-dwarf binaries or non-Gaussian errors. These issues will be clarified in the near future by completing the follow-up of all 15 high-ΔRVmax systems.

  2. Merging Black Hole Binaries in Galactic Nuclei: Implications for Advanced-LIGO Detections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antonini, Fabio; Rasio, Frederic A.

    2016-11-01

    Motivated by the recent detection of gravitational waves from the black hole binary merger GW150914, we study the dynamical evolution of (stellar-mass) black holes in galactic nuclei, where massive star clusters reside. With masses of ˜ {10}7 {M}⊙ and sizes of only a few parsecs, nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are the densest stellar systems observed in the local universe and represent a robust environment where black hole binaries can dynamically form, harden, and merge. We show that due to their large escape speeds, NSCs can retain a large fraction of their merger remnants. Successive mergers can then lead to significant growth and produce black hole mergers of several tens of solar masses similar to GW150914 and up to a few hundreds of solar masses, without the need to invoke extremely low metallicity environments. We use a semi-analytical approach to describe the dynamics of black holes in massive star clusters. Our models give a black hole binary merger rate of ≈ 1.5 {{Gpc}}-3 {{yr}}-1 from NSCs, implying up to a few tens of possible detections per year with Advanced LIGO. Moreover, we find a local merger rate of ˜ 1 {{Gpc}}-3 {{yr}}-1 for high mass black hole binaries similar to GW150914; a merger rate comparable to or higher than that of similar binaries assembled dynamically in globular clusters (GCs). Finally, we show that if all black holes receive high natal kicks, ≳ 50 {km} {{{s}}}-1, then NSCs will dominate the local merger rate of binary black holes compared to either GCs or isolated binary evolution.

  3. Interstellar Medium, Young Stars, and Astrometric Binaries in Galactic Archaeology Spectroscopic Surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zwitter, T.; Kos, J.; Žerjal, M.; Traven, G.

    2016-10-01

    Current ongoing stellar spectroscopic surveys (RAVE, GALAH, Gaia-ESO, LAMOST, APOGEE, Gaia) are mostly devoted to studying Galactic archaeology and the structure of the Galaxy. But they allow also for important auxiliary science: (i) the Galactic interstellar medium can be studied in four dimensions (position in space plus radial velocity) through weak but numerous diffuse interstellar bands and atomic absorptions seen in spectra of background stars, (ii) emission spectra which are quite frequent even in field stars can serve as a good indicator of their youth, pointing e.g. to stars recently ejected from young stellar environments, (iii) an astrometric solution of the photocenter of a binary to be obtained by Gaia can yield accurate masses when joined by spectroscopic information obtained serendipitously during a survey. These points are illustrated by first results from the first three surveys mentioned above. These hint at the near future: spectroscopic studies of the dynamics of the interstellar medium can identify and quantify Galactic fountains which may sustain star formation in the disk by entraining fresh gas from the halo; RAVE already provided a list of ˜ 14,000 field stars with chromospheric emission in Ca II lines, to be supplemented by many more observations by Gaia in the same band, and by GALAH and Gaia-ESO observations of Balmer lines; several millions of astrometric binaries with periods up to a few years which are being observed by Gaia can yield accurate masses when supplemented with measurements from only a few high-quality ground based spectra.

  4. Chandra Discovery of a Binary Active Galactic Nucleus in Mrk 739

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koss, Michael; Mushotzky, Richard; Treister, Ezequiel; Veilleux, Sylvain; Vasudevan, Ranjan; Miller, Neal; Sanders, D. B.; Schawinski, Kevin; Trippe, Margaret

    2011-07-01

    We have discovered a binary active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the galaxy Mrk 739 using Chandra and Swift BAT. We find two luminous (L 2-10 keV = 1.1 × 1043 and 1.0 × 1042 erg s-1), unresolved nuclei with a projected separation of 3.4 kpc (5farcs8 ± 0farcs1) coincident with two bulge components in the optical image. The western X-ray source (Mrk 739W) is highly variable (× 2.5) during the 4 hr Chandra observation and has a very hard spectrum consistent with an AGN. While the eastern component was already known to be an AGN based on the presence of broad optical recombination lines, Mrk 739W shows no evidence of being an AGN in optical, UV, and radio observations, suggesting the critical importance of high spatial resolution hard X-ray observations (>2 keV) in finding these binary AGNs. A high level of star formation combined with a very low L [O III]/L 2-10 keV ratio cause the AGN to be missed in optical observations. 12CO observations of the (3-2) and (2-1) lines indicate large amounts of molecular gas in the system that could be driven toward the black holes during the violent galaxy collision and be key to fueling the binary AGN. Mrk 739E has a high Eddington ratio of 0.71 and a small black hole (log M BH = 7.05 ± 0.3) consistent with an efficiently accreting AGN. Other than NGC 6240, this stands as the nearest case of a binary AGN discovered to date.

  5. Testing the Merger Paradigm: X-ray Observations of Radio-Selected Sub-Galactic-Scale Binary AGNs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Hai

    2016-09-01

    Interactions play an important role in galaxy evolution. Strong gas inflows are expected in the process of gas-rich mergers, which may fuel intense black hole accretion and star formation. Sub-galactic-scale binary/dual AGNs thus offer elegant laboratories to study the merger-driven co-evolution phase. However, previous samples of kpc-scale binaries are small and heterogeneous. We have identified a flux-limited sample of kpc-scale binary AGNs uniformly from a wide-area high-resolution radio survey conducted by the VLA. Here we propose Chandra X-ray characterization of a subset of four radio-confirmed binary AGNs at z 0.1. Our goal is to compare their X-ray properties with those of matched control samples to test the merger-driven co-evolution paradigm.

  6. Studying Dust Scattering Halos with Galactic X-ray Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beeler, Doreen; Corrales, Lia; Heinz, Sebastian

    2018-01-01

    Dust is an important part of the interstellar medium (ISM) and contributes to the formation of stars and planets. Since the advent of modern X-ray telescopes, Galactic X-ray point sources have permitted a closer look at all phases of the ISM. Interstellar metals from oxygen to iron — in both gas and dust form — are responsible for absorption and scattering of X-ray light. Dust scatters the light in a forward direction and creates a diffuse halo image surrounding many bright Galactic X-ray binaries. We use all the bright X-ray point sources available in the Chandra HETG archive to study dust scattering halos from the local ISM. We have described a data analysis pipeline using a combination of the data reduction software CIAO and Python. We compare our results from Chandra HETG and ACIS-I observations of a well studied dust scattering halo around GX 13+1, in order to characterize any systematic errors associated with the HETG data set. We describe how our data products will be used to measure ISM scaling relations for X-ray extinction, dust abundance, and dust-to-metal ratios.

  7. WATCHDOG: A COMPREHENSIVE ALL-SKY DATABASE OF GALACTIC BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARIES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tetarenko, B. E.; Sivakoff, G. R.; Heinke, C. O.

    With the advent of more sensitive all-sky instruments, the transient universe is being probed in greater depth than ever before. Taking advantage of available resources, we have established a comprehensive database of black hole (and black hole candidate) X-ray binary (BHXB) activity between 1996 and 2015 as revealed by all-sky instruments, scanning surveys, and select narrow-field X-ray instruments on board the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, Monitor of All-Sky X-ray Image, Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, and Swift telescopes; the Whole-sky Alberta Time-resolved Comprehensive black-Hole Database Of the Galaxy or WATCHDOG. Over the past two decades, we have detected 132 transient outbursts, trackedmore » and classified behavior occurring in 47 transient and 10 persistently accreting BHs, and performed a statistical study on a number of outburst properties across the Galactic population. We find that outbursts undergone by BHXBs that do not reach the thermally dominant accretion state make up a substantial fraction (∼40%) of the Galactic transient BHXB outburst sample over the past ∼20 years. Our findings suggest that this “hard-only” behavior, observed in transient and persistently accreting BHXBs, is neither a rare nor recent phenomenon and may be indicative of an underlying physical process, relatively common among binary BHs, involving the mass-transfer rate onto the BH remaining at a low level rather than increasing as the outburst evolves. We discuss how the larger number of these “hard-only” outbursts and detected outbursts in general have significant implications for both the luminosity function and mass-transfer history of the Galactic BHXB population.« less

  8. WATCHDOG: A Comprehensive All-sky Database of Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tetarenko, B. E.; Sivakoff, G. R.; Heinke, C. O.; Gladstone, J. C.

    2016-02-01

    With the advent of more sensitive all-sky instruments, the transient universe is being probed in greater depth than ever before. Taking advantage of available resources, we have established a comprehensive database of black hole (and black hole candidate) X-ray binary (BHXB) activity between 1996 and 2015 as revealed by all-sky instruments, scanning surveys, and select narrow-field X-ray instruments on board the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, Monitor of All-Sky X-ray Image, Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, and Swift telescopes; the Whole-sky Alberta Time-resolved Comprehensive black-Hole Database Of the Galaxy or WATCHDOG. Over the past two decades, we have detected 132 transient outbursts, tracked and classified behavior occurring in 47 transient and 10 persistently accreting BHs, and performed a statistical study on a number of outburst properties across the Galactic population. We find that outbursts undergone by BHXBs that do not reach the thermally dominant accretion state make up a substantial fraction (∼40%) of the Galactic transient BHXB outburst sample over the past ∼20 years. Our findings suggest that this “hard-only” behavior, observed in transient and persistently accreting BHXBs, is neither a rare nor recent phenomenon and may be indicative of an underlying physical process, relatively common among binary BHs, involving the mass-transfer rate onto the BH remaining at a low level rather than increasing as the outburst evolves. We discuss how the larger number of these “hard-only” outbursts and detected outbursts in general have significant implications for both the luminosity function and mass-transfer history of the Galactic BHXB population.

  9. Induced Ellipticity for Inspiraling Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Randall, Lisa; Xianyu, Zhong-Zhi

    2018-01-01

    Although gravitational waves tend to erase eccentricity of an inspiraling binary system, ellipticity can be generated in the presence of surrounding matter. We present a semianalytical method for understanding the eccentricity distribution of binary black holes (BHs) in the presence of a supermassive BH in a galactic center. Given a matter distribution, we show how to determine the resultant eccentricity analytically in the presence of both tidal forces and evaporation up to one cutoff and one matter-distribution-independent function, paving the way for understanding the environment of detected inspiraling BHs. We furthermore generalize Kozai–Lidov dynamics to situations where perturbation theory breaks down for short time intervals, allowing more general angular momentum exchange, such that eccentricity is generated even when all bodies orbit in the same plane.

  10. Binary and Millisecond Pulsars.

    PubMed

    Lorimer, Duncan R

    2008-01-01

    We review the main properties, demographics and applications of binary and millisecond radio pulsars. Our knowledge of these exciting objects has greatly increased in recent years, mainly due to successful surveys which have brought the known pulsar population to over 1800. There are now 83 binary and millisecond pulsars associated with the disk of our Galaxy, and a further 140 pulsars in 26 of the Galactic globular clusters. Recent highlights include the discovery of the young relativistic binary system PSR J1906+0746, a rejuvination in globular cluster pulsar research including growing numbers of pulsars with masses in excess of 1.5 M ⊙ , a precise measurement of relativistic spin precession in the double pulsar system and a Galactic millisecond pulsar in an eccentric ( e = 0.44) orbit around an unevolved companion. Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrr-2008-8.

  11. Formation and Evolution of X-ray Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fragkos, Anastasios

    X-ray binaries - mass-transferring binary stellar systems with compact object accretors - are unique astrophysical laboratories. They carry information about many complex physical processes such as star formation, compact object formation, and evolution of interacting binaries. My thesis work involves the study of the formation and evolution of Galactic and extra-galacticX-ray binaries using both detailed and realistic simulation tools, and population synthesis techniques. I applied an innovative analysis method that allows the reconstruction of the full evolutionary history of known black hole X-ray binaries back to the time of compact object formation. This analysis takes into account all the available observationally determined properties of a system, and models in detail four of its evolutionary evolutionary phases: mass transfer through the ongoing X-ray phase, tidal evolution before the onset of Roche-lobe overflow, motion through the Galactic potential after the formation of the black hole, and binary orbital dynamics at the time of core collapse. Motivated by deep extra-galactic Chandra survey observations, I worked on population synthesis models of low-mass X-ray binaries in the two elliptical galaxies NGC3379 and NGC4278. These simulations were targeted at understanding the origin of the shape and normalization of the observed X-ray luminosity functions. In a follow up study, I proposed a physically motivated prescription for the modeling of transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary properties, such as duty cycle, outburst duration and recurrence time. This prescription enabled the direct comparison of transient low-mass X-ray binary population synthesis models to the Chandra X-ray survey of the two ellipticals NGC3379 and NGC4278. Finally, I worked on population synthesismodels of black holeX-ray binaries in the MilkyWay. This work was motivated by recent developments in observational techniques for the measurement of black hole spin magnitudes in

  12. FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF GALACTIC INTERMEDIATE/LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARIES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shao, Yong; Li, Xiang-Dong, E-mail: lixd@nju.edu.cn

    2015-08-10

    We investigate the formation and evolutionary sequences of Galactic intermediate- and low-mass X-ray binaries (I/LMXBs) by combining binary population synthesis (BPS) and detailed stellar evolutionary calculations. Using an updated BPS code we compute the evolution of massive binaries that leads to the formation of incipient I/LMXBs and present their distribution in the initial donor mass versus initial orbital period diagram. We then follow the evolution of the I/LMXBs until the formation of binary millisecond pulsars (BMSPs). We find that the birthrate of the I/LMXB population is in the range of 9 × 10{sup −6}–3.4 × 10{sup −5} yr{sup −1}, compatiblemore » with that of BMSPs that are thought to descend from I/LMXBs. We show that during the evolution of I/LMXBs they are likely to be observed as relatively compact binaries with orbital periods ≲1 day and donor masses ≲0.3M{sub ⊙}. The resultant BMSPs have orbital periods ranging from less than 1 day to a few hundred days. These features are consistent with observations of LMXBs and BMSPs. We also confirm the discrepancies between theoretical predictions and observations mentioned in the literature, that is, the theoretical average mass transfer rates (∼10{sup −10} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}) of LMXBs are considerably lower than observed, and the number of BMSPs with orbital periods ∼0.1–10 days is severely underestimated. These discrepancies imply that something is missing in the modeling of LMXBs, which is likely to be related to the mechanisms of the orbital angular momentum loss.« less

  13. Sigma observations of the low mass X-ray binaries of the galactic bulge

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goldwurm, A.; Denis, M.; Paul, J.; Faisse, S.; Roques, J. P.; Bouchet, L.; Vedrenne, G.; Mandrou, P.; Sunyaev, R.; Churazov, E.

    1995-01-01

    The soft gamma-ray telescope (35-1300 keV) SIGMA aboard the high energy GRANAT space observatory has been monitoring the Galactic Bulge region for more than 2000 h of effective time since March 1990. In the resulting average 35-75 keV image we detected ten sources at a level of greater than 5 standard deviations, 6 of which can be identified with low mass X-ray binaries (LMXB). Among them, one is the 1993 X-ray nova in Ophiuchus (GRS 1726-249), one is an X-ray pulsar (GX 1+4), two are associated with X-ray bursters (GX 354-0 and A 1742-294) and two with bursting X-ray binaries in the globular clusters Terzan 2 and Terzan 1. Their spectral and long term variability behavior as measured by SIGMMA are presented and discussed.

  14. Detection of variable VHE γ-ray emission from the extra-galactic γ-ray binary LMC P3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    HESS Collaboration; Abdalla, H.; Abramowski, A.; Aharonian, F.; Ait Benkhali, F.; Angüner, E. O.; Arakawa, M.; Armand, C.; Arrieta, M.; Backes, M.; Balzer, A.; Barnard, M.; Becherini, Y.; Becker Tjus, J.; Berge, D.; Bernhard, S.; Bernlöhr, K.; Blackwell, R.; Böttcher, M.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bonnefoy, S.; Bordas, P.; Bregeon, J.; Brun, F.; Brun, P.; Bryan, M.; Büchele, M.; Bulik, T.; Capasso, M.; Caroff, S.; Carosi, A.; Casanova, S.; Cerruti, M.; Chakraborty, N.; Chaves, R. C. G.; Chen, A.; Chevalier, J.; Colafrancesco, S.; Condon, B.; Conrad, J.; Davids, I. D.; Decock, J.; Deil, C.; Devin, J.; deWilt, P.; Dirson, L.; Djannati-Ataï, A.; Donath, A.; Drury, L. O.'C.; Dyks, J.; Edwards, T.; Egberts, K.; Emery, G.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Eschbach, S.; Farnier, C.; Fegan, S.; Fernandes, M. V.; Fiasson, A.; Fontaine, G.; Funk, S.; Füßling, M.; Gabici, S.; Gallant, Y. A.; Garrigoux, T.; Gaté, F.; Giavitto, G.; Glawion, D.; Glicenstein, J. F.; Gottschall, D.; Grondin, M.-H.; Hahn, J.; Haupt, M.; Hawkes, J.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henri, G.; Hermann, G.; Hinton, J. A.; Hofmann, W.; Hoischen, C.; Holch, T. L.; Holler, M.; Horns, D.; Ivascenko, A.; Iwasaki, H.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jamrozy, M.; Jankowsky, D.; Jankowsky, F.; Jingo, M.; Jouvin, L.; Jung-Richardt, I.; Kastendieck, M. A.; Katarzyński, K.; Katsuragawa, M.; Katz, U.; Kerszberg, D.; Khangulyan, D.; Khélifi, B.; King, J.; Klepser, S.; Klochkov, D.; Kluźniak, W.; Komin, Nu.; Kosack, K.; Krakau, S.; Kraus, M.; Krüger, P. P.; Laffon, H.; Lamanna, G.; Lau, J.; Lefaucheur, J.; Lemière, A.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Lenain, J.-P.; Leser, E.; Lohse, T.; Lorentz, M.; Liu, R.; López-Coto, R.; Lypova, I.; Malyshev, D.; Marandon, V.; Marcowith, A.; Mariaud, C.; Marx, R.; Maurin, G.; Maxted, N.; Mayer, M.; Meintjes, P. J.; Meyer, M.; Mitchell, A. M. W.; Moderski, R.; Mohamed, M.; Mohrmann, L.; Morå, K.; Moulin, E.; Murach, T.; Nakashima, S.; de Naurois, M.; Ndiyavala, H.; Niederwanger, F.; Niemiec, J.; Oakes, L.; O'Brien, P.; Odaka, H.; Ohm, S.; Ostrowski, M.; Oya, I.; Padovani, M.; Panter, M.; Parsons, R. D.; Pekeur, N. W.; Pelletier, G.; Perennes, C.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Peyaud, B.; Piel, Q.; Pita, S.; Poireau, V.; Prokhorov, D. A.; Prokoph, H.; Pühlhofer, G.; Punch, M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Raab, S.; Rauth, R.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Renaud, M.; de los Reyes, R.; Rieger, F.; Rinchiuso, L.; Romoli, C.; Rowell, G.; Rudak, B.; Rulten, C. B.; Sahakian, V.; Saito, S.; Sanchez, D. A.; Santangelo, A.; Sasaki, M.; Schlickeiser, R.; Schüssler, F.; Schulz, A.; Schwanke, U.; Schwemmer, S.; Seglar-Arroyo, M.; Seyffert, A. S.; Shafi, N.; Shilon, I.; Shiningayamwe, K.; Simoni, R.; Sol, H.; Spanier, F.; Spir-Jacob, M.; Stawarz, Ł.; Steenkamp, R.; Stegmann, C.; Steppa, C.; Sushch, I.; Takahashi, T.; Tavernet, J.-P.; Tavernier, T.; Taylor, A. M.; Terrier, R.; Tibaldo, L.; Tiziani, D.; Tluczykont, M.; Trichard, C.; Tsirou, M.; Tsuji, N.; Tuffs, R.; Uchiyama, Y.; van der Walt, D. J.; van Eldik, C.; van Rensburg, C.; van Soelen, B.; Vasileiadis, G.; Veh, J.; Venter, C.; Viana, A.; Vincent, P.; Vink, J.; Voisin, F.; Völk, H. J.; Vuillaume, T.; Wadiasingh, Z.; Wagner, S. J.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, R. M.; White, R.; Wierzcholska, A.; Willmann, P.; Wörnlein, A.; Wouters, D.; Yang, R.; Zaborov, D.; Zacharias, M.; Zanin, R.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Zech, A.; Zefi, F.; Ziegler, A.; Zorn, J.; Żywucka, N.

    2018-03-01

    Context. Recently, the high-energy (HE, 0.1-100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the object LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been discovered to be modulated with a 10.3-day period, making it the first extra-galactic γ-ray binary. Aim. This work aims at the detection of very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) γ-ray emission and the search for modulation of the VHE signal with the orbital period of the binary system. Methods: LMC P3 has been observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.); the acceptance-corrected exposure time is 100 h. The data set has been folded with the known orbital period of the system in order to test for variability of the emission. Results: VHE γ-ray emission is detected with a statistical significance of 6.4 σ. The data clearly show variability which is phase-locked to the orbital period of the system. Periodicity cannot be deduced from the H.E.S.S. data set alone. The orbit-averaged luminosity in the 1-10 TeV energy range is (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1035 erg s-1. A luminosity of (5 ± 1) × 1035 erg s-1 is reached during 20% of the orbit. HE and VHE γ-ray emissions are anti-correlated. LMC P3 is the most luminous γ-ray binary known so far.

  15. Detection of variable VHE γ -ray emission from the extra-galactic γ -ray binary LMC P3

    DOE PAGES

    Abdalla, H.; Abramowski, A.; Aharonian, F.; ...

    2018-02-01

    Context. Recently, the high-energy (HE, 0.1–100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the object LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been discovered to be modulated with a 10.3-day period, making it the first extra-galactic γ-ray binary. Aim. This work aims at the detection of very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) γ-ray emission and the search for modulation of the VHE signal with the orbital period of the binary system. Methods. LMC P3 has been observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.); the acceptance-corrected exposure time is 100 h. The data set has been folded with the known orbital period ofmore » the system in order to test for variability of the emission. Results. VHE γ-ray emission is detected with a statistical significance of 6.4 σ. The data clearly show variability which is phase-locked to the orbital period of the system. Periodicity cannot be deduced from the H.E.S.S. data set alone. The orbit-averaged luminosity in the 1–10 TeV energy range is (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1035 erg s -1. A luminosity of (5 ± 1) × 1035 erg s -1 is reached during 20% of the orbit. HE and VHE γ-ray emissions are anti-correlated. In conclucion, LMC P3 is the most luminous γ-ray binary known so far.« less

  16. Detection of variable VHE γ -ray emission from the extra-galactic γ -ray binary LMC P3

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Abdalla, H.; Abramowski, A.; Aharonian, F.

    Context. Recently, the high-energy (HE, 0.1–100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the object LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been discovered to be modulated with a 10.3-day period, making it the first extra-galactic γ-ray binary. Aim. This work aims at the detection of very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) γ-ray emission and the search for modulation of the VHE signal with the orbital period of the binary system. Methods. LMC P3 has been observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.); the acceptance-corrected exposure time is 100 h. The data set has been folded with the known orbital period ofmore » the system in order to test for variability of the emission. Results. VHE γ-ray emission is detected with a statistical significance of 6.4 σ. The data clearly show variability which is phase-locked to the orbital period of the system. Periodicity cannot be deduced from the H.E.S.S. data set alone. The orbit-averaged luminosity in the 1–10 TeV energy range is (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1035 erg s -1. A luminosity of (5 ± 1) × 1035 erg s -1 is reached during 20% of the orbit. HE and VHE γ-ray emissions are anti-correlated. In conclucion, LMC P3 is the most luminous γ-ray binary known so far.« less

  17. Si K EDGE STRUCTURE AND VARIABILITY IN GALACTIC X-RAY BINARIES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schulz, Norbert S.; Corrales, Lia; Canizares, Claude R.

    2016-08-10

    We survey the Si K edge structure in various absorbed Galactic low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) to study states of silicon in the inter- and circum-stellar medium. The bulk of these LMXBs lie toward the Galactic bulge region and all have column densities above 10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}. The observations were performed using the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. The Si K edge in all sources appears at an energy value of 1844 ± 0.001 eV. The edge exhibits significant substructure that can be described by a near edge absorption feature at 1849 ± 0.002 eV and a far edgemore » absorption feature at 1865 ± 0.002 eV. Both of these absorption features appear variable with equivalent widths up to several mÅ. We can describe the edge structure using several components: multiple edge functions, near edge absorption excesses from silicates in dust form, signatures from X-ray scattering optical depths, and a variable warm absorber from ionized atomic silicon. The measured optical depths of the edges indicate much higher values than expected from atomic silicon cross sections and interstellar medium abundances, and they appear consistent with predictions from silicate X-ray absorption and scattering. A comparison with models also indicates a preference for larger dust grain sizes. In many cases, we identify Si xiii resonance absorption and determine ionization parameters between log ξ = 1.8 and 2.8 and turbulent velocities between 300 and 1000 km s{sup −1}. This places the warm absorber in close vicinity of the X-ray binaries. In some data, we observe a weak edge at 1.840 keV, potentially from a lesser contribution of neutral atomic silicon.« less

  18. A Comprehensive Catalog of Galactic Eclipsing Binary Stars with Eccentric Orbits Based on Eclipse Timing Diagrams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, C.-H.; Kreiner, J. M.; Zakrzewski, B.; Ogłoza, W.; Kim, H.-W.; Jeong, M.-J.

    2018-04-01

    A comprehensive catalog of 623 galactic eclipsing binary (EB) systems with eccentric orbits is presented with more than 2830 times of minima determined from the archived photometric data by various sky-survey projects and new photometric measurements. The systems are divided into two groups according to whether the individual system has a GCVS name or not. All the systems in both groups are further classified into three categories (D, A, and A+III) on the basis of their eclipse timing diagrams: 453 D systems showing just constantly displaced secondary minima, 139 A systems displaying only apsidal motion (AM), and 31 A+III systems exhibiting both AM and light-time effects. AM parameters for 170 systems (A and A+III systems) are consistently calculated and cataloged with basic information for all systems. Some important statistics for the AM parameters are discussed and compared with those derived for the eccentric EB systems in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.

  19. What we learn from eclipsing binaries in the ultraviolet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guinan, Edward F.

    1990-01-01

    Recent results on stars and stellar physics from IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer) observations of eclipsing binaries are discussed. Several case studies are presented, including V 444 Cyg, Aur stars, V 471 Tau and AR Lac. Topics include stellar winds and mass loss, stellar atmospheres, stellar dynamos, and surface activity. Studies of binary star dynamics and evolution are discussed. The progress made with IUE in understanding the complex dynamical and evolutionary processes taking place in W UMa-type binaries and Algol systems is highlighted. The initial results of intensive studies of the W UMa star VW Cep and three representative Algol-type binaries (in different stages of evolution) focused on gas flows and accretion, are included. The future prospects of eclipsing binary research are explored. Remaining problems are surveyed and the next challenges are presented. The roles that eclipsing binaries could play in studies of stellar evolution, cluster dynamics, galactic structure, mass luminosity relations for extra galactic systems, cosmology, and even possible detection of extra solar system planets using eclipsing binaries are discussed.

  20. A Search for Binary Systems in the Magellanic Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Cody; Nidever, David L.

    2018-06-01

    The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are two of the closest dwarf galaxies to our Milky Way and offer an excellent laboratory to study the evolution of galaxies. The close proximity of these galaxies provide a chance to study individual stars in detail and learn about stellar properties and galactic formation of the Clouds. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), part of the SDSS-IV, has gathered high quality, multi-epoch, spectroscopic data on a multitude of stars in the Magellanic Clouds. The time-series data can be used to detect and characterize binary stars and make the first spectroscopic measurements of the field binary fraction of the Clouds. I will present preliminary results from this project.

  1. Implications of PSR J0737-3039B for the Galactic NS-NS binary merger rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Chunglee; Perera, Benetge Bhakthi Pranama; McLaughlin, Maura A.

    2015-03-01

    The Double Pulsar (PSR J0737-3039) is the only neutron star-neutron star (NS-NS) binary in which both NSs have been detectable as radio pulsars. The Double Pulsar has been assumed to dominate the Galactic NS-NS binary merger rate R_g among all known systems, solely based on the properties of the first-born, recycled pulsar (PSR J0737-3039A, or A) with an assumption for the beaming correction factor of 6. In this work, we carefully correct observational biases for the second-born, non-recycled pulsar (PSR J0737-0737B, or B) and estimate the contribution from the Double Pulsar on R_g using constraints available from both A and B. Observational constraints from the B pulsar favour a small beaming correction factor for A (˜2), which is consistent with a bipolar model. Considering known NS-NS binaries with the best observational constraints, including both A and B, we obtain R_g=21_{-14}^{+28} Myr-1 at 95 per cent confidence from our reference model. We expect the detection rate of gravitational waves from NS-NS inspirals for the advanced ground-based gravitational-wave detectors is to be 8^{+10}_{-5} yr-1 at 95 per cent confidence. Within several years, gravitational-wave detections relevant to NS-NS inspirals will provide us useful information to improve pulsar population models.

  2. Microlensing Signature of Binary Black Holes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schnittman, Jeremy; Sahu, Kailash; Littenberg, Tyson

    2012-01-01

    We calculate the light curves of galactic bulge stars magnified via microlensing by stellar-mass binary black holes along the line-of-sight. We show the sensitivity to measuring various lens parameters for a range of survey cadences and photometric precision. Using public data from the OGLE collaboration, we identify two candidates for massive binary systems, and discuss implications for theories of star formation and binary evolution.

  3. The fate of close encounters between binary stars and binary supermassive black holes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yi-Han; Leigh, Nathan; Yuan, Ye-Fei; Perna, Rosalba

    2018-04-01

    The evolution of main-sequence binaries that reside in the Galactic Centre can be heavily influenced by the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). Due to these perturbative effects, the stellar binaries in dense environments are likely to experience mergers, collisions, or ejections through secular and/or non-secular interactions. More direct interactions with the central SMBH are thought to produce hypervelocity stars (HVSs) and tidal disruption events (TDEs). In this paper, we use N-body simulations to study the dynamics of stellar binaries orbiting a central SMBH primary with an outer SMBH secondary orbiting this inner triple. The effects of the secondary SMBH on the event rates of HVSs, TDEs, and stellar mergers are investigated, as a function of the SMBH-SMBH binary mass ratio. Our numerical experiments reveal that, relative to the isolated SMBH case, the TDE and HVS rates are enhanced for, respectively, the smallest and largest mass ratio SMBH-SMBH binaries. This suggests that the observed event rates of TDEs and HVSs have the potential to serve as a diagnostic of the mass ratio of a central SMBH-SMBH binary. The presence of a secondary SMBH also allows for the creation of hypervelocity binaries. Observations of these systems could thus constrain the presence of a secondary SMBH in the Galactic Centre.

  4. Dynamics of binary and planetary-system interaction with disks - Eccentricity changes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atrymowicz, Pawel

    1992-01-01

    Protostellar and protoplanetary systems, as well as merging galactic nuclei, often interact tidally and resonantly with the astrophysical disks via gravity. Underlying our understanding of the formation processes of stars, planets, and some galaxies is a dynamical theory of such interactions. Its main goals are to determine the geometry of the binary-disk system and, through the torque calculations, the rate of change of orbital elements of the components. We present some recent developments in this field concentrating on eccentricity driving mechanisms in protoplanetary and protobinary systems. In those two types of systems the result of the interaction is opposite. A small body embedded in a disk suffers a decrease of orbital eccentricity, whereas newly formed binary stars surrounded by protostellar disks may undergo a significant orbital evolution increasing their eccentricities.

  5. High-mass X-ray binary populations. 1: Galactic modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dalton, William W.; Sarazin, Craig L.

    1995-01-01

    Modern stellar evolutionary tracks are used to calculate the evolution of a very large number of massive binary star systems (M(sub tot) greater than or = 15 solar mass) which cover a wide range of total masses, mass ratios, and starting separations. Each binary is evolved accounting for mass and angular momentum loss through the supernova of the primary to the X-ray binary phase. Using the observed rate of star formation in our Galaxy and the properties of massive binaries, we calculate the expected high-mass X-ray binary (HMXRB) population in the Galaxy. We test various massive binary evolutionary scenarios by comparing the resulting HMXRB predictions with the X-ray observations. A major goal of this study is the determination of the fraction of matter lost from the system during the Roche lobe overflow phase. Curiously, we find that the total numbers of observable HMXRBs are nearly independent of this assumed mass-loss fraction, with any of the values tested here giving acceptable agreement between predicted and observed numbers. However, comparison of the period distribution of our HMXRB models with the observed period distribution does reveal a distinction among the various models. As a result of this comparison, we conclude that approximately 70% of the overflow matter is lost from a massive binary system during mass transfer in the Roche lobe overflow phase. We compare models constructed assuming that all X-ray emission is due to accretion onto the compact object from the donor star's wind with models that incorporate a simplified disk accretion scheme. By comparing the results of these models with observations, we conclude that the formation of disks in HMXRBs must be relatively common. We also calculate the rate of formation of double degenerate binaries, high velocity detached compact objects, and Thorne-Zytkow objects.

  6. The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad; Miller-Jones, James C. A.; Maccarone, Thomas J.; Heinke, Craig O.; Sivakoff, Gregory R.

    2018-03-01

    We present the discovery and characterization of a radio-bright binary in the Galactic globular cluster M10. First identified in deep radio continuum data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, M10-VLA1 has a flux density of 27 ± 4 μJy at 7.4 GHz and a flat-to-inverted radio spectrum. Chandra imaging shows an X-ray source with L X ≈ 1031 erg s‑1 matching the location of the radio source. This places M10-VLA1 within the scatter of the radio-X-ray luminosity correlation for quiescent stellar-mass black holes, and a black hole X-ray binary is a viable explanation for this system. The radio and X-ray properties of the source disfavor, but do not rule out, identification as an accreting neutron star or white dwarf system. Optical imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope and spectroscopy from the SOAR telescope show that the system has an orbital period of 3.339 days and an unusual “red straggler” component: an evolved star found redward of the M10 red giant branch. These data also show UV/optical variability and double-peaked Hα emission characteristic of an accretion disk. However, SOAR spectroscopic monitoring reveals that the velocity semi-amplitude of the red straggler is low. We conclude that M10-VLA1 is most likely either a quiescent black hole X-ray binary with a rather face-on (i < 4°) orientation or an unusual flaring RS Canum Venaticorum variable-type active binary, and discuss future observations that could distinguish between these possibilities.

  7. The Galactic Center S-stars and the Hypervelocity Stars in the Galactic Halo: Two Faces of the Tidal Breakup of Stellar Binaries by the Central Massive Black Hole?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Fupeng; Lu, Youjun; Yu, Qingjuan

    2013-05-01

    In this paper, we investigate the link between the hypervelocity stars (HVSs) discovered in the Galactic halo and the Galactic center (GC) S-stars, under the hypothesis that they are both the products of the tidal breakup of the same population of stellar binaries by the central massive black hole (MBH). By adopting several hypothetical models for binaries to be injected into the vicinity of the MBH and doing numerical simulations, we realize the tidal breakup processes of the binaries and their follow-up dynamical evolution. We find that many statistical properties of the detected HVSs and GC S-stars could be reproduced under some binary injecting models, and their number ratio can be reproduced if the stellar initial mass function is top-heavy (e.g., with slope ~ - 1.6). The total number of the captured companions is ~50 that have masses in the range ~3-7 M ⊙ and semimajor axes <~ 4000 AU and survive to the present within their main-sequence lifetime. The innermost one is expected to have a semimajor axis ~300-1500 AU and a pericenter distance ~10-200 AU, with a significant probability of being closer to the MBH than S2. Future detection of such a close star would offer an important test to general relativity. The majority of the surviving ejected companions of the GC S-stars are expected to be located at Galactocentric distances <~ 20 kpc, and have heliocentric radial velocities ~ - 500-1500 km s-1 and proper motions up to ~5-20 mas yr-1. Future detection of these HVSs may provide evidence for the tidal breakup formation mechanism of the GC S-stars.

  8. Binary Microlensing Events from the MACHO Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alcock, C.; Allsman, R. A.; Alves, D.; Axelrod, T. S.; Baines, D.; Becker, A. C.; Bennett, D. P.; Bourke, A.; Brakel, A.; Cook, K. H.; Crook, B.; Crouch, A.; Dan, J.; Drake, A. J.; Fragile, P. C.; Freeman, K. C.; Gal-Yam, A.; Geha, M.; Gray, J.; Griest, K.; Gurtierrez, A.; Heller, A.; Howard, J.; Johnson, B. R.; Kaspi, S.; Keane, M.; Kovo, O.; Leach, C.; Leach, T.; Leibowitz, E. M.; Lehner, M. J.; Lipkin, Y.; Maoz, D.; Marshall, S. L.; McDowell, D.; McKeown, S.; Mendelson, H.; Messenger, B.; Minniti, D.; Nelson, C.; Peterson, B. A.; Popowski, P.; Pozza, E.; Purcell, P.; Pratt, M. R.; Quinn, J.; Quinn, P. J.; Rhie, S. H.; Rodgers, A. W.; Salmon, A.; Shemmer, O.; Stetson, P.; Stubbs, C. W.; Sutherland, W.; Thomson, S.; Tomaney, A.; Vandehei, T.; Walker, A.; Ward, K.; Wyper, G.

    2000-09-01

    We present the light curves of 21 gravitational microlensing events from the first six years of the MACHO Project gravitational microlensing survey that are likely examples of lensing by binary systems. These events were manually selected from a total sample of ~350 candidate microlensing events that were either detected by the MACHO Alert System or discovered through retrospective analyses of the MACHO database. At least 14 of these 21 events exhibit strong (caustic) features, and four of the events are well fit with lensing by large mass ratio (brown dwarf or planetary) systems, although these fits are not necessarily unique. The total binary event rate is roughly consistent with predictions based upon our knowledge of the properties of binary stars, but a precise comparison cannot be made without a determination of our binary lens event detection efficiency. Toward the Galactic bulge, we find a ratio of caustic crossing to noncaustic crossing binary lensing events of 12:4, excluding one event for which we present two fits. This suggests significant incompleteness in our ability to detect and characterize noncaustic crossing binary lensing. The distribution of mass ratios, N(q), for these binary lenses appears relatively flat. We are also able to reliably measure source-face crossing times in four of the bulge caustic crossing events, and recover from them a distribution of lens proper motions, masses, and distances consistent with a population of Galactic bulge lenses at a distance of 7+/-1 kpc. This analysis yields two systems with companions of ~0.05 Msolar.

  9. Candidate Binary Microlensing Events from the MACHO Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Becker, A. C.; Alcock, C.; Allsman, R. A.; Alves, D. R.; Axelrod, T. S.; Bennett, D. P.; Cook, K. H.; Drake, A. J.; Freeman, K. C.; Griest, K.; King, L. J.; Lehner, M. J.; Marshall, S. L.; Minniti, D.; Peterson, B. A.; Popowski, P.; Pratt, M. R.; Quinn, P. J.; Rodgers, A. W.; Stubbs, C. W.; Sutherland, W.; Tomaney, A.; Vandehei, T.; Welch, D. L.; Baines, D.; Brakel, A.; Crook, B.; Howard, J.; Leach, T.; McDowell, D.; McKeown, S.; Mitchell, J.; Moreland, J.; Pozza, E.; Purcell, P.; Ring, S.; Salmon, A.; Ward, K.; Wyper, G.; Heller, A.; Kaspi, S.; Kovo, O.; Maoz, D.; Retter, A.; Rhie, S. H.; Stetson, P.; Walker, A.; MACHO Collaboration

    1998-12-01

    We present the lightcurves of 22 gravitational microlensing events from the first six years of the MACHO Project gravitational microlensing survey which are likely examples of lensing by binary systems. These events were selected from a total sample of ~ 300 events which were either detected by the MACHO Alert System or discovered through retrospective analyses of the MACHO database. Many of these events appear to have undergone a caustic or cusp crossing, and 2 of the events are well fit with lensing by binary systems with large mass ratios, indicating secondary companions of approximately planetary mass. The event rate is roughly consistent with predictions based upon our knowledge of the properties of binary stars. The utility of binary lensing in helping to solve the Galactic dark matter problem is demonstrated with analyses of 3 binary microlensing events seen towards the Magellanic Clouds. Source star resolution during caustic crossings in 2 of these events allows us to estimate the location of the lensing systems, assuming each source is a single star and not a short period binary. * MACHO LMC-9 appears to be a binary lensing event with a caustic crossing partially resolved in 2 observations. The resulting lens proper motion appears too small for a single source and LMC disk lens. However, it is considerably less likely to be a single source star and Galactic halo lens. We estimate the a priori probability of a short period binary source with a detectable binary character to be ~ 10 %. If the source is also a binary, then we currently have no constraints on the lens location. * The most recent of these events, MACHO 98-SMC-1, was detected in real-time. Follow-up observations by the MACHO/GMAN, PLANET, MPS, EROS and OGLE microlensing collaborations lead to the robust conclusion that the lens likely resides in the SMC.

  10. MOCCA-SURVEY Database I: Galactic Globular Clusters Harbouring a Black Hole Subsystem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Askar, Abbas; Sedda, Manuel Arca; Giersz, Mirek

    2018-05-01

    There have been increasing theoretical speculations and observational indications that certain globular clusters (GCs) could contain a sizeable population of stellar mass black holes (BHs). In this paper, we shortlist at least 29 Galactic GCs that could be hosting a subsystem of BHs (BHS). In a companion paper, we analysed results from a wide array of GC models (simulated with the MOCCA code for cluster simulations) that retained few tens to several hundreds of BHs at 12 Gyr and showed that the properties of the BHS in those GCs correlate with the GC's observable properties. Building on those results, we use available observational properties of 140 Galactic GCs to identify 29 GCs that could potentially be harbouring up to a few hundreds of BHs. Utilizing observational properties and theoretical scaling relations, we estimate the density, size and mass of the BHS in these GCs. We also calculate the total number of BHs and the fraction of BHs contained in a binary system for our shortlisted Galactic GCs. Additionally, we mention other Galactic GCs that could also contain significant number of single BHs or BHs in binary systems.

  11. Tidal Interaction among Red Giants Close Binary Systems in APOGEE Database

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Meng; Arras, Phil; Majewski, Steven R.; Troup, Nicholas William; Weinberg, Nevin N.

    2017-01-01

    Motivated by the newly discovered close binary systems in the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-1), the tidal evolution of binaries containing a red giant branch (RGB) star with a stellar or substellar companion was investigated. The tide raised by the companion in the RGB star leads to exchange of angular momentum between the orbit and the stellar spin, causing the orbit to contract. The tidal dissipation rate is computed using turbulent viscosity acting on the equilibrium tidal flow, where careful attention is paid to the effects of reduced viscosity for close-in companions. Evolutionary models for the RGB stars, from the zero-age main sequence to the present, were acquired from the MESA code. "Standard" turbulent viscosity gives rise to such a large orbital decay that many observed systems have decay times much shorter than the RGB evolution time. Several theories for "reduced" turbulent viscosity are investigated, and reduce the number of systems with uncomfortably short decay times.

  12. Binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars.

    PubMed

    Sana, H; de Mink, S E; de Koter, A; Langer, N; Evans, C J; Gieles, M; Gosset, E; Izzard, R G; Le Bouquin, J-B; Schneider, F R N

    2012-07-27

    The presence of a nearby companion alters the evolution of massive stars in binary systems, leading to phenomena such as stellar mergers, x-ray binaries, and gamma-ray bursts. Unambiguous constraints on the fraction of massive stars affected by binary interaction were lacking. We simultaneously measured all relevant binary characteristics in a sample of Galactic massive O stars and quantified the frequency and nature of binary interactions. More than 70% of all massive stars will exchange mass with a companion, leading to a binary merger in one-third of the cases. These numbers greatly exceed previous estimates and imply that binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars, with implications for populations of massive stars and their supernovae.

  13. HD271791: dynamical versus binary-supernova ejection scenario

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gvaramadze, V. V.

    2009-05-01

    The atmosphere of the extremely high-velocity (530-920kms-1) early B-type star HD271791 is enriched in α-process elements, which suggests that this star is a former secondary component of a massive tight binary system and that its surface was polluted by the nucleosynthetic products after the primary star exploded in a supernova. It was proposed that the (asymmetric) supernova explosion unbind the system and that the secondary star (HD271791) was released at its orbital velocity in the direction of Galactic rotation. In this Letter, we show that to explain the Galactic rest-frame velocity of HD271791 within the framework of the binary-supernova scenario, the stellar remnant of the supernova explosion (a <~10Msolar black hole) should receive an unrealistically large kick velocity of >=750-1200kms-1. We therefore consider the binary-supernova scenario as highly unlikely and instead propose that HD271791 attained its peculiar velocity in the course of a strong dynamical three- or four-body encounter in the dense core of the parent star cluster. Our proposal implies that by the moment of encounter HD271791 was a member of a massive post-supernova binary.

  14. On the rate of black hole binary mergers in galactic nuclei due to dynamical hardening

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leigh, N. W. C.; Geller, A. M.; McKernan, B.; Ford, K. E. S.; Mac Low, M.-M.; Bellovary, J.; Haiman, Z.; Lyra, W.; Samsing, J.; O'Dowd, M.; Kocsis, B.; Endlich, S.

    2018-03-01

    We assess the contribution of dynamical hardening by direct three-body scattering interactions to the rate of stellar-mass black hole binary (BHB) mergers in galactic nuclei. We derive an analytic model for the single-binary encounter rate in a nucleus with spherical and disc components hosting a super-massive black hole (SMBH). We determine the total number of encounters NGW needed to harden a BHB to the point that inspiral due to gravitational wave emission occurs before the next three-body scattering event. This is done independently for both the spherical and disc components. Using a Monte Carlo approach, we refine our calculations for NGW to include gravitational wave emission between scattering events. For astrophysically plausible models, we find that typically NGW ≲ 10. We find two separate regimes for the efficient dynamical hardening of BHBs: (1) spherical star clusters with high central densities, low-velocity dispersions, and no significant Keplerian component and (2) migration traps in discs around SMBHs lacking any significant spherical stellar component in the vicinity of the migration trap, which is expected due to effective orbital inclination reduction of any spherical population by the disc. We also find a weak correlation between the ratio of the second-order velocity moment to velocity dispersion in galactic nuclei and the rate of BHB mergers, where this ratio is a proxy for the ratio between the rotation- and dispersion-supported components. Because discs enforce planar interactions that are efficient in hardening BHBs, particularly in migration traps, they have high merger rates that can contribute significantly to the rate of BHB mergers detected by the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.

  15. Discovery of very high energy gamma rays associated with an x-ray binary.

    PubMed

    Aharonian, F; Akhperjanian, A G; Aye, K-M; Bazer-Bachi, A R; Beilicke, M; Benbow, W; Berge, D; Berghaus, P; Bernlöhr, K; Boisson, C; Bolz, O; Borrel, V; Braun, I; Breitling, F; Brown, A M; Bussons Gordo, J; Chadwick, P M; Chounet, L-M; Cornils, R; Costamante, L; Degrange, B; Dickinson, H J; Djannati-Ataï, A; Drury, L O'c; Dubus, G; Emmanoulopoulos, D; Espigat, P; Feinstein, F; Fleury, P; Fontaine, G; Fuchs, Y; Funk, S; Gallant, Y A; Giebels, B; Gillessen, S; Glicenstein, J F; Goret, P; Hadjichristidis, C; Hauser, M; Heinzelmann, G; Henri, G; Hermann, G; Hinton, J A; Hofmann, W; Holleran, M; Horns, D; Jacholkowska, A; de Jager, O C; Khélifi, B; Komin, Nu; Konopelko, A; Latham, I J; Le Gallou, R; Lemière, A; Lemoine-Goumard, M; Leroy, N; Lohse, T; Marcowith, A; Martin, J-M; Martineau-Huynh, O; Masterson, C; McComb, T J L; de Naurois, M; Nolan, S J; Noutsos, A; Orford, K J; Osborne, J L; Ouchrif, M; Panter, M; Pelletier, G; Pita, S; Pühlhofer, G; Punch, M; Raubenheimer, B C; Raue, M; Raux, J; Rayner, S M; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Ripken, J; Rob, L; Rolland, L; Rowell, G; Sahakian, V; Saugé, L; Schlenker, S; Schlickeiser, R; Schuster, C; Schwanke, U; Siewert, M; Sol, H; Spangler, D; Steenkamp, R; Stegmann, C; Tavernet, J-P; Terrier, R; Théoret, C G; Tluczykont, M; Vasileiadis, G; Venter, C; Vincent, P; Völk, H J; Wagner, S J

    2005-07-29

    X-ray binaries are composed of a normal star in orbit around a neutron star or stellar-mass black hole. Radio and x-ray observations have led to the presumption that some x-ray binaries called microquasars behave as scaled-down active galactic nuclei. Microquasars have resolved radio emission that is thought to arise from a relativistic outflow akin to active galactic nuclei jets, in which particles can be accelerated to large energies. Very high energy gamma-rays produced by the interactions of these particles have been observed from several active galactic nuclei. Using the High Energy Stereoscopic System, we find evidence for gamma-ray emission of >100 gigaelectron volts from a candidate microquasar, LS 5039, showing that particles are also accelerated to very high energies in these systems.

  16. On the impact of neutron star binaries' natal-kick distribution on the Galactic r-process enrichment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Safarzadeh, Mohammadtaher; Côté, Benoit

    2017-11-01

    We study the impact of the neutron star binaries' (NSBs) natal-kick distribution on the galactic r-process enrichment. We model the growth of a Milky Way type halo based on N-body simulation results and its star formation history based on multi-epoch abundance matching techniques. We consider that the NSBs that merge well beyond the galaxy's effective radius (>2 × Reff) do not contribute to the galactic r-process enrichment. Assuming a power-law delay-time distribution (DTD) function (∝t-1) with tmin = 30 Myr for binaries' coalescence time-scales and an exponential profile for their natal-kick distribution with an average value of 180 km s-1, we show that up to ˜ 40 per cent of all formed NSBs do not contribute to the r-process enrichment by z = 0, either because they merge far from the galaxy at a given redshift (up to ˜ 25 per cent) or have not yet merged by today (˜ 15 per cent). Our result is largely insensitive to the details of the DTD function. Assuming a constant coalescence time-scale of 100 Myr well approximates the adopted DTD although with 30 per cent of the NSBs ending up not contributing to the r-process enrichment. Our results, although rather dependent on the adopted natal-kick distribution, represent the first step towards estimating the impact of natal kicks and DTD functions on the r-process enrichment of galaxies that would need to be incorporated in the hydrodynamical simulations.

  17. HESS J1844-030: A New Gamma-Ray Binary?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCall, Hannah; Errando, Manel

    2018-01-01

    Gamma-ray binaries are comprised of a massive, main-sequence star orbiting a neutron star or black hole that generates bright gamma-ray emission. Only six of these systems have been discovered. Here we report on a candidate stellar-binary system associated with the unidentified gamma-ray source HESS J1844-030, whose detection was revealed in the H.E.S.S. galactic plane survey. Analysis of 60 ks of archival Chandra data and over 100 ks of XMM-Newton data reveal a spatially associated X-ray counterpart to this TeV-emitting source (E>1012 eV), CXO J1845-031. The X-ray spectra derived from these exposures yields column density absorption in the range nH = (0.4 - 0.7) x 1022 cm-2, which is below the total galactic value for that part of the sky, indicating that the source is galactic. The flux from CXO J1845-031 increases with a factor of up to 2.5 in a 60 day timescale, providing solid evidence for flux variability at a confidence level exceeding 7 standard deviations. The point-like nature of the source, the flux variability of the nearby X-ray counterpart, and the low column density absorption are all indicative of a binary system. Once confirmed, HESS J1844-030 would represent only the seventh known gamma-ray binary, providing valuable data to advance our understanding of the physics of pulsars and stellar winds and testing high-energy astrophysical processes at timescales not present in other classes of objects.

  18. The Discovery of an Eccentric Millisecond Pulsar in the Galactic Plane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Champion, David J.; Ransom, Scott M.; Lazarus, Patrick; Camilo, Fernando; Kaspi, Victoria M.; Nice, David J.; Freire, Paulo C. C.; Cordes, James M.; Hessels, Jason W. T.; Bassa, Cees; Lorimer, Duncan R.; Stairs, Ingrid H.; van Leeuwen, Joeri; Arzoumnian, Zaven; Backer, Don C.; Bhat, N. D. Ramesh; Chatterjee, Shami; Crawford, Fronefield; Deneva, Julia S.; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Gaensler, B. M.; Han, Jinlin; Jenet, Fredrick A.; Kasian, Laura; Kondratiev, Vlad I.; Kramer, Michael; Lazio, Joseph; McLaughlin, Maura A.; Stappers, Ben W.; Venkataraman, Arun; Vlemmings, Wouter

    2008-02-01

    The evolution of binary systems is governed by their orbital properties and the stellar density of the local environment. Studies of neutron stars in binary star systems offer unique insights into both these issues. In an Arecibo survey of the Galactic disk, we have found PSR J1903+0327, a radio emitting neutron star (a ``pulsar'') with a 2.15 ms rotation period, in a 95-day orbit around a massive companion. Observations in the infra-red suggests that the companion may be a main-sequence star. Theories requiring an origin in the Galactic disk cannot account for the extraordinarily high orbital eccentricity observed (0.44) or a main-sequence companion of a pulsar that has spin properties suggesting a prolonged accretion history. The most likely formation mechanism is an exchange interaction in a globular star cluster. This requires that the binary was either ejected from its parent globular cluster as a result of a three-body interaction, or that that cluster was disrupted by repeated passages through the disk of the Milky Way.

  19. BINARY ASTROMETRIC MICROLENSING WITH GAIA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sajadian, Sedighe, E-mail: sajadian@ipm.ir; Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11155-9161, Tehran

    2015-04-15

    We investigate whether or not Gaia can specify the binary fractions of massive stellar populations in the Galactic disk through astrometric microlensing. Furthermore, we study whether or not some information about their mass distributions can be inferred via this method. In this regard, we simulate the binary astrometric microlensing events due to massive stellar populations according to the Gaia observing strategy by considering (i) stellar-mass black holes, (ii) neutron stars, (iii) white dwarfs, and (iv) main-sequence stars as microlenses. The Gaia efficiency for detecting the binary signatures in binary astrometric microlensing events is ∼10%–20%. By calculating the optical depth duemore » to the mentioned stellar populations, the numbers of the binary astrometric microlensing events being observed with Gaia with detectable binary signatures, for the binary fraction of about 0.1, are estimated to be 6, 11, 77, and 1316, respectively. Consequently, Gaia can potentially specify the binary fractions of these massive stellar populations. However, the binary fraction of black holes measured with this method has a large uncertainty owing to a low number of the estimated events. Knowing the binary fractions in massive stellar populations helps with studying the gravitational waves. Moreover, we investigate the number of massive microlenses for which Gaia specifies masses through astrometric microlensing of single lenses toward the Galactic bulge. The resulting efficiencies of measuring the mass of mentioned populations are 9.8%, 2.9%, 1.2%, and 0.8%, respectively. The numbers of their astrometric microlensing events being observed in the Gaia era in which the lens mass can be inferred with the relative error less than 0.5 toward the Galactic bulge are estimated as 45, 34, 76, and 786, respectively. Hence, Gaia potentially gives us some information about the mass distribution of these massive stellar populations.« less

  20. Visibility of Active Galactic Nuclei in the Illustris Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hutchinson-Smith, Tenley; Kelley, Luke; Moreno, Jorge; Hernquist, Lars; Illustris Collaboration

    2018-01-01

    Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are the very bright, luminous regions surrounding supermassive black holes (SMBH) located at the centers of galaxies. Supermassive black holes are the source of AGN feedback, which occurs once the SMBH reaches a certain critical mass. Almost all large galaxies contain a SMBH, but SMBH binaries are extremely rare. Finding these binary systems are important because it can be a source of gravitational waves if the two SMBH collide. In order to study supermassive black holes, astronomers will often rely on the AGN’s light in order to locate them, but this can be difficult due to the extinction of light caused by the dust and gas surrounding the AGN. My research project focuses on determining the fraction of light we can observe from galactic centers using the Illustris simulation, one of the most advanced cosmological simulations of the universe which was created using a hydrodynamic code and consists of a moving mesh. Measuring the fraction of light observable from galactic centers will help us know what fraction of the time we can observe dual and binary AGN in different galaxies, which would also imply a binary SMBH system. In order to find how much light is being blocked or scattered by the gas and dust surrounding the AGN, we calculated the density of the gas and dust along the lines of sight. I present results including the density of gas along different lines of sight and how it correlates with the image of the galaxy. Future steps include taking an average of the column densities for all the galaxies in Illustris and studying them as a function of galaxy type (before merger, during merger, and post-merger), which will give us information on how this can also affect the AGN luminosity.

  1. An improved catalog of halo wide binary candidates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Allen, Christine; Monroy-Rodríguez, Miguel A., E-mail: chris@astro.unam.mx

    2014-08-01

    We present an improved catalog of halo wide binaries compiled from an extensive literature search. Most of our binaries stem from the common proper motion binary catalogs by Allen et al. and Chanamé and Gould, but we have also included binaries from the lists of Ryan and Zapatero-Osorio and Martín. All binaries were carefully checked and their distances and systemic radial velocities are included when available. Probable membership to the halo population was tested by means of reduced proper motion diagrams for 251 candidate halo binaries. After eliminating obvious disk binaries, we ended up with 211 probable halo binaries, 150more » of which have radial velocities available. We compute galactic orbits for these 150 binaries and calculate the time they spend within the galactic disk. Considering the full sample of 251 candidate halo binaries as well as several subsamples, we find that the distribution of angular separations (or expected major semiaxes) follows a power law f(a) ∼ a {sup –1} (Oepik's relation) up to different limits. For the 50 most disk-like binaries, those that spend their entire lives within z = ±500 pc, this limit is found to be 19,000 AU (0.09 pc), while for the 50 most halo-like binaries, those that spend on average only 18% of their lives within z = ±500 pc, the limit is 63,000 AU (0.31 pc). In a companion paper, we employ this catalog to establish limits on the masses of the halo massive perturbers (massive compact halo objects).« less

  2. Formation of black hole x-ray binaries in globular clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kremer, Kyle; Chatterjee, Sourav; Rodriguez, Carl; Rasio, Frederic

    2018-01-01

    We explore the formation of mass-transferring binary systems containing black holes within globular clusters. We show that it is possible to form mass-transferring binaries with main sequence, giant, and white dwarf companions with a variety of orbital parameters in globular clusters spanning a large range in present-day properties. We show that the presence of mass-transferring black hole systems has little correlation with the total number of black holes within the cluster at any time. In addition to mass-transferring binaries retained within their host clusters at late times, we also examine the black hole and neutron star binaries that are ejected from their host clusters. These ejected systems may contribute to the low-mass x-ray binary population in the galactic field.

  3. The Growth of Stellar Mass Black Hole Binaries Trapped in the Accretion Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, Shu-Xu; Cheng, K. S.; Taam, Ronald E.

    2018-06-01

    Among the four black hole (BH) binary merger events detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), six progenitor BHs have masses greater than 20 M ⊙. The existence of such massive BHs suggests that extreme metal-poor stars are the progenitors. An alternative possibility, that a pair of stellar mass BHs each with mass ∼7 M ⊙ increases to >20 M ⊙ via accretion from a disk surrounding a supermassive BH (SMBH) in an active galactic nucleus (AGN), is considered. The growth of mass of the binary and the transfer of orbital angular momentum to the disk accelerates the merger. Based on the recent numerical work of Tang et al., it is found that, in the disk of a low-mass AGN with mass ∼106 M ⊙ and Eddington ratio >0.01, the mass of an individual BH in the binary can grow to >20 M ⊙ before coalescence, provided that accretion takes place at a rate more than 10 times the Eddington value. This mechanism predicts a new class of gravitational wave (GW) sources involving the merger of two extreme Kerr black holes associated with AGNs and a possible electromagnetic wave counterpart.

  4. Dynamical equivalence, the origin of the Galactic field stellar and binary population, and the initial radius-mass relation of embedded clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belloni, Diogo; Kroupa, Pavel; Rocha-Pinto, Helio J.; Giersz, Mirek

    2018-03-01

    In order to allow a better understanding of the origin of Galactic field populations, dynamical equivalence of stellar-dynamical systems has been postulated by Kroupa and Belloni et al. to allow mapping of solutions of the initial conditions of embedded clusters such that they yield, after a period of dynamical processing, the Galactic field population. Dynamically equivalent systems are defined to initially and finally have the same distribution functions of periods, mass ratios and eccentricities of binary stars. Here, we search for dynamically equivalent clusters using the MOCCA code. The simulations confirm that dynamically equivalent solutions indeed exist. The result is that the solution space is next to identical to the radius-mass relation of Marks & Kroupa, ( r_h/pc )= 0.1^{+0.07}_{-0.04} ( M_ecl/M_{⊙} )^{0.13± 0.04}. This relation is in good agreement with the oIMF. This is achieved by applying a similar procedurebserved density of molecular cloud clumps. According to the solutions, the time-scale to reach dynamical equivalence is about 0.5 Myr which is, interestingly, consistent with the lifetime of ultra-compact H II regions and the time-scale needed for gas expulsion to be active in observed very young clusters as based on their dynamical modelling.

  5. Binary and Millisecond Pulsars.

    PubMed

    Lorimer, Duncan R

    2005-01-01

    We review the main properties, demographics and applications of binary and millisecond radio pulsars. Our knowledge of these exciting objects has greatly increased in recent years, mainly due to successful surveys which have brought the known pulsar population to over 1700. There are now 80 binary and millisecond pulsars associated with the disk of our Galaxy, and a further 103 pulsars in 24 of the Galactic globular clusters. Recent highlights have been the discovery of the first ever double pulsar system and a recent flurry of discoveries in globular clusters, in particular Terzan 5. Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrr-2005-7.

  6. A ROSAT Survey of Contact Binary Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geske, M. T.; Gettel, S. J.; McKay, T. A.

    2006-01-01

    Contact binary stars are common variable stars that are all believed to emit relatively large fluxes of X-rays. In this work we combine a large new sample of contact binary stars derived from the ROTSE-I telescope with X-ray data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) to estimate the X-ray volume emissivity of contact binary stars in the Galaxy. We obtained X-ray fluxes for 140 contact binaries from the RASS, as well as two additional stars observed by the XMM-Newton observatory. From these data we confirm the emission of X-rays from all contact binary systems, with typical luminosities of approximately 1.0×1030 ergs s-1. Combining calculated luminosities with an estimated contact binary space density, we find that contact binaries do not have strong enough X-ray emission to account for a significant portion of the Galactic X-ray background.

  7. The Tarantula Massive Binary Monitoring. I. Observational campaign and OB-type spectroscopic binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Almeida, L. A.; Sana, H.; Taylor, W.; Barbá, R.; Bonanos, A. Z.; Crowther, P.; Damineli, A.; de Koter, A.; de Mink, S. E.; Evans, C. J.; Gieles, M.; Grin, N. J.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Langer, N.; Lennon, D.; Lockwood, S.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Moffat, A. F. J.; Neijssel, C.; Norman, C.; Ramírez-Agudelo, O. H.; Richardson, N. D.; Schootemeijer, A.; Shenar, T.; Soszyński, I.; Tramper, F.; Vink, J. S.

    2017-02-01

    Context. Massive binaries play a crucial role in the Universe. Knowing the distributions of their orbital parameters is important for a wide range of topics from stellar feedback to binary evolution channels and from the distribution of supernova types to gravitational wave progenitors, yet no direct measurements exist outside the Milky Way. Aims: The Tarantula Massive Binary Monitoring project was designed to help fill this gap by obtaining multi-epoch radial velocity (RV) monitoring of 102 massive binaries in the 30 Doradus region. Methods: In this paper we analyze 32 FLAMES/GIRAFFE observations of 93 O- and 7 B-type binaries. We performed a Fourier analysis and obtained orbital solutions for 82 systems: 51 single-lined (SB1) and 31 double-lined (SB2) spectroscopic binaries. Results: Overall, the binary fraction and orbital properties across the 30 Doradus region are found to be similar to existing Galactic samples. This indicates that within these domains environmental effects are of second order in shaping the properties of massive binary systems. A small difference is found in the distribution of orbital periods, which is slightly flatter (in log space) in 30 Doradus than in the Galaxy, although this may be compatible within error estimates and differences in the fitting methodology. Also, orbital periods in 30 Doradus can be as short as 1.1 d, somewhat shorter than seen in Galactic samples. Equal mass binaries (q> 0.95) in 30 Doradus are all found outside NGC 2070, the central association that surrounds R136a, the very young and massive cluster at 30 Doradus's core. Most of the differences, albeit small, are compatible with expectations from binary evolution. One outstanding exception, however, is the fact that earlier spectral types (O2-O7) tend to have shorter orbital periods than later spectral types (O9.2-O9.7). Conclusions: Our results point to a relative universality of the incidence rate of massive binaries and their orbital properties in the

  8. CHANDRA X-RAY AND HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IMAGING OF OPTICALLY SELECTED KILOPARSEC-SCALE BINARY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. II. HOST GALAXY MORPHOLOGY AND AGN ACTIVITY

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shangguan, Jinyi; Ho, Luis C.; Liu, Xin

    Binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide clues to how gas-rich mergers trigger and fuel AGNs and how supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs evolve in a gas-rich environment. While significant effort has been invested in their identification, the detailed properties of binary AGNs and their host galaxies are still poorly constrained. In a companion paper, we examined the nature of ionizing sources in the double nuclei of four kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs with redshifts between 0.1 and 0.2. Here, we present their host galaxy morphology based on F336W ( U -band) and F105W ( Y -band) images taken by the Wide Fieldmore » Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope . Our targets have double-peaked narrow emission lines and were confirmed to host binary AGNs with follow-up observations. We find that kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs occur in galaxy mergers with diverse morphological types. There are three major mergers with intermediate morphologies and a minor merger with a dominant disk component. We estimate the masses of the SMBHs from their host bulge stellar masses and obtain Eddington ratios for each AGN. Compared with a representative control sample drawn at the same redshift and stellar mass, the AGN luminosities and Eddington ratios of our binary AGNs are similar to those of single AGNs. The U − Y color maps indicate that clumpy star-forming regions could significantly affect the X-ray detection of binary AGNs, e.g., the hardness ratio. Considering the weak X-ray emission in AGNs triggered in merger systems, we suggest that samples of X-ray-selected AGNs may be biased against gas-rich mergers.« less

  9. A luminous gamma-ray binary in the large magellanic cloud

    DOE PAGES

    Corbet, R. H. D.; Chomiuk, L.; Coe, M. J.; ...

    2016-09-27

    Gamma-ray binaries consist of a neutron star or a black hole interacting with a normal star to produce gamma-ray emission that dominates the radiative output of the system. Previously, only a handful of such systems have been discovered, all within our Galaxy. We report the discovery of a luminous gamma-ray binary in the Large Magellanic Cloud, found with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), from a search for periodic modulation in all sources in the third Fermi LAT catalog. This is the first such system to be found outside the Milky Way. Furthermore, the system has an orbital period ofmore » 10.3 days, and is associated with a massive O5III star located in the supernova remnant DEM L241, previously identified as the candidate high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) CXOU J053600.0–673507. X-ray and radio emission are also modulated on the 10.3 day period, but are in anti-phase with the gamma-ray modulation. Optical radial velocity measurements suggest that the system contains a neutron star. The source is significantly more luminous than similar sources in the Milky Way, at radio, optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths. The detection of this extra-galactic system, but no new Galactic systems, raises the possibility that the predicted number of gamma-ray binaries in our Galaxy has been overestimated, and that HMXBs may be born containing relatively slowly rotating neutron stars.« less

  10. Eccentric Black Hole Gravitational-wave Capture Sources in Galactic Nuclei: Distribution of Binary Parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gondán, László; Kocsis, Bence; Raffai, Péter; Frei, Zsolt

    2018-06-01

    Mergers of binary black holes on eccentric orbits are among the targets for second-generation ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. These sources may commonly form in galactic nuclei due to gravitational-wave emission during close flyby events of single objects. We determine the distributions of initial orbital parameters for a population of these gravitational-wave sources. Our results show that the initial dimensionless pericenter distance systematically decreases with the binary component masses and the mass of the central supermassive black hole, and its distribution depends sensitively on the highest possible black hole mass in the nuclear star cluster. For a multi-mass black hole population with masses between 5 {M}ȯ and 80 {M}ȯ , we find that between ∼43–69% (68–94%) of 30 {M}ȯ –30 {M}ȯ (10 M ⊙–10 M ⊙) sources have an eccentricity greater than 0.1 when the gravitational-wave signal reaches 10 Hz, but less than ∼10% of the sources with binary component masses less than 30 {M}ȯ remain eccentric at this level near the last stable orbit (LSO). The eccentricity at LSO is typically between 0.005–0.05 for the lower-mass BHs, and 0.1–0.2 for the highest-mass BHs. Thus, due to the limited low-frequency sensitivity, the six currently known quasicircular LIGO/Virgo sources could still be compatible with this originally highly eccentric source population. However, at the design sensitivity of these instruments, the measurement of the eccentricity and mass distribution of merger events may be a useful diagnostic to identify the fraction of GW sources formed in this channel.

  11. Super-massive binary black holes and emission lines in active galactic nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popović, Luka Č.

    2012-02-01

    It is now agreed that mergers play an essential role in the evolution of galaxies and therefore that mergers of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) must have been common. We see the consequences of past supermassive binary black holes (SMBs) in the light profiles of so-called 'core ellipticals' and a small number of SMBs have been detected. However, the evolution of SMBs is poorly understood. Theory predicts that SMBs should spend a substantial amount of time orbiting at velocities of a few thousand kilometers per second. If the SMBs are surrounded by gas observational effects might be expected from accretion onto one or both of the SMBHs. This could result in a binary Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) system. Like a single AGN, such a system would emit a broad band electromagnetic spectrum and broad and narrow emission lines. The broad emission spectral lines emitted from AGNs are our main probe of the geometry and physics of the broad line region (BLR) close to the SMBH. There is a group of AGNs that emit very broad and complex line profiles, showing two displaced peaks, one blueshifted and one redshifted from the systemic velocity defined by the narrow lines, or a single such peak. It has been proposed that such line shapes could indicate an SMB system. We discuss here how the presence of an SMB will affect the BLRs of AGNs and what the observational consequences might be. We review previous claims of SMBs based on broad line profiles and find that they may have non-SMB explanations as a consequence of a complex BLR structure. Because of these effects it is very hard to put limits on the number of SMBs from broad line profiles. It is still possible, however, that unusual broad line profiles in combination with other observational effects (line ratios, quasi-periodical oscillations, spectropolarimetry, etc.) could be used for SMBs detection. Some narrow lines (e.g., [O III]) in some AGNs show a double-peaked profile. Such profiles can be caused by streams in the Narrow

  12. X-RAY OUTBURSTS OF ESO 243-49 HLX-1: COMPARISON WITH GALACTIC LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARY TRANSIENTS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yan, Zhen; Zhang, Wenda; Yu, Wenfei

    2015-09-20

    We studied the outburst properties of the hyper-luminous X-ray source ESO 243-49 HLX-1, using the full set of Swift monitoring observations. We quantified the increase in the waiting time, recurrence time, and e-folding rise timescale along the outburst sequence, and the corresponding decrease in outburst duration, total radiated energy, and e-folding decay timescale, which confirms previous findings. HLX-1 spends less and less time in outburst and more and more time in quiescence, but its peak luminosity remains approximately constant. We compared the HLX-1 outburst properties with those of bright Galactic low-mass X-ray binary transients (LMXBTs). Our spectral analysis strengthens themore » similarity between state transitions in HLX-1 and those in Galactic LMXBTs. We also found that HLX-1 follows the nearly linear correlations between the hard-to-soft state transition luminosity and the peak luminosity, and between the rate of change of X-ray luminosity during the rise phase and the peak luminosity, which indicates that the occurrence of the hard-to-soft state transition of HLX-1 is similar to those of Galactic LMXBTs during outbursts. We found that HLX-1 does not follow the correlations between total radiated energy and peak luminosity, and between total radiated energy and e-folding rise/decay timescales we had previously identified in Galactic LMXBTs. HLX-1 would follow those correlations if the distance were several hundreds of kiloparsecs. However, invoking a much closer distance for HLX-1 is not a viable solution to this problem, as it introduces other, more serious inconsistencies with the observations.« less

  13. Black hole/pulsar binaries in the Galaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shao, Yong; Li, Xiang-Dong

    2018-06-01

    We have performed population synthesis calculation on the formation of binaries containing a black hole (BH) and a neutron star (NS) in the Galactic disc. Some of important input parameters, especially for the treatment of common envelope evolution, are updated in the calculation. We have discussed the uncertainties from the star formation rate of the Galaxy and the velocity distribution of NS kicks on the birthrate (˜ 0.6-13 M yr^{-1}) of BH/NS binaries. From incident BH/NS binaries, by modelling the orbital evolution due to gravitational wave radiation and the NS evolution as radio pulsars, we obtain the distributions of the observable parameters such as the orbital period, eccentricity, and pulse period of the BH/pulsar binaries. We estimate that there may be ˜3-80 BH/pulsar binaries in the Galactic disc and around 10 per cent of them could be detected by the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope.

  14. STELLAR ENCOUNTER RATE IN GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bahramian, Arash; Heinke, Craig O.; Sivakoff, Gregory R.

    2013-04-01

    The high stellar densities in the cores of globular clusters cause significant stellar interactions. These stellar interactions can produce close binary mass-transferring systems involving compact objects and their progeny, such as X-ray binaries and radio millisecond pulsars. Comparing the numbers of these systems and interaction rates in different clusters drives our understanding of how cluster parameters affect the production of close binaries. In this paper we estimate stellar encounter rates ({Gamma}) for 124 Galactic globular clusters based on observational data as opposed to the methods previously employed, which assumed 'King-model' profiles for all clusters. By deprojecting cluster surface brightness profilesmore » to estimate luminosity density profiles, we treat 'King-model' and 'core-collapsed' clusters in the same way. In addition, we use Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effects of uncertainties in various observational parameters (distance, reddening, surface brightness) on {Gamma}, producing the first catalog of globular cluster stellar encounter rates with estimated errors. Comparing our results with published observations of likely products of stellar interactions (numbers of X-ray binaries, numbers of radio millisecond pulsars, and {gamma}-ray luminosity) we find both clear correlations and some differences with published results.« less

  15. Stellar and Binary Evolution in Star Clusters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McMillan, Stephen L. W.

    2001-01-01

    This paper presents a final report on research activities covered on Stellar and Binary Evolution in Star Clusters. Substantial progress was made in the development and dissemination of the "Starlab" software environment. Significant improvements were made to "kira," an N-body simulation program tailored to the study of dense stellar systems such as star clusters and galactic nuclei. Key advances include (1) the inclusion of stellar and binary evolution in a self-consistent manner, (2) proper treatment of the anisotropic Galactic tidal field, (3) numerous technical enhancements in the treatment of binary dynamics and interactions, and (4) full support for the special-purpose GRAPE-4 hardware, boosting the program's performance by a factor of 10-100 over the accelerated version. The data-reduction and analysis tools in Starlab were also substantially expanded. A Starlab Web site (http://www.sns.ias.edu/-starlab) was created and developed. The site contains detailed information on the structure and function of the various tools that comprise the package, as well as download information, "how to" tips and examples of common operations, demonstration programs, animations, etc. All versions of the software are freely distributed to all interested users, along with detailed installation instructions.

  16. Revisiting galactic black hole binary GX 339-4 by using 2007 – 2014 Swift XRT observations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Azizi, Febrie Ahmad; Vierdayanti, Kiki; Putra, Mahasena

    2015-09-30

    This work aims to study the X-ray properties of the galactic black hole binary GX 339-4. Focus of the study is on exploration of data from Swift-XRT in exclusively photon-counting mode. We use data from 2007 up to August 2014, which contain about 40 pointing observations with level 1 data. The flux of GX 339-4 varies in a factor of 100 during this period of observations. For the purpose of this work, we also try to develop a system to conduct standard SWIFT XRT data reduction automatically, in order to greatly reduce time when working with data bulk, which producesmore » images, lightcurves as well as spectra. We also develop another system to conduct fitting of bulk spectral data with a two-component model, disk blackbody and power-law. The fitting results show that no data have a reduced chi-squared > 2. The fraction of the disk to total flux and the power-law to total flux range from 0.00389 – 0.994 and 0.00605 – 0.996, respectively. From the analysis of the disk component, we obtain the value of the innermost disk radius that does not show any large scale truncation which is in a good agreement with a previous study that used 2007 – 2011 Swift-XRT data, indicating that the systems we developed work properly.« less

  17. Low-mass X-ray binaries and gamma-ray bursts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lasota, J. P.; Frank, J.; King, A. R.

    1992-01-01

    More than twenty years after their discovery, the nature of gamma-ray burst sources (GRBs) remains mysterious. The results from BATSE experiment aboard the Compton Observatory show however that most of the sources of gamma-ray bursts cannot be distributed in the galactic disc. The possibility that a small fraction of sites of gamma-ray bursts is of galactic disc origin cannot however be excluded. We point out that large numbers of neutron-star binaries with orbital periods of 10 hr and M dwarf companions of mass 0.2-0.3 solar mass are a natural result of the evolution of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). The numbers and physical properties of these systems suggest that some gamma-ray burst sources may be identified with this endpoint of LMXB evolution. We suggest an observational test of this hypothesis.

  18. Binary statistics among population II stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zinnecker, H.; Köhler, R.; Jahreiß, H.

    2004-08-01

    Population II stars are old, metal-poor, Galactic halo stars with high proper motion. We have carried out a visual binary survey of 164 halo stars in the solar neighborhood (median distance 100 pc), using infrared speckle interferometry, adaptive optics, and wide field direct imaging. The sample is based on the lists of Population II stars of Carney et al. (1994) and Norris (1986), with reliable distances from HIPPARCOS measurements. At face value, we found 33 binaries, 6 triples, and 1 quadruple system. When we limit ourselves to K-band flux ratios larger than 0.1 (to avoid background contamination), the numbers drop to 9 binaries and 1 triple, corresponding to a binary frequency of 6 - 7 % above our angular resolution limit of about 0.1 arcsec. If we count all systems with K-band flux ratios greater than 0.01, we obtain 15 more binaries and 3 more triples, corresponding to a binary frequency for projected separations in excess of 10 AU of around 20 %. This is to be compared with the frequency of spectroscopic binaries (up to a period of 3000 days) of Population II stars of about 15 % (Latham et al. 2002). We also determined a semi-major axis distribution for our visual Population II binary and triple systems, which appears to be remarkably different from that of Population I stars. Second epoch-observations must help confirm the reality of our results.

  19. A Hidden Population of Hot Subdwarf Stars in Close Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wade, Richard A.; Clausen, Drew R.; Kopparapu, Ravi Kumar; O'Shaughnessy, Richard; Stark, M. A.; Walentosky, M. J.

    2010-12-01

    Observations to date preferentially find Galactic hot subdwarf (sdB/sdO) stars in binaries when the subdwarfs are more luminous than their relatively faint companions (G/K/M dwarfs, white dwarfs). As suggested by Han et al. [1], this selection bias may distort our perspective of the evolutionary channels that form hot subdwarfs in the galactic disk. A predicted and possibly more numerous population of binaries features a lower-mass, lower-luminosity, longer-lived hot subdwarf hiding in the glare from its companion: the subdwarf+A/early F binaries. Such systems may arise when mass transfer is initiated in the Hertzsprung gap; the A/F companion in some cases was ``created'' from a lower-mass star (i.e., it would be a blue straggler if seen in a cluster). A survey is underway at Penn State to identify hot subdwarfs paired with F stars, determine their properties, and establish their space density. The project makes use of ground and space archival data to identify these systems (from their UV excesses) and new spectroscopic observations to determine their orbital periods and other properties. Successful characterization of this group of close binaries should help to challenge, calibrate, or refine models of binary star evolution that are used in population synthesis studies, including the relative importance of the RLOF and common-envelope channels for the formation of hot subdwarfs. The motivation, methodology, and status of this search for hidden hot subdwarfs are presented in this contribution.

  20. The Peculiar Galactic Center Neutron Star X-Ray Binary XMM J174457-2850.3

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Degenaar, N.; Wijnands, R.; Reynolds, M. T.; Miller, J. M.; Altamirano, D.; Kennea, J.; Gehrels, N.; Haggard, D.; Ponti, G.

    2014-01-01

    The recent discovery of a milli-second radio pulsar experiencing an accretion outburst similar to those seen in low mass X-ray binaries, has opened up a new opportunity to investigate the evolutionary link between these two different neutron star manifestations. The remarkable X-ray variability and hard X-ray spectrum of this object can potentially serve as a template to search for other X-ray binary radio pulsar transitional objects. Here we demonstrate that the transient X-ray source XMM J174457-2850.3 near the Galactic center displays similar X-ray properties. We report on the detection of an energetic thermonuclear burst with an estimated duration of 2 hr and a radiated energy output of 5E40 erg, which unambiguously demonstrates that the source harbors an accreting neutron star. It has a quiescent X-ray luminosity of Lx5E32 ergs and exhibits occasional accretion outbursts during which it brightens to Lx1E35-1E36 ergs for a few weeks (2-10 keV). However, the source often lingers in between outburst and quiescence at Lx1E33-1E34 ergs. This unusual X-ray flux behavior and its relatively hard X-ray spectrum, a power law with an index of 1.4, could possibly be explained in terms of the interaction between the accretion flow and the magnetic field of the neutron star.

  1. A RADIAL VELOCITY TEST FOR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARIES AS AN EXPLANATION FOR BROAD, DOUBLE-PEAKED EMISSION LINES IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Jia; Halpern, Jules P.; Eracleous, Michael

    2016-01-20

    One of the proposed explanations for the broad, double-peaked Balmer emission lines observed in the spectra of some active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is that they are associated with sub-parsec supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries. Here, we test the binary broad-line region hypothesis through several decades of monitoring of the velocity structure of double-peaked Hα emission lines in 13 low-redshift, mostly radio-loud AGNs. This is a much larger set of objects compared to an earlier test by Eracleous et al. and we use much longer time series for the three objects studied in that paper. Although systematic changes in radial velocitymore » can be traced in many of their lines, they are demonstrably not like those of a spectroscopic binary in a circular orbit. Any spectroscopic binary period must therefore be much longer than the span of the monitoring (assuming a circular orbit), which in turn would require black hole masses that exceed by 1–2 orders of magnitude the values obtained for these objects using techniques such as reverberation mapping and stellar velocity dispersion. Moreover, the response of the double-peaked Balmer line profiles to fluctuations of the ionizing continuum and the shape of the Lyα profiles are incompatible with an SMBH binary. The binary broad-line region hypothesis is therefore disfavored. Other processes evidently shape these line profiles and cause the long-term velocity variations of the double peaks.« less

  2. Binary Black Hole Mergers from Planet-like Migrations.

    PubMed

    Gould; Rix

    2000-03-20

    If supermassive black holes (BHs) are generically present in galaxy centers, and if galaxies are built up through hierarchical merging, BH binaries are at least temporary features of most galactic bulges. Observations suggest, however, that binary BHs are rare, pointing toward a binary lifetime far shorter than the Hubble time. We show that, almost regardless of the detailed mechanism, all stellar dynamical processes are too slow in reducing the orbital separation once orbital velocities in the binary exceed the virial velocity of the system. We propose that a massive gas disk surrounding a BH binary can effect its merger rapidly, in a scenario analogous to the orbital decay of super-Jovian planets due to a proto-planetary disk. As in the case of planets, gas accretion onto the secondary (here a supermassive BH) is integrally connected with its inward migration. Such accretion would give rise to quasar activity. BH binary mergers could therefore be responsible for many or most quasars.

  3. Pulsars in binary systems: probing binary stellar evolution and general relativity.

    PubMed

    Stairs, Ingrid H

    2004-04-23

    Radio pulsars in binary orbits often have short millisecond spin periods as a result of mass transfer from their companion stars. They therefore act as very precise, stable, moving clocks that allow us to investigate a large set of otherwise inaccessible astrophysical problems. The orbital parameters derived from high-precision binary pulsar timing provide constraints on binary evolution, characteristics of the binary pulsar population, and the masses of neutron stars with different mass-transfer histories. These binary systems also test gravitational theories, setting strong limits on deviations from general relativity. Surveys for new pulsars yield new binary systems that increase our understanding of all these fields and may open up whole new areas of physics, as most spectacularly evidenced by the recent discovery of an extremely relativistic double-pulsar system.

  4. The end of the MACHO era, revisited: New limits on MACHO masses from halo wide binaries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Monroy-Rodríguez, Miguel A.; Allen, Christine, E-mail: chris@astro.unam.mx

    2014-08-01

    In order to determine an upper bound for the mass of the massive compact halo objects (MACHOs), we use the halo binaries contained in a recent catalog by Allen and Monroy-Rodríguez. To dynamically model their interactions with massive perturbers, a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted, using an impulsive approximation method and assuming a galactic halo constituted by massive particles of a characteristic mass. The results of such simulations are compared with several subsamples of our improved catalog of candidate halo wide binaries. In accordance with Quinn et al., we also find our results to be very sensitive to the widestmore » binaries. However, our larger sample, together with the fact that we can obtain galactic orbits for 150 of our systems, allows a more reliable estimate of the maximum MACHO mass than that obtained previously. If we employ the entire sample of 211 candidate halo stars we, obtain an upper limit of 112 M{sub ☉}. However, using the 150 binaries in our catalog with computed galactic orbits, we are able to refine our fitting criteria. Thus, for the 100 most halo-like binaries we obtain a maximum MACHO mass of 21-68 M{sub ☉}. Furthermore, we can estimate the dynamical effects of the galactic disk using binary samples that spend progressively shorter times within the disk. By extrapolating the limits obtained for our most reliable—albeit smallest—sample, we find that as the time spent within the disk tends to zero, the upper bound of the MACHO mass tends to less than 5 M{sub ☉}. The non-uniform density of the halo has also been taken into account, but the limit obtained, less than 5 M{sub ☉}, does not differ much from the previous one. Together with microlensing studies that provide lower limits on the MACHO mass, our results essentially exclude the existence of such objects in the galactic halo.« less

  5. Chandra X-Ray and Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of Optically Selected Kiloparsec-scale Binary Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Host Galaxy Morphology and AGN Activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shangguan, Jinyi; Liu, Xin; Ho, Luis C.; Shen, Yue; Peng, Chien Y.; Greene, Jenny E.; Strauss, Michael A.

    2016-05-01

    Binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide clues to how gas-rich mergers trigger and fuel AGNs and how supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs evolve in a gas-rich environment. While significant effort has been invested in their identification, the detailed properties of binary AGNs and their host galaxies are still poorly constrained. In a companion paper, we examined the nature of ionizing sources in the double nuclei of four kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs with redshifts between 0.1 and 0.2. Here, we present their host galaxy morphology based on F336W (U-band) and F105W (Y-band) images taken by the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Our targets have double-peaked narrow emission lines and were confirmed to host binary AGNs with follow-up observations. We find that kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs occur in galaxy mergers with diverse morphological types. There are three major mergers with intermediate morphologies and a minor merger with a dominant disk component. We estimate the masses of the SMBHs from their host bulge stellar masses and obtain Eddington ratios for each AGN. Compared with a representative control sample drawn at the same redshift and stellar mass, the AGN luminosities and Eddington ratios of our binary AGNs are similar to those of single AGNs. The U - Y color maps indicate that clumpy star-forming regions could significantly affect the X-ray detection of binary AGNs, e.g., the hardness ratio. Considering the weak X-ray emission in AGNs triggered in merger systems, we suggest that samples of X-ray-selected AGNs may be biased against gas-rich mergers. Based, in part, on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program number GO 12363.

  6. The dynamical mass of a classical Cepheid variable star in an eclipsing binary system.

    PubMed

    Pietrzyński, G; Thompson, I B; Gieren, W; Graczyk, D; Bono, G; Udalski, A; Soszyński, I; Minniti, D; Pilecki, B

    2010-11-25

    Stellar pulsation theory provides a means of determining the masses of pulsating classical Cepheid supergiants-it is the pulsation that causes their luminosity to vary. Such pulsational masses are found to be smaller than the masses derived from stellar evolution theory: this is the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem, for which a solution is missing. An independent, accurate dynamical mass determination for a classical Cepheid variable star (as opposed to type-II Cepheids, low-mass stars with a very different evolutionary history) in a binary system is needed in order to determine which is correct. The accuracy of previous efforts to establish a dynamical Cepheid mass from Galactic single-lined non-eclipsing binaries was typically about 15-30% (refs 6, 7), which is not good enough to resolve the mass discrepancy problem. In spite of many observational efforts, no firm detection of a classical Cepheid in an eclipsing double-lined binary has hitherto been reported. Here we report the discovery of a classical Cepheid in a well detached, double-lined eclipsing binary in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We determine the mass to a precision of 1% and show that it agrees with its pulsation mass, providing strong evidence that pulsation theory correctly and precisely predicts the masses of classical Cepheids.

  7. Binaries, cluster dynamics and population studies of stars and stellar phenomena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vanbeveren, Dany

    2005-10-01

    The effects of binaries on population studies of stars and stellar phenomena have been investigated over the past 3 decades by many research groups. Here we will focus mainly on the work that has been done recently in Brussels and we will consider the following topics: the effect of binaries on overall galactic chemical evolutionary models and on the rates of different types of supernova, the population of point-like X-ray sources where we distinguish the standard high mass X-ray binaries and the ULXs, a UFO-scenario for the formation of WR+OB binaries in dense star systems. Finally we critically discuss the possible effect of rotation on population studies.

  8. Multiplicity of the Galactic Senior Citizens: A high-resolution search for cool subdwarf companions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ziegler, Carl; Law, Nicholas M.

    2015-01-01

    Cool subdwarfs, with spectral types late K and M, are the oldest members of the low-mass stellar population. Mostly present in the galactic halo, subdwarfs are characterized by their low metallicity and high proper-motions. Understanding their binary fraction could give key insights into the star formation process early in the Milky Way's history. However, because of their low luminosity and relative rarity in the solar neighborhood, binary surveys of cool subdwarfs have suffered from small sample sizes and large incompleteness gaps. It appears, however, that the binary fraction of red subdwarfs is much lower than for their main-sequence cousins. Using the highly efficient Robo-AO system, we present the largest high-resolution survey of subdwarfs yet. We find from 349 target cool subdwarfs, 39 are in multiple systems, 13 newly discovered, for a binary fraction of 11 ± 1.8%.

  9. Colliding Winds in Symbiotic Binary Systems. I. Analytic and Numerical Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kenny, H. T.; Taylor, A. R.

    2005-01-01

    We present new formulations of binary colliding wind models appropriate to symbiotic star systems. The derived models differ from previous formulations in assuming mixing of the shocked material from both incoming streams, rather than postulating a self-sustaining contact discontinuity. The CWb model (colliding winds, binary) extends the work of Girard and Willson by the derivation of an adiabatic temperature, the consideration of radiative cooling, the inclusion of thermal pressures in the incoming winds, and the treatment of interaction shells of finite thickness and density. The finite thickness of the interaction shell allows for calculation of its radiative intensity distribution. The CWc model (colliding winds, concentric) is a similar extension of the model of Kwok, Purton, and Fitzgerald. It is derived in a manner parallel to that of the CWb model, thereby facilitating a unification of the two models. A unified model is desired since wind collisions in symbiotic systems should include aspects of both CWb and CWc interactions. Two examples of model applications are presented: a comparison of the flux densities arising from colliding winds (CWb model) with those arising from the ionization of the surrounding medium (STB model) in the galactic population of symbiotic stars, and model imaging of the symbiotic nova HM Sge.

  10. Accreting Double White Dwarf Binaries: Implications for LISA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kremer, Kyle; Breivik, Katelyn; Larson, Shane L.; Kalogera, Vassiliki

    2017-09-01

    We explore the long-term evolution of mass-transferring white dwarf (WD) binaries undergoing both direct-impact and disk accretion and explore implications of such systems to gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy. We cover a broad range of initial component masses and show that these systems, the majority of which lie within the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) sensitivity range, exhibit prominent negative orbital frequency evolution (chirp) for a significant fraction of their lifetimes. Using a galactic population synthesis, we predict ˜2700 of these systems will be observable with a negative chirp of 0.1 yr-2 by a space-based GW detector like LISA. We also show that detections of mass-transferring double WD systems by LISA may provide astronomers with unique ways of probing the physics governing close compact object binaries.

  11. Ejection of rocky and icy material from binary star systems: implications for the origin and composition of 1I/`Oumuamua

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, Alan P.; Tamayo, Daniel; Hammond, Noah; Ali-Dib, Mohamad; Rein, Hanno

    2018-06-01

    In single-star systems like our own Solar system, comets dominate the mass budget of bodies ejected into interstellar space, since they form further away and are less tightly bound. However, 1I/`Oumuamua, the first interstellar object detected, appears asteroidal in its spectra and lack of detectable activity. We argue that the galactic budget of interstellar objects like 1I/`Oumuamua should be dominated by planetesimal material ejected during planet formation in circumbinary systems, rather than in single-star systems or widely separated binaries. We further show that in circumbinary systems, rocky bodies should be ejected in comparable numbers to icy ones. This suggests that a substantial fraction of interstellar objects discovered in future should display an active coma. We find that the rocky population, of which 1I/`Oumuamua seems to be a member, should be predominantly sourced from A-type and late B-star binaries.

  12. DOUBLE-PEAKED NARROW-LINE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. II. THE CASE OF EQUAL PEAKS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, K. L.; Shields, G. A.; Salviander, S.

    Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with double-peaked narrow lines (DPAGNs) may be caused by kiloparsec-scale binary AGNs, bipolar outflows, or rotating gaseous disks. We examine the class of DPAGNs in which the two narrow-line components have closely similar intensity as being especially likely to involve disks or jets. Two spectroscopic indicators support this likelihood. For DPAGNs from Smith et al., the 'equal-peaked' objects (EPAGNs) have [Ne V]/[O III]ratios lower than for a control sample of non-double-peaked AGNs. This is unexpected for a pair of normal AGNs in a galactic merger, but may be consistent with [O III] emission from a rotatingmore » ring with relatively little gas at small radii. Also, [O III]/H{beta} ratios of the redshifted and blueshifted systems in the EPAGN are more similar to each other than in a control sample, suggestive of a single ionizing source and inconsistent with the binary interpretation.« less

  13. A ROTSE-I/ROSAT Survey of X-ray Emission from Contact Binary Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geske, M.; McKay, T.

    2005-05-01

    Using public data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) and the ROTSE-I Sky Patrols, the incidence of strong x-ray emissions from contact binary systems was examined. The RASS data was matched to an expanded catalog of contact binary systems from the ROTSE-I data, using a 35 arc second radius. X-ray luminosities for matching objects were then determined. This information was then used to evaluate the total x-ray emissions from all such objects, in order to determine their contribution to the galactic x-ray background.

  14. Terrestrial Planet Formation in Binary Star Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lissauer, Jack J.; Quintana, Elisa V.; Chambers, John; Duncan, Martin J.; Adams, Fred

    2003-01-01

    Most stars reside in multiple star systems; however, virtually all models of planetary growth have assumed an isolated single star. Numerical simulations of the collapse of molecular cloud cores to form binary stars suggest that disks will form within such systems. Observations indirectly suggest disk material around one or both components within young binary star systems. If planets form at the right places within such circumstellar disks, they can remain in stable orbits within the binary star systems for eons. We are simulating the late stages of growth of terrestrial planets within binary star systems, using a new, ultrafast, symplectic integrator that we have developed for this purpose. We show that the late stages of terrestrial planet formation can indeed take place in a wide variety of binary systems and we have begun to delineate the range of parameter space for which this statement is true. Results of our initial simulations of planetary growth around each star in the alpha Centauri system and other 'wide' binary systems, as well as around both stars in very close binary systems, will be presented.

  15. Imprints to the terrestrial environment at galactic arm crossings of the solar system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fahr, H. J.; Fichtner, H.; Scherer, K.; Stawicki, O.

    At its itinerary through our milky way galaxy the solar system moves through highly variable interstellar environments. Due to its orbital revolution around the galactic center, the solar system also crosses periodically the spiral arms of our galactic plane and thereby expe riences pronounced enviromental changes. Gas densities, magnetic fields and galactic cosmic ray intensities are substantially higher there compared to interarm conditions. Here we present theoretical calculations describing the SN-averaged galactic cosmic ray spectrum for regions inside and outside of galactic arms which then allow to predict how periodic passages of the solar system through galactic arms should be reflected by enhanced particle irradiations of the earth`s atmosphere and by correlated terrestrial Be-10 production rates.

  16. Hydrodynamical simulations of the tidal stripping of binary stars by massive black holes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mainetti, Deborah; Lupi, Alessandro; Campana, Sergio; Colpi, Monica

    2016-04-01

    In a galactic nucleus, a star on a low angular momentum orbit around the central massive black hole can be fully or partially disrupted by the black hole tidal field, lighting up the compact object via gas accretion. This phenomenon can repeat if the star, not fully disrupted, is on a closed orbit. Because of the multiplicity of stars in binary systems, also binary stars may experience in pairs such a fate, immediately after being tidally separated. The consumption of both the binary components by the black hole is expected to power a double-peaked flare. In this paper, we perform for the first time, with GADGET2, a suite of smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of binary stars around a galactic central black hole in the Newtonian regime. We show that accretion luminosity light curves from double tidal disruptions reveal a more prominent knee, rather than a double peak, when decreasing the impact parameter of the encounter and when elevating the difference between the mass of the star which leaves the system after binary separation and the mass of the companion. The detection of a knee can anticipate the onset of periodic accretion luminosity flares if one of the stars, only partially disrupted, remains bound to the black hole after binary separation. Thus knees could be precursors of periodic flares, which can then be predicted, followed up and better modelled. Analytical estimates in the black hole mass range 105-108 M⊙ show that the knee signature is enhanced in the case of black holes of mass 106-107 M⊙.

  17. Accreting Double White Dwarf Binaries: Implications for LISA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kremer, Kyle; Breivik, Katelyn; Larson, Shane L.

    We explore the long-term evolution of mass-transferring white dwarf (WD) binaries undergoing both direct-impact and disk accretion and explore implications of such systems to gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy. We cover a broad range of initial component masses and show that these systems, the majority of which lie within the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna ( LISA ) sensitivity range, exhibit prominent negative orbital frequency evolution (chirp) for a significant fraction of their lifetimes. Using a galactic population synthesis, we predict ∼2700 of these systems will be observable with a negative chirp of 0.1 yr{sup −2} by a space-based GW detector like LISAmore » . We also show that detections of mass-transferring double WD systems by LISA may provide astronomers with unique ways of probing the physics governing close compact object binaries.« less

  18. Inferring Binary and Trinary Stellar Populations in Photometric and Astrometric Surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Widmark, Axel; Leistedt, Boris; Hogg, David W.

    2018-04-01

    Multiple stellar systems are ubiquitous in the Milky Way but are often unresolved and seen as single objects in spectroscopic, photometric, and astrometric surveys. However, modeling them is essential for developing a full understanding of large surveys such as Gaia and connecting them to stellar and Galactic models. In this paper, we address this problem by jointly fitting the Gaia and Two Micron All Sky Survey photometric and astrometric data using a data-driven Bayesian hierarchical model that includes populations of binary and trinary systems. This allows us to classify observations into singles, binaries, and trinaries, in a robust and efficient manner, without resorting to external models. We are able to identify multiple systems and, in some cases, make strong predictions for the properties of their unresolved stars. We will be able to compare such predictions with Gaia Data Release 4, which will contain astrometric identification and analysis of binary systems.

  19. Terrestrial Planet Formation in Binary Star Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lissauer, J. J.; Quintana, E. V.; Adams, F. C.; Chambers, J. E.

    2006-01-01

    Most stars reside in binary/multiple star systems; however, previous models of planet formation have studied growth of bodies orbiting an isolated single star. Disk material has been observed around one or both components of various young close binary star systems. If planets form at the right places within such disks, they can remain dynamically stable for very long times. We have simulated the late stages of growth of terrestrial planets in both circumbinary disks around 'close' binary star systems with stellar separations ($a_B$) in the range 0.05 AU $\\le a_B \\le$ 0.4 AU and binary eccentricities in the range $0 \\le e \\le 0.8$ and circumstellar disks around individual stars with binary separations of tens of AU. The initial disk of planetary embryos is the same as that used for simulating the late stages of terrestrial planet growth within our Solar System and around individual stars in the Alpha Centauri system (Quintana et al. 2002, A.J., 576, 982); giant planets analogous to Jupiter and Saturn are included if their orbits are stable. The planetary systems formed around close binaries with stellar apastron distances less than or equal to 0.2 AU with small stellar eccentricities are very similar to those formed in the Sun-Jupiter-Saturn, whereas planetary systems formed around binaries with larger maximum separations tend to be sparser, with fewer planets, especially interior to 1 AU. Likewise, when the binary periastron exceeds 10 AU, terrestrial planets can form over essentially the entire range of orbits allowed for single stars with Jupiter-like planets, although fewer terrestrial planets tend to form within high eccentricity binary systems. As the binary periastron decreases, the radial extent of the terrestrial planet systems is reduced accordingly. When the periastron is 5 AU, the formation of Earth-like planets near 1 AU is compromised.

  20. Chemical Evolution of Binary Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Izzard, R. G.

    2013-02-01

    Energy generation by nuclear fusion is the fundamental process that prevents stars from collapsing under their own gravity. Fusion in the core of a star converts hydrogen to heavier elements from helium to uranium. The signature of this nucleosynthesis is often visible in a single star only for a very short time, for example while the star is a red giant or, in massive stars, when it explodes. Contrarily, in a binary system nuclear-processed matter can captured by a secondary star which remains chemically polluted long after its more massive companion star has evolved and died. By probing old, low-mass stars we gain vital insight into the complex nucleosynthesis that occurred when our Galaxy was much younger than it is today. Stellar evolution itself is also affected by the presence of a companion star. Thermonuclear novae and type Ia supernovae result from mass transfer in binary stars, but big questions still surround the nature of their progenitors. Stars may even merge and one of the challenges for the future of stellar astrophysics is to quantitatively understand what happens in such extreme systems. Binary stars offer unique insights into stellar, galactic and extragalactic astrophysics through their plethora of exciting phenomena. Understanding the chemical evolution of binary stars is thus of high priority in modern astrophysics.

  1. Development of Pulsar Detection Methods for a Galactic Center Search

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thornton, Stephen; Wharton, Robert; Cordes, James; Chatterjee, Shami

    2018-01-01

    Finding pulsars within the inner parsec of the galactic center would be incredibly beneficial: for pulsars sufficiently close to Sagittarius A*, extremely precise tests of general relativity in the strong field regime could be performed through measurement of post-Keplerian parameters. Binary pulsar systems with sufficiently short orbital periods could provide the same laboratories with which to test existing theories. Fast and efficient methods are needed to parse large sets of time-domain data from different telescopes to search for periodicity in signals and differentiate radio frequency interference (RFI) from pulsar signals. Here we demonstrate several techniques to reduce red noise (low-frequency interference), generate signals from pulsars in binary orbits, and create plots that allow for fast detection of both RFI and pulsars.

  2. Accreting binary population synthesis and feedback prescriptions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fragos, Tassos

    2016-04-01

    Studies of extagalactic X-ray binary populations have shown that the characteristics of these populations depend strongly on the characteristics of the host galaxy's parent stellar population (e.g. star-formation history and metallicity). These dependencies not only make X-ray binaries promising for aiding in the measurement of galaxy properties themselves, but they also have important astrophysical and cosmological implications. For example, due to the relatively young stellar ages and primordial metallicities in the early Universe (z > 3), it is predicted that X-ray binaries were more luminous than today. The more energetic X-ray photons, because of their long mean-free paths, can escape the galaxies where they are produced, and interact at long distances with the intergalactic medium. This could result in a smoother spatial distribution of ionized regions, and more importantly in an overall warmer intergalactic medium. The energetic X-ray photons emitted from X-ray binaries dominate the X-ray radiation field over active galactic nuclei at z > 6 - 8, and hence Χ-ray binary feedback can be a non-negligible contributor to the heating and reionization of the inter-galactic medium in the early universe. The spectral energy distribution shape of the XRB emission does not change significantly with redshift, suggesting that the same XRB subpopulation, namely black-hole XRBs in the high-soft state, dominates the cumulative emission at all times. On the contrary, the normalization of the spectral energy distribution does evolve with redshift. To zeroth order, this evolution is driven by the cosmic star-formation rate evolution. However, the metallicity evolution of the universe and the mean stellar population age are two important factors that affect the X-ray emission from high-mass and low-mass XRBs, respectively. In this talk, I will review recent studies on the potential feedback from accreting binary populations in galactic and cosmological scales. Furthermore, I

  3. On the Occurrence of Wide Binaries in the Local Disk and Halo Populations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hartman, Zachary; Lepine, Sebastien

    2018-01-01

    We present results from our search for wide binaries in the SUPERBLINK+GAIA all-sky catalog of 2.8 million high proper motion stars (μ>40 mas/yr). Through a Bayesian analysis of common proper motion pairs, we have identified highly probable wide binary/multiple systems based on statistics of their proper motion differences and angular separations. Using a reduced proper motion diagram, we determine whether these wide are part of the young disk, old disk, or Galactic halo population. We examine the relative occurrence rate for very wide companions in these respective populations. All groups are found to contain a significant number of wide binary systems, with about 1 percent of the stars in each group having pairs with separations >1,000 AU.

  4. A density cusp of quiescent X-ray binaries in the central parsec of the Galaxy.

    PubMed

    Hailey, Charles J; Mori, Kaya; Bauer, Franz E; Berkowitz, Michael E; Hong, Jaesub; Hord, Benjamin J

    2018-04-04

    The existence of a 'density cusp'-a localized increase in number-of stellar-mass black holes near a supermassive black hole is a fundamental prediction of galactic stellar dynamics. The best place to detect such a cusp is in the Galactic Centre, where the nearest supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, resides. As many as 20,000 black holes are predicted to settle into the central parsec of the Galaxy as a result of dynamical friction; however, so far no density cusp of black holes has been detected. Low-mass X-ray binary systems that contain a stellar-mass black hole are natural tracers of isolated black holes. Here we report observations of a dozen quiescent X-ray binaries in a density cusp within one parsec of Sagittarius A*. The lower-energy emission spectra that we observed in these binaries is distinct from the higher-energy spectra associated with the population of accreting white dwarfs that dominates the central eight parsecs of the Galaxy. The properties of these X-ray binaries, in particular their spatial distribution and luminosity function, suggest the existence of hundreds of binary systems in the central parsec of the Galaxy and many more isolated black holes. We cannot rule out a contribution to the observed emission from a population (of up to about one-half the number of X-ray binaries) of rotationally powered, millisecond pulsars. The spatial distribution of the binary systems is a relic of their formation history, either in the stellar disk around Sagittarius A* (ref. 7) or through in-fall from globular clusters, and constrains the number density of sources in the modelling of gravitational waves from massive stellar remnants, such as neutron stars and black holes.

  5. A density cusp of quiescent X-ray binaries in the central parsec of the Galaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hailey, Charles J.; Mori, Kaya; Bauer, Franz E.; Berkowitz, Michael E.; Hong, Jaesub; Hord, Benjamin J.

    2018-04-01

    The existence of a ‘density cusp’—a localized increase in number—of stellar-mass black holes near a supermassive black hole is a fundamental prediction of galactic stellar dynamics. The best place to detect such a cusp is in the Galactic Centre, where the nearest supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, resides. As many as 20,000 black holes are predicted to settle into the central parsec of the Galaxy as a result of dynamical friction; however, so far no density cusp of black holes has been detected. Low-mass X-ray binary systems that contain a stellar-mass black hole are natural tracers of isolated black holes. Here we report observations of a dozen quiescent X-ray binaries in a density cusp within one parsec of Sagittarius A*. The lower-energy emission spectra that we observed in these binaries is distinct from the higher-energy spectra associated with the population of accreting white dwarfs that dominates the central eight parsecs of the Galaxy. The properties of these X-ray binaries, in particular their spatial distribution and luminosity function, suggest the existence of hundreds of binary systems in the central parsec of the Galaxy and many more isolated black holes. We cannot rule out a contribution to the observed emission from a population (of up to about one-half the number of X-ray binaries) of rotationally powered, millisecond pulsars. The spatial distribution of the binary systems is a relic of their formation history, either in the stellar disk around Sagittarius A* (ref. 7) or through in-fall from globular clusters, and constrains the number density of sources in the modelling of gravitational waves from massive stellar remnants, such as neutron stars and black holes.

  6. Planet Formation in Binary Star Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Rebecca

    About half of observed exoplanets are estimated to be in binary systems. Understanding planet formation and evolution in binaries is therefore essential for explaining observed exoplanet properties. Recently, we discovered that a highly misaligned circumstellar disk in a binary system can undergo global Kozai-Lidov (KL) oscillations of the disk inclination and eccentricity. These oscillations likely have a significant impact on the formation and orbital evolution of planets in binary star systems. Planet formation by core accretion cannot operate during KL oscillations of the disk. First, we propose to consider the process of disk mass transfer between the binary members. Secondly, we will investigate the possibility of planet formation by disk fragmentation. Disk self gravity can weaken or suppress the oscillations during the early disk evolution when the disk mass is relatively high for a narrow range of parameters. Thirdly, we will investigate the evolution of a planet whose orbit is initially aligned with respect to the disk, but misaligned with respect to the orbit of the binary. We will study how these processes relate to observations of star-spin and planet orbit misalignment and to observations of planets that appear to be undergoing KL oscillations. Finally, we will analyze the evolution of misaligned multi-planet systems. This theoretical work will involve a combination of analytic and numerical techniques. The aim of this research is to shed some light on the formation of planets in binary star systems and to contribute to NASA's goal of understanding of the origins of exoplanetary systems.

  7. The similarity of broad iron lines in X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walton, D. J.; Reis, R. C.; Cackett, E. M.; Fabian, A. C.; Miller, J. M.

    2012-05-01

    We have compared the 2001 XMM-Newton spectra of the stellar mass black hole binary XTE J1650-500 and the active galaxy MCG-6-30-15, focusing on the broad, excess emission features at ˜4-7 keV displayed by both sources. Such features are frequently observed in both low-mass X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei (AGN). For the former case it is generally accepted that the excess arises due to iron emission, but there is some controversy over whether their width is partially enhanced by instrumental processes, and hence also over the intrinsic broadening mechanism. Meanwhile, in the latter case, the origin of this feature is still subject to debate; physically motivated reflection and absorption interpretations are both able to reproduce the observed spectra. In this work we make use of the contemporaneous BeppoSAX data to demonstrate that the breadth of the excess observed in XTE J1650-500 is astrophysical rather than instrumental, and proceed to highlight the similarity of the excesses present in this source and MCG-6-30-15. Both optically thick accretion discs and optically thin coronae, which in combination naturally give rise to relativistically broadened iron lines when the disc extends close to the black hole, are commonly observed in both classes of object. The simplest solution is that the broad emission features present arise from a common process, which we argue must be reflection from the inner regions of an accretion disc around a rapidly rotating black hole; for XTE J1650-500 we find spin constraints of 0.84 ≤a*≤ 0.98 at the 90 per cent confidence level. Other interpretations proposed for AGN add potentially unnecessary complexities to the theoretical framework of accretion in strong gravity.

  8. Variance in binary stellar population synthesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Breivik, Katelyn; Larson, Shane L.

    2016-03-01

    In the years preceding LISA, Milky Way compact binary population simulations can be used to inform the science capabilities of the mission. Galactic population simulation efforts generally focus on high fidelity models that require extensive computational power to produce a single simulated population for each model. Each simulated population represents an incomplete sample of the functions governing compact binary evolution, thus introducing variance from one simulation to another. We present a rapid Monte Carlo population simulation technique that can simulate thousands of populations in less than a week, thus allowing a full exploration of the variance associated with a binary stellar evolution model.

  9. Binary pulsar evolution: unveiled links and new species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Possenti, Andrea

    2013-03-01

    In the last years a series of blind and/or targeted pulsar searches led to almost triple the number of known binary pulsars in the galactic field with respect to a decade ago. The focus will be on few outliers, which are emerging from the average properties of the enlarged binary pulsar population. Some of them may represent the long sought missing links between two kinds of neutron star binaries, while others could represent the stereotype of new groups of binaries, resulting from an evolutionary path which is more exotic than those considered until recently. In particular, a new class of binaries, which can be dubbed Ultra Low Mass Binary Pulsars (ULMBPs), is emerging from recent data.

  10. Revealing the Character of Orbits in a Binary System Consisting of a Primary Galaxy and a Satellite Companion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zotos, Euaggelos E.

    2013-02-01

    In this article, we present a galactic gravitational model of three degrees of freedom (3D), in order to study and reveal the character of the orbits of the stars, in a binary stellar system composed of a primary quiet or active galaxy and a small satellite companion galaxy. Our main dynamical analysis will be focused on the behaviour of the primary galaxy. We investigate in detail the regular or chaotic nature of motion, in two different cases: (i) the time-independent model in both 2D and 3D dynamical systems and (ii) the time-evolving 3D model. For the description of the structure of the 2D system, we use the classical method of the Poincaré (x, px ), y = 0, py < 0 phase plane. In order to study the structure of the phase space of the 3D system, we take sections in the plane y = 0 of the 3D orbits, whose initial conditions differ from the plane parent periodic orbits, only by the z component. The set of the four-dimensional points in the (x, px , z, pz ) phase space is projected on the (z, pz ) plane. The maximum Lyapunov characteristic exponent is used in order to make an estimation of the chaoticity of our galactic system, in both 2D and 3D dynamical models. Our numerical calculations indicate that the percentage of the chaotic orbits increases when the primary galaxy has a dense and massive nucleus. The presence of the dense galactic core also increases the stellar velocities near the center of the galaxy. Moreover, for small values of the distance R between the two bodies, low-energy stars display chaotic motion, near the central region of the galaxy, while for larger values of the distance R, the motion in active galaxies is entirely regular for low-energy stars. Our simulations suggest that in galaxies with a satellite companion, the chaotic nature of motion is not only a result of the galactic interaction between the primary galaxy and its companion, but also a result caused by the presence of the dense nucleus in the core of the primary galaxy

  11. What Can Simbol-X Do for Gamma-ray Binaries?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cerutti, B.; Dubus, G.; Henri, G.; Hill, A. B.; Szostek, A.

    2009-05-01

    Gamma-ray binaries have been uncovered as a new class of Galactic objects in the very high energy sky (>100 GeV). The three systems known today have hard X-ray spectra (photon index ~1.5), extended radio emission and a high luminosity in gamma-rays. Recent monitoring campaigns of LSI +61°303 in X-rays have confirmed variability in these systems and revealed a spectral hardening with increasing flux. In a generic one-zone leptonic model, the cooling of relativistic electrons accounts for the main spectral and temporal features observed at high energy. Persistent hard X-ray emission is expected to extend well beyond 10 keV. We explain how Simbol-X will constrain the existing models in connection with Fermi Space Telescope measurements. Because of its unprecedented sensitivity in hard X-rays, Simbol-X will also play a role in the discovery of new gamma-ray binaries, giving new insights into the evolution of compact binaries.

  12. Distinguishing Between Formation Channels for Binary Black Holes with LISA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Breivik, Katelyn; Rodriguez, Carl L.; Larson, Shane L.; Kalogera, Vassiliki; Rasio, Frederic A.

    2017-01-01

    The recent detections of GW150914 and GW151226 imply an abundance of stellar-mass binary-black-hole mergers in the local universe. While ground-based gravitational-wave detectors are limited to observing the final moments before a binary merges, space-based detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), can observe binaries at lower orbital frequencies where such systems may still encode information about their formation histories. In particular, the orbital eccentricity and mass of binary black holes in the LISA frequency band can be used together to discriminate between binaries formed in isolation in galactic fields and those formed in dense stellar environments such as globular clusters. In this letter, we explore the orbital eccentricity and mass of binary-black-hole populations as they evolve through the LISA frequency band. Overall we find that there are two distinct populations discernible by LISA. We show that up to ~90% of binaries formed either dynamically or in isolation have eccentricities measurable by LISA. Finally, we note how measured eccentricities of low-mass binary black holes evolved in isolation could provide detailed constraints on the physics of black-hole natal kicks and common-envelope evolution.

  13. New spectroscopic binary companions of giant stars and updated metallicity distribution for binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bluhm, P.; Jones, M. I.; Vanzi, L.; Soto, M. G.; Vos, J.; Wittenmyer, R. A.; Drass, H.; Jenkins, J. S.; Olivares, F.; Mennickent, R. E.; Vučković, M.; Rojo, P.; Melo, C. H. F.

    2016-10-01

    We report the discovery of 24 spectroscopic binary companions to giant stars. We fully constrain the orbital solution for 6 of these systems. We cannot unambiguously derive the orbital elements for the remaining stars because the phase coverage is incomplete. Of these stars, 6 present radial velocity trends that are compatible with long-period brown dwarf companions. The orbital solutions of the 24 binary systems indicate that these giant binary systems have a wide range in orbital periods, eccentricities, and companion masses. For the binaries with restricted orbital solutions, we find a range of orbital periods of between ~97-1600 days and eccentricities of between ~0.1-0.4. In addition, we studied the metallicity distribution of single and binary giant stars. We computed the metallicity of a total of 395 evolved stars, 59 of wich are in binary systems. We find a flat distribution for these binary stars and therefore conclude that stellar binary systems, and potentially brown dwarfs, have a different formation mechanism than planets. This result is confirmed by recent works showing that extrasolar planets orbiting giants are more frequent around metal-rich stars. Finally, we investigate the eccentricity as a function of the orbital period. We analyzed a total of 130 spectroscopic binaries, including those presented here and systems from the literature. We find that most of the binary stars with periods ≲30 days have circular orbits, while at longer orbital periods we observe a wide spread in their eccentricities. Based on observations collected at La Silla - Paranal Observatory under programs IDs IDs 085.C-0557, 087.C.0476, 089.C-0524, 090.C-0345, 096.A-9020 and through the Chilean Telescope Time under programs IDs CN2012A-73, CN2012B-47, CN2013A-111, CN2013B-51, CN2014A-52 and CN2015A-48.

  14. GSFC Contributions to the NATO X-ray Astronomy Institute, Erice, July 1979. [X-ray spectra of supernova remants, galactic X-ray sources, active galactic nuclei, and clusters of galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holt, S. S.; Mushotzky, R. F.

    1979-01-01

    An overview of X-ray astronomical spectroscopy in general is presented and results obtained by HEAO 1 and 2 as well as earlier spacecraft are examined. Particular emphasis is given to the spectra of supernova remnants; galactic binary X-ray sources, cataclysmic variables, bulges, pulsars, and stars; the active nuclei of Seyfert 1 galaxy, BL Lac, and quasars; the diffuse X-ray background; and galactic clusters.

  15. Gravitational waves from binary supermassive black holes missing in pulsar observations.

    PubMed

    Shannon, R M; Ravi, V; Lentati, L T; Lasky, P D; Hobbs, G; Kerr, M; Manchester, R N; Coles, W A; Levin, Y; Bailes, M; Bhat, N D R; Burke-Spolaor, S; Dai, S; Keith, M J; Osłowski, S; Reardon, D J; van Straten, W; Toomey, L; Wang, J-B; Wen, L; Wyithe, J S B; Zhu, X-J

    2015-09-25

    Gravitational waves are expected to be radiated by supermassive black hole binaries formed during galaxy mergers. A stochastic superposition of gravitational waves from all such binary systems would modulate the arrival times of pulses from radio pulsars. Using observations of millisecond pulsars obtained with the Parkes radio telescope, we constrained the characteristic amplitude of this background, A(c,yr), to be <1.0 × 10(-15) with 95% confidence. This limit excludes predicted ranges for A(c,yr) from current models with 91 to 99.7% probability. We conclude that binary evolution is either stalled or dramatically accelerated by galactic-center environments and that higher-cadence and shorter-wavelength observations would be more sensitive to gravitational waves. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  16. Very Wide Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olling, Robert; Shaya, E.

    2011-01-01

    We develop Bayesian statistical methods for discovering and assigning probabilities to physical stellar companions. The probabilities depend on similarities in "corrected" proper motion, parallax, and the phase-space density of field stars. Very wide binaries with separations over 10,000 AU have recently been predicted to form during the dissolution process of low-mass star clusters. In this case, these wide systems would still carry information about the density and size of the star cluster in which they formed. Alternatively, Galactic tides and weak interactions with passing stars peel off stars from such very wide binaries in less than 1/2 of a Hubble time. In the past, these systems have been used to rule in/out MACHOs or less compact dark (matter) objects. Ours is the first all-sky survey to locate escaped companions that are still drifting along with each other, long after their binary bond has been broken. We test stars for companionship up to an apparent separation of 8 parsec: 10 to 100 times wider than previous searches. Among Hipparcos stars within 100 pc, we find about 260 systems with separations between 0.01 and 1 pc, and another 190 with separation from 1 to 8 parsec. We find a number of previously unnoticed naked-eye companions, among which: Capella & 50 Per; Alioth, Megrez & Alcor; gamma & tau Cen; phi Eri & eta Hor; 62 & 63 Cnc; gamma & tau Per; zeta & delta Hya; beta01, beta02 & beta03 Tuc; 44 & 58 Oph and pi & rho Cep. At least 15 of our candidates are exoplanet host stars.

  17. The Impact of Binary Companions on Planetary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraus, Adam L.; Ireland, Michael; Dupuy, Trent; Mann, Andrew; Huber, Daniel

    2018-01-01

    The majority of solar-type stars are found in binary systems, and the dynamical influence of binary companions is expected to profoundly influence planetary systems. However, the difficulty of identifying planets in binary systems has left the magnitude of this effect uncertain; despite numerous theoretical hurdles to their formation and survival, at least some binary systems clearly host planets. We present high-resolution imaging of nearly 500 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) obtained using adaptive-optics imaging and nonredundant aperture-mask interferometry on the Keck II telescope. We super-resolve some binary systems to projected separations of under 5 AU, showing that planets might form in these dynamically active environments. However, the full distribution of projected separations for our planet-host sample more broadly reveals a deep paucity of binary companions at solar-system scales. Our results demonstrate that a fifth of all solar-type stars in the Milky Way are disallowed from hosting planetary systems due to the influence of a binary companion. We now update these results with multi-epoch imaging to reject non-comoving background stars and securely identify even the least massive stellar companions, as well as tracing out the orbital motion of stellar companions. These results are beginning to reveal not just the fraction of binaries that do not host planets, but also potential explanations for planet survival even in some very close, dynamically active binary systems.

  18. Binary pulsars as probes of a Galactic dark matter disk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caputo, Andrea; Zavala, Jesús; Blas, Diego

    2018-03-01

    As a binary pulsar moves through a wind of dark matter particles, the resulting dynamical friction modifies the binary's orbit. We study this effect for the double disk dark matter (DDDM) scenario, where a fraction of the dark matter is dissipative and settles into a thin disk. For binaries within the dark disk, this effect is enhanced due to the higher dark matter density and lower velocity dispersion of the dark disk, and due to its co-rotation with the baryonic disk. We estimate the effect and compare it with observations for two different limits in the Knudsen number (Kn). First, in the case where DDDM is effectively collisionless within the characteristic scale of the binary (Kn ≫ 1) and ignoring the possible interaction between the pair of dark matter wakes. Second, in the fully collisional case (Kn ≪ 1), where a fluid description can be adopted and the interaction of the pair of wakes is taken into account. We find that the change in the orbital period is of the same order of magnitude in both limits. A comparison with observations reveals good prospects to probe currently allowed DDDM models with timing data from binary pulsars in the near future. We finally comment on the possibility of extending the analysis to the intermediate (rarefied gas) case with Kn ∼ 1.

  19. Refining Binary Pulsar B1913+16's Gravitational Wave Test via a VLBI Parallax Measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weisberg, Joel; Deller, Adam; Chatterjee, Shami; Nice, David

    2018-01-01

    The orbital decay of binary pulsar B1913+16 provided the first evidence of gravitational waves as predicted by General Relativity, and ruled out numerous previously viable alternative gravitational theories (e.g., Taylor & Weisberg, APJ, 253, 908, 1982). The gravitational wave emission and resulting orbital decay manifest themselves as an orbital period derivative. Subsequent observations (e.g., Weisberg and Huang 2016, APJ, 829, 55) have greatly refined the precision of the orbital period derivative measurement. The accuracy of the experiment is currently limited by our knowledge of the relative galactic accelerations of the binary and solar system barycenters, which make another contribution to the observed orbital period derivative. The magnitude of these accelerations depend on various galactic constants and on the pulsar distance.As our knowledge of the Galaxy and its motions has improved, the pulsar's distance has become the largest remaining source of uncertainty in the experiment.Therefore, we conducted a series of astrometric measurements of PSR B1913+16 with the Very Long Baseline Array. We report the pulsar parallax and distance derived from these measurements, and use them to correct our observed orbital period derivative for the above galactic acceleration term, thereby providing a more accurate test of gravitational radiation emission from the system.

  20. Tidal breakup of triple stars in the Galactic Centre

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fragione, Giacomo; Gualandris, Alessia

    2018-04-01

    The last decade has seen the detection of fast moving stars in the Galactic halo, the so-called hypervelocity stars (HVSs). While the bulk of this population is likely the result of a close encounter between a stellar binary and the supermassive black hole (MBH) in the Galactic Centre (GC), other mechanims may contribute fast stars to the sample. Few observed HVSs show apparent ages, which are shorter than the flight time from the GC, thereby making the binary disruption scenario unlikely. These stars may be the result of the breakup of a stellar triple in the GC, which led to the ejection of a hypervelocity binary (HVB). If such binary evolves into a blue straggler star due to internal processes after ejection, a rejuvenation is possible that make the star appear younger once detected in the halo. A triple disruption may also be responsible for the presence of HVBs, of which one candidate has now been observed. We present a numerical study of triple disruptions by the MBH in the GC and find that the most likely outcomes are the production of single HVSs and single/binary stars bound to the MBH, while the production of HVBs has a probability ≲ 1 per cent regardless of the initial parameters. Assuming a triple fraction of ≈ 10 per cent results in an ejection rate of ≲ 1 Gyr - 1, insufficient to explain the sample of HVSs with lifetimes shorter than their flight time. We conclude that alternative mechanisms are responsible for the origin of such objects and HVBs in general.

  1. Gravitational microlensing by double stars and planetary systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mao, Shunde; Paczynski, Bohdan

    1991-01-01

    Almost all stars are in binary systems. When the separation between the two components is comparable to the Einstein ring radius corresponding to the combined mass of the binary acting as a gravitational lens, then an extra pair of images can be created, and the light curve of a lensed source becomes complicated. It is estimated that about 10 percent of all lensing episodes of the Galactic bulge stars will strongly display the binary nature of the lens. The effect is strong even if the companion is a planet. A massive search for microlensing of the Galactic bulge stars may lead to a discovery of the first extrasolar planetary systems.

  2. Searches for Periodic Neutrino Emission from Binary Systems with 22 and 40 Strings of IceCube

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abassi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Allen, M. M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Recent observations of GeV /TeV photon emission from several X-ray binaries have sparked a renewed interest in these objects as galactic particle accelerators. In spite of the available multi-wavelength data, their acceleration mechanisms are not determined, and the nature of the accelerated particles (hadrons or leptons) is unknown. While much evidence favors leptonic emission, it is very likely that a hadronic component is also accelerated in the jets of these binary systems. The observation of neutrino emission would be clear evidence for the presence of a hadronic component in the outflow of these sources. In this paper we look for periodic neutrino emission from binary systems. Such modulation, observed in the photon flux, would be caused by the geometry of these systems. The results of two searches are presented that differ in the treatment of the spectral shape and phase of the emission. The 'generic' search allows parameters to vary freely and best fit values, in a 'model-dependent' search, predictions are used to constrain these parameters. We use the IceCube data taken from May 31, 2007 to April 5, 2008 with its 22-string configuration, and from April 5, 2008 and May 20, 2009 with its 40-string configuration. For the generic search and the 40 string sample, we find that the most significant source in the catalog of 7 binary stars is Cygnus X-3 with a 1.8% probability after trials (2.10" sigma one-sided) of being produced by statistical fluctuations of the background. The model-dependent method tested a range of system geometries - the inclination and the massive star's disk size - for LS I+61 deg 303, no significant excess was found.

  3. ILLUMINATING BLACK HOLE BINARY FORMATION CHANNELS WITH SPINS IN ADVANCED LIGO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rodriguez, Carl L.; Zevin, Michael; Pankow, Chris

    The recent detections of the binary black hole mergers GW150914 and GW151226 have inaugurated the field of gravitational-wave astronomy. For the two main formation channels that have been proposed for these sources, isolated binary evolution in galactic fields and dynamical formation in dense star clusters, the predicted masses and merger rates overlap significantly, complicating any astrophysical claims that rely on measured masses alone. Here, we examine the distribution of spin–orbit misalignments expected for binaries from the field and from dense star clusters. Under standard assumptions for black hole natal kicks, we find that black hole binaries similar to GW150914 couldmore » be formed with significant spin–orbit misalignment only through dynamical processes. In particular, these heavy-black hole binaries can only form with a significant spin–orbit anti -alignment in the dynamical channel. Our results suggest that future detections of merging black hole binaries with measurable spins will allow us to identify the main formation channel for these systems.« less

  4. A New Method for the Quick Determination of S-Type and P-Type Habitable Zones in Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zhaopeng; Cuntz, Manfred

    2017-01-01

    More than 3500 exoplanets have been confirmed nowadays, including a very large number of planets discovered by the Kepler mission. Additional exoplanets are expected to be found by ongoing missions as, e.g., K2 as well as future missions such as TESS. Exoplanets, especially terrestrial planets, located in stellar habitable zones are drawing great attention from the community and the public at large due to their potential for hosting alien life - a prospect that makes the adequate determination of stellar habitable zones an important goal of exoplanetary research. In the local Galactic neighborhood, binary systems occur relatively frequently. Thus, it is the aim of my presentation to offer a method for the quick determination for the existence of habitable zones in binaries. Therefore, fitting formulas for binary habitable zones regarding both S-type and P-type star-planet configurations are provided. Based on previous work in the literature, a joint constraint regarding radiative habitable zones and planetary orbital stability limits is used. Models of stellar habitable zones utilize updated computations for planetary climate models as given by Kopparapu et al. (2013, 2014) [ApJ 765, 131; ApJL 787, L29]. Cases studies showing the quality of the fit formulas, as well as applications to observed systems, are presented as well.

  5. The local nanohertz gravitational-wave landscape from supermassive black hole binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mingarelli, Chiara M. F.; Lazio, T. Joseph W.; Sesana, Alberto; Greene, Jenny E.; Ellis, Justin A.; Ma, Chung-Pei; Croft, Steve; Burke-Spolaor, Sarah; Taylor, Stephen R.

    2017-12-01

    Supermassive black hole binary systems form in galaxy mergers and reside in galactic nuclei with large and poorly constrained concentrations of gas and stars. These systems emit nanohertz gravitational waves that will be detectable by pulsar timing arrays. Here we estimate the properties of the local nanohertz gravitational-wave landscape that includes individual supermassive black hole binaries emitting continuous gravitational waves and the gravitational-wave background that they generate. Using the 2 Micron All-Sky Survey, together with galaxy merger rates from the Illustris simulation project, we find that there are on average 91 ± 7 continuous nanohertz gravitational-wave sources, and 7 ± 2 binaries that will never merge, within 225 Mpc. These local unresolved gravitational-wave sources can generate a departure from an isotropic gravitational-wave background at a level of about 20 per cent, and if the cosmic gravitational-wave background can be successfully isolated, gravitational waves from at least one local supermassive black hole binary could be detected in 10 years with pulsar timing arrays.

  6. Two New Long-period Hot Subdwarf Binaries with Dwarf Companions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barlow, Brad N.; Liss, Sandra E.; Wade, Richard A.; Green, Elizabeth M.

    2013-07-01

    Hot subdwarf stars with F-K main sequence binary companions have been known for decades, but the first orbital periods for such systems were published just recently. Current observations suggest that most have long periods, on the order of years, and that some are or once were hierarchical triple systems. As part of a survey with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, we have been monitoring the radial velocities of several composite-spectra binaries since 2005 in order to determine their periods, velocities, and eccentricities. Here we present observations and orbital solutions for two of these systems, PG 1449+653 and PG 1701+359. Similar to the other sdB+F/G/K binaries with solved orbits, their periods are long, 909 and 734 days, respectively, and pose a challenge to current binary population synthesis models of hot subdwarf stars. Intrigued by their relatively large systemic velocities, we also present a kinematical analysis of both targets and find that neither is likely a member of the Galactic thin disk. Based on observations obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, which is a joint project of the University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.

  7. Planetary nebula progenitors that swallow binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soker, Noam

    2016-01-01

    I propose that some irregular messy planetary nebulae (PNe) owe their morphologies to triple-stellar evolution where tight binary systems evolve inside and/or on the outskirts of the envelope of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. In some cases, the tight binary system can survive, in others, it is destroyed. The tight binary system might break up with one star leaving the system. In an alternative evolution, one of the stars of the broken-up tight binary system falls towards the AGB envelope with low specific angular momentum, and drowns in the envelope. In a different type of destruction process, the drag inside the AGB envelope causes the tight binary system to merge. This releases gravitational energy within the AGB envelope, leading to a very asymmetrical envelope ejection, with an irregular and messy PN as a descendant. The evolution of the triple-stellar system can be in a full common envelope evolution or in a grazing envelope evolution. Both before and after destruction (if destruction takes place), the system might launch pairs of opposite jets. One pronounced signature of triple-stellar evolution might be a large departure from axisymmetrical morphology of the descendant PN. I estimate that about one in eight non-spherical PNe is shaped by one of these triple-stellar evolutionary routes.

  8. Spectroscopic classification of X-ray sources in the Galactic Bulge Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wevers, T.; Torres, M. A. P.; Jonker, P. G.; Nelemans, G.; Heinke, C.; Mata Sánchez, D.; Johnson, C. B.; Gazer, R.; Steeghs, D. T. H.; Maccarone, T. J.; Hynes, R. I.; Casares, J.; Udalski, A.; Wetuski, J.; Britt, C. T.; Kostrzewa-Rutkowska, Z.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.

    2017-10-01

    We present the classification of 26 optical counterparts to X-ray sources discovered in the Galactic Bulge Survey. We use (time-resolved) photometric and spectroscopic observations to classify the X-ray sources based on their multiwavelength properties. We find a variety of source classes, spanning different phases of stellar/binary evolution. We classify CX21 as a quiescent cataclysmic variable (CV) below the period gap, and CX118 as a high accretion rate (nova-like) CV. CXB12 displays excess UV emission, and could contain a compact object with a giant star companion, making it a candidate symbiotic binary or quiescent low-mass X-ray binary (although other scenarios cannot be ruled out). CXB34 is a magnetic CV (polar) that shows photometric evidence for a change in accretion state. The magnetic classification is based on the detection of X-ray pulsations with a period of 81 ± 2 min. CXB42 is identified as a young stellar object, namely a weak-lined T Tauri star exhibiting (to date unexplained) UX Ori-like photometric variability. The optical spectrum of CXB43 contains two (resolved) unidentified double-peaked emission lines. No known scenario, such as an active galactic nucleus or symbiotic binary, can easily explain its characteristics. We additionally classify 20 objects as likely active stars based on optical spectroscopy, their X-ray to optical flux ratios and photometric variability. In four cases we identify the sources as binary stars.

  9. A millisecond pulsar in an extremely wide binary system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bassa, C. G.; Janssen, G. H.; Stappers, B. W.; Tauris, T. M.; Wevers, T.; Jonker, P. G.; Lentati, L.; Verbiest, J. P. W.; Desvignes, G.; Graikou, E.; Guillemot, L.; Freire, P. C. C.; Lazarus, P.; Caballero, R. N.; Champion, D. J.; Cognard, I.; Jessner, A.; Jordan, C.; Karuppusamy, R.; Kramer, M.; Lazaridis, K.; Lee, K. J.; Liu, K.; Lyne, A. G.; McKee, J.; Osłowski, S.; Perrodin, D.; Sanidas, S.; Shaifullah, G.; Smits, R.; Theureau, G.; Tiburzi, C.; Zhu, W. W.

    2016-08-01

    We report on 22 yr of radio timing observations of the millisecond pulsar J1024-0719 by the telescopes participating in the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA). These observations reveal a significant second derivative of the pulsar spin frequency and confirm the discrepancy between the parallax and Shklovskii distances that has been reported earlier. We also present optical astrometry, photometry and spectroscopy of 2MASS J10243869-0719190. We find that it is a low-metallicity main-sequence star (K7V spectral type, [M/H] = -1.0, Teff = 4050 ± 50 K) and that its position, proper motion and distance are consistent with those of PSR J1024-0719. We conclude that PSR J1024-0719 and 2MASS J10243869-0719190 form a common proper motion pair and are gravitationally bound. The gravitational interaction between the main-sequence star and the pulsar accounts for the spin frequency derivatives, which in turn resolves the distance discrepancy. Our observations suggest that the pulsar and main-sequence star are in an extremely wide (Pb > 200 yr) orbit. Combining the radial velocity of the companion and proper motion of the pulsar, we find that the binary system has a high spatial velocity of 384 ± 45 km s-1 with respect to the local standard of rest and has a Galactic orbit consistent with halo objects. Since the observed main-sequence companion star cannot have recycled the pulsar to millisecond spin periods, an exotic formation scenario is required. We demonstrate that this extremely wide-orbit binary could have evolved from a triple system that underwent an asymmetric supernova explosion, though find that significant fine-tuning during the explosion is required. Finally, we discuss the implications of the long period orbit on the timing stability of PSR J1024-0719 in light of its inclusion in pulsar timing arrays.

  10. Dielectric properties of grain-grainboundary binary system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Peng-Fei; Li, Sheng-Tao; Wang, Hui

    2014-09-01

    Dielectric properties of grain-grainboundary binary system are analyzed theoretically and compared with unary system and classical Maxwell-Wagner (MW) polarization in binary system. It is found that MW polarization appears at higher frequency compared with intrinsic polarization for grain-grainboundary binary system, which is abnormal compared with classical dielectric theory. This dielectric anomaly is premised on the existence of electronic relaxation at grainboundary. The origin of giant dielectric constant of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) ceramics is also investigated on the basis of the theoretical results. It is proposed that low frequency relaxation originates from electronic relaxation of oxygen vacancy at depletion layer, while high frequency relaxation comes from MW polarization. The results of this paper offer a quantitative identification of MW polarization from intrinsic polarization at grainboundary and a judgment of the mechanism and location of a certain polarization in grain-grainboundary binary system.

  11. Sizing up the population of gamma-ray binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubus, Guillaume; Guillard, Nicolas; Petrucci, Pierre-Olivier; Martin, Pierrick

    2017-12-01

    Context. Gamma-ray binaries are thought to be composed of a young pulsar in orbit around a massive O or Be star with their gamma-ray emission powered by pulsar spin-down. The number of such systems in our Galaxy is not known. Aims: We aim to estimate the total number of gamma-ray binaries in our Galaxy and to evaluate the prospects for new detections in the GeV and TeV energy range, taking into account that their gamma-ray emission is modulated on the orbital period. Methods: We modelled the population of gamma-ray binaries and evaluated the fraction of detected systems in surveys with the Fermi-LAT (GeV), H.E.S.S., HAWC and CTA (TeV) using observation-based and synthetic template light curves. Results: The detected fraction depends more on the orbit-average flux than on the light-curve shape. Our best estimate for the number of gamma-ray binaries is 101-52+89 systems. A handful of discoveries are expected by pursuing the Fermi-LAT survey. Discoveries in TeV surveys are less likely. However, this depends on the relative amounts of power emitted in GeV and TeV domains. There could be as many as ≈ 200 HESS J0632+057-like systems with a high ratio of TeV to GeV emission compared to other gamma-ray binaries. Statistics allow for as many as three discoveries in five years of HAWC observations and five discoveries in the first two years of the CTA Galactic Plane survey. Conclusions: We favour continued Fermi-LAT observations over ground-based TeV surveys to find new gamma-ray binaries. Gamma-ray observations are most sensitive to short orbital period systems with a high spin-down pulsar power. Radio pulsar surveys (SKA) are likely to be more efficient in detecting long orbital period systems, providing a complementary probe into the gamma-ray binary population.

  12. Discovery of carbon-rich Miras in the Galactic bulge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsunaga, Noriyuki; Menzies, John W.; Feast, Michael W.; Whitelock, Patricia A.; Onozato, Hiroki; Barway, Sudhanshu; Aydi, Elias

    2017-08-01

    Only one carbon-rich (C-rich, hereinafter) Mira variable has so far been suggested as a member of the Galactic bulge and this is in a symbiotic system. Here we describe a method for selecting C-rich candidates from an infrared colour-colour diagram, (J - Ks) versus ([9] - [18]). Follow-up low-resolution spectroscopy resulted in the detection of eight C-rich Mira variables from a sample of 36 candidates towards the Galactic bulge. Our near-infrared photometry indicates that two of these, including the known symbiotic, are closer than the main body of the bulge while a third is a known foreground object. Of the five bulge members, one shows He I and [O II] emission and is possibly another symbiotic star. Our method is useful for identifying rare C-rich stars in the Galactic bulge and elsewhere. The age of these C-rich stars and the evolutionary process which produced them remain uncertain. They could be old and the products of either binary mass transfer or mergers, I.e. the descendants of blue stragglers, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they belong to a small in situ population of metal-poor intermediate age (<5 Gyr) stars in the bulge or that they have been accreted from a dwarf galaxy.

  13. The first eclipsing binary catalogue from the MOA-II data base

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, M. C. A.; Rattenbury, N. J.; Bond, I. A.; Sumi, T.; Bennett, D. P.; Koshimoto, N.; Abe, F.; Asakura, Y.; Barry, R.; Bhattacharya, A.; Donachie, M.; Evans, P.; Freeman, M.; Fukui, A.; Hirao, Y.; Itow, Y.; Ling, C. H.; Masuda, K.; Matsubara, Y.; Muraki, Y.; Nagakane, M.; Ohnishi, K.; Saito, To.; Sharan, A.; Sullivan, D. J.; Suzuki, D.; Tristram, P. J.; Yonehara, A.

    2017-09-01

    We present the first catalogue of eclipsing binaries in two MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) fields towards the Galactic bulge, in which over 8000 candidates, mostly contact and semidetached binaries of periods <1 d, were identified. In this paper, the light curves of a small number of interesting candidates, including eccentric binaries, binaries with noteworthy phase modulations and eclipsing RS Canum Venaticorum type stars, are shown as examples. In addition, we identified three triple object candidates by detecting the light-travel-time effect in their eclipse time variation curves.

  14. Black Hole Mergers in Galactic Nuclei Induced by the Eccentric Kozai–Lidov Effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoang, Bao-Minh; Naoz, Smadar; Kocsis, Bence; Rasio, Frederic A.; Dosopoulou, Fani

    2018-04-01

    Nuclear star clusters around a central massive black hole (MBH) are expected to be abundant in stellar black hole (BH) remnants and BH–BH binaries. These binaries form a hierarchical triple system with the central MBH, and gravitational perturbations from the MBH can cause high-eccentricity excitation in the BH–BH binary orbit. During this process, the eccentricity may approach unity, and the pericenter distance may become sufficiently small so that gravitational-wave emission drives the BH–BH binary to merge. In this work, we construct a simple proof-of-concept model for this process, and specifically, we study the eccentric Kozai–Lidov mechanism in unequal-mass, soft BH–BH binaries. Our model is based on a set of Monte Carlo simulations for BH–BH binaries in galactic nuclei, taking into account quadrupole- and octupole-level secular perturbations, general relativistic precession, and gravitational-wave emission. For a typical steady-state number of BH–BH binaries, our model predicts a total merger rate of ∼1–3 {Gpc} ‑3 {yr} ‑1, depending on the assumed density profile in the nucleus. Thus, our mechanism could potentially compete with other dynamical formation processes for merging BH–BH binaries, such as the interactions of stellar BHs in globular clusters or in nuclear star clusters without an MBH.

  15. Constraining parameters of white-dwarf binaries using gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shah, Sweta; Nelemans, Gijs, E-mail: s.shah@astro.ru.nl

    The space-based gravitational wave (GW) detector, evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA) is expected to observe millions of compact Galactic binaries that populate our Milky Way. GW measurements obtained from the eLISA detector are in many cases complimentary to possible electromagnetic (EM) data. In our previous papers, we have shown that the EM data can significantly enhance our knowledge of the astrophysically relevant GW parameters of Galactic binaries, such as the amplitude and inclination. This is possible due to the presence of some strong correlations between GW parameters that are measurable by both EM and GW observations, for example, themore » inclination and sky position. In this paper, we quantify the constraints in the physical parameters of the white-dwarf binaries, i.e., the individual masses, chirp mass, and the distance to the source that can be obtained by combining the full set of EM measurements such as the inclination, radial velocities, distances, and/or individual masses with the GW measurements. We find the following 2σ fractional uncertainties in the parameters of interest. The EM observations of distance constrain the chirp mass to ∼15%-25%, whereas EM data of a single-lined spectroscopic binary constrain the secondary mass and the distance with factors of two to ∼40%. The single-line spectroscopic data complemented with distance constrains the secondary mass to ∼25%-30%. Finally, EM data on double-lined spectroscopic binary constrain the distance to ∼30%. All of these constraints depend on the inclination and the signal strength of the binary systems. We also find that the EM information on distance and/or the radial velocity are the most useful in improving the estimate of the secondary mass, inclination, and/or distance.« less

  16. Galactic Sources Detected in the NuSTAR Serendipitous Survey

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tomsick, John A.; Clavel, Maïca; Chiu, Jeng-Lun

    The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) provides an improvement in sensitivity at energies above 10 keV by two orders of magnitude over non-focusing satellites, making it possible to probe deeper into the Galaxy and universe. Lansbury and collaborators recently completed a catalog of 497 sources serendipitously detected in the 3–24 keV band using 13 deg{sup 2} of NuSTAR coverage. Here, we report on an optical and X-ray study of 16 Galactic sources in the catalog. We identify 8 of them as stars (but some or all could have binary companions), and use information from Gaia to report distances and X-ray luminositiesmore » for 3 of them. There are 4 CVs or CV candidates, and we argue that NuSTAR J233426–2343.9 is a relatively strong CV candidate based partly on an X-ray spectrum from XMM-Newton . NuSTAR J092418–3142.2, which is the brightest serendipitous source in the Lansbury catalog, and NuSTAR J073959–3147.8 are low-mass X-ray binary candidates, but it is also possible that these 2 sources are CVs. One of the sources is a known high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB), and NuSTAR J105008–5958.8 is a new HMXB candidate that has strong Balmer emission lines in its optical spectrum and a hard X-ray spectrum. We discuss the implications of finding these HMXBs for the surface density (log N –log S ) and luminosity function of Galactic HMXBs. We conclude that with the large fraction of unclassified sources in the Galactic plane detected by NuSTAR in the 8–24 keV band, there could be a significant population of low-luminosity HMXBs.« less

  17. The Ruinous Influence of Close Binary Companions on Planetary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraus, Adam L.; Ireland, Michael; Mann, Andrew; Huber, Daniel; Dupuy, Trent J.

    2017-01-01

    The majority of solar-type stars are found in binary systems, and the dynamical influence of binary companions is expected to profoundly influence planetary systems. However, the difficulty of identifying planets in binary systems has left the magnitude of this effect uncertain; despite numerous theoretical hurdles to their formation and survival, at least some binary systems clearly host planets. We present high-resolution imaging of nearly 500 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) obtained using adaptive-optics imaging and nonredundant aperture-mask interferometry on the Keck II telescope. We super-resolve some binary systems to projected separations of under 5 AU, showing that planets might form in these dynamically active environments. However, the full distribution of projected separations for our planet-host sample more broadly reveals a deep paucity of binary companions at solar-system scales. When the binary population is parametrized with a semimajor axis cutoff a cut and a suppression factor inside that cutoff S bin, we find with correlated uncertainties that inside acut = 47 +59/-23 AU, the planet occurrence rate in binary systems is only Sbin = 0.34 +0.14/-0.15 times that of wider binaries or single stars. Our results demonstrate that a fifth of all solar-type stars in the Milky Way are disallowed from hosting planetary systems due to the influence of a binary companion.

  18. The Ruinous Influence of Close Binary Companions on Planetary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraus, Adam L.; Ireland, Michael; Mann, Andrew; Huber, Daniel; Dupuy, Trent J.

    2017-06-01

    The majority of solar-type stars are found in binary systems, and the dynamical influence of binary companions is expected to profoundly influence planetary systems. However, the difficulty of identifying planets in binary systems has left the magnitude of this effect uncertain; despite numerous theoretical hurdles to their formation and survival, at least some binary systems clearly host planets. We present high-resolution imaging of nearly 500 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) obtained using adaptive-optics imaging and nonredundant aperture-mask interferometry on the Keck II telescope. We super-resolve some binary systems to projected separations of under 5 AU, showing that planets might form in these dynamically active environments. However, the full distribution of projected separations for our planet-host sample more broadly reveals a deep paucity of binary companions at solar-system scales. When the binary population is parametrized with a semimajor axis cutoff a cut and a suppression factor inside that cutoff S bin, we find with correlated uncertainties that inside acut = 47 +59/-23 AU, the planet occurrence rate in binary systems is only Sbin = 0.34+0.14/-0.15 times that of wider binaries or single stars. Our results demonstrate that a fifth of all solar-type stars in the Milky Way are disallowed from hosting planetary systems due to the influence of a binary companion.

  19. Monitoring the Galactic - Search for Hard X-Ray Transients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marshall, Francis

    Hard X-ray transients with fluxs from ~1 to ~30 mCrab are a common feature of the galactic plane with apparent concentrations in specific regions of the plane. Concentrations in the Scutum and Carina fields probably indicate an enhancement of Be X-ray binaries along the tangent direction of two spiral arms. The frequency of outbursts suggest that at any one time 1 or 2 transients are active in the Scutum field alone. We propose weekly scans of the galactic plane to understand this population of sources. The scans will also monitor about 50 already known sources with better spectral information than available with the ASM.

  20. Distinguishing between Formation Channels for Binary Black Holes with LISA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Breivik, Katelyn; Rodriguez, Carl L.; Larson, Shane L.; Kalogera, Vassiliki; Rasio, Frederic A.

    2016-10-01

    The recent detections of GW150914 and GW151226 imply an abundance of stellar-mass binary black hole (BBH) mergers in the local universe. While ground-based gravitational wave detectors are limited to observing the final moments before a binary merges, space-based detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), can observe binaries at lower orbital frequencies where such systems may still encode information about their formation histories. In particular, the orbital eccentricity and mass of BBHs in the LISA frequency band can be used together to discriminate between binaries formed in isolation in galactic fields and those formed in dense stellar environments such as globular clusters. In this letter, we explore the orbital eccentricity and mass of BBH populations as they evolve through the LISA frequency band. Overall we find that there are two distinct populations discernible by LISA. We show that up to ∼ 90 % of binaries formed either dynamically or in isolation have eccentricities that are measurable with LISA. Finally, we note how measured eccentricities of low-mass BBHs evolved in isolation could provide detailed constraints on the physics of black hole natal kicks and common-envelope evolution.

  1. Orbital Decay in Binaries with Evolved Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Meng; Arras, Phil; Weinberg, Nevin N.; Troup, Nicholas; Majewski, Steven R.

    2018-01-01

    Two mechanisms are often invoked to explain tidal friction in binary systems. The ``dynamical tide” is the resonant excitation of internal gravity waves by the tide, and their subsequent damping by nonlinear fluid processes or thermal diffusion. The ``equilibrium tide” refers to non-resonant excitation of fluid motion in the star’s convection zone, with damping by interaction with the turbulent eddies. There have been numerous studies of these processes in main sequence stars, but less so on the subgiant and red giant branches. Motivated by the newly discovered close binary systems in the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-1), we have performed calculations of both the dynamical and equilibrium tide processes for stars over a range of mass as the star’s cease core hydrogen burning and evolve to shell burning. Even for stars which had a radiative core on the main sequence, the dynamical tide may have very large amplitude in the newly radiative core in post-main sequence, giving rise to wave breaking. The resulting large dynamical tide dissipation rate is compared to the equilibrium tide, and the range of secondary masses and orbital periods over which rapid orbital decay may occur will be discussed, as well as applications to close APOGEE binaries.

  2. Gravitational waves from rotating neutron stars and compact binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wade, Leslie E., IV

    It is widely anticipated that the first direct detections of gravitational waves will be made by advanced gravitational-wave detectors, such as the two Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatories (LIGO) and the Virgo interferometer. In preparation for the advanced detector era, I have worked on both detection and post-detection efforts involving two gravitational wave sources: isolated rotating neutron stars (NSs) and compact binary coalescences (CBCs). My dissertation includes three main research projects: 1) a population synthesis study assessing the detectability of isolated NSs, 2) a CBC search for intermediate-mass black-hole binaries (IMBHBs), and 3) new methods for directly measuring the neutron-star (NS) equation of state (EOS). Direct detections of gravitational waves will enrich our current astrophysical knowledge. One such contribution will be through population synthesis of isolated NSs. My collaborators and I show that advanced gravitational-wave detectors can be used to constrain the properties of the Galactic NS population. Gravitational wave detections can also shine light on a currently mysterious astrophysical object: intermediate mass black holes. In developing the IMBHB search, we performed a mock data challenge where signals with total masses up to a few hundred solar masses were injected into recolored data from LIGO's sixth science run. Since this is the first time a matched filter search has been developed to search for IMBHBs, I discuss what was learned during the mock data challenge and how we plan to improve the search going forward. The final aspect of my dissertation focuses on important post-detection science. I present results for a new method of directly measuring the NS EOS. This is done by estimating the parameters of a 4-piece polytropic EOS model that matches theoretical EOS candidates to a few percent. We show that advanced detectors will be capable of measuring the NS radius to within a kilometer for stars with

  3. Brown Dwarf Binaries from Disintegrating Triple Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reipurth, Bo; Mikkola, Seppo

    2015-04-01

    Binaries in which both components are brown dwarfs (BDs) are being discovered at an increasing rate, and their properties may hold clues to their origin. We have carried out 200,000 N-body simulations of three identical stellar embryos with masses drawn from a Chabrier IMF and embedded in a molecular core. The bodies are initially non-hierarchical and undergo chaotic motions within the cloud core, while accreting using Bondi-Hoyle accretion. The coupling of dynamics and accretion often leads to one or two dominant bodies controlling the center of the cloud core, while banishing the other(s) to the lower-density outskirts, leading to stunted growth. Eventually each system transforms either to a bound hierarchical configuration or breaks apart into separate single and binary components. The orbital motion is followed for 100 Myr. In order to illustrate 200,000 end-states of such dynamical evolution with accretion, we introduce the “triple diagnostic diagram,” which plots two dimensionless numbers against each other, representing the binary mass ratio and the mass ratio of the third body to the total system mass. Numerous freefloating BD binaries are formed in these simulations, and statistical properties are derived. The separation distribution function is in good correspondence with observations, showing a steep rise at close separations, peaking around 13 AU and declining more gently, reaching zero at separations greater than 200 AU. Unresolved BD triple systems may appear as wider BD binaries. Mass ratios are strongly peaked toward unity, as observed, but this is partially due to the initial assumptions. Eccentricities gradually increase toward higher values, due to the lack of viscous interactions in the simulations, which would both shrink the orbits and decrease their eccentricities. Most newborn triple systems are unstable and while there are 9209 ejected BD binaries at 1 Myr, corresponding to about 4% of the 200,000 simulations, this number has grown to

  4. CAFÉ-BEANS: An exhaustive hunt for high-mass binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Negueruela, I.; Maíz-Apellániz, J.; Simón-Díaz, S.; Alfaro, E. J.; Herrero, A.; Alonso, J.; Barbá, R.; Lorenzo, J.; Marco, A.; Monguió, M.; Morrell, N.; Pellerin, A.; Sota, A.; Walborn, N. R.

    2015-05-01

    CAFÉ-BEANS is an on-going survey running on the 2.2 m telescope at Calar Alto. For more than two years, CAFÉ-BEANS has been collecting high-resolution spectra of early-type stars with the aim of detecting and characterising spectroscopic binaries. The main goal of this project is a thorough characterisation of multiplicity in high-mass stars by detecting all spectroscopic and visual binaries in a large sample of Galactic O-type stars, and solving their orbits. Our final objective is eliminating all biases in the high-mass-star IMF created by undetected binaries.

  5. Dynamical evolution of young binaries and multiple systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reipurth, B.

    Most stars, and perhaps all, are born in small multiple systems whose components interact, leading to chaotic dynamic behavior. Some components are ejected, either into distant orbits or into outright escapes, while the remaining components form temporary and eventually permanent binary systems. More than half of all such breakups of multiple systems occur during the protostellar phase, leading to the occasional ejection of protostars outside their nascent cloud cores. Such orphaned protostars are observed as wide companions to embedded protostars, and thus allow the direct study of protostellar objects. Dynamic interactions during early stellar evolution explain the shape and enormous width of the separation distribution function of binaries, from close spectroscopic binaries to the widest binaries.

  6. Chandra Finds Evidence for Swarm of Black Holes Near the Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2005-01-01

    A swarm of 10,000 or more black holes may be orbiting the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, according to new results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This would represent the highest concentration of black holes anywhere in the Galaxy. These relatively small, stellar-mass black holes, along with neutron stars, appear to have migrated into the Galactic Center over the course of several billion years. Such a dense stellar graveyard has been predicted for years, and this represents the best evidence to date of its existence. The Chandra data may also help astronomers better understand how the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way grows. The discovery was made as part of Chandra's ongoing program of monitoring the region around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It was announced today by Michael Muno of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in San Diego, CA. Animation: Sequence Showing Evidence of Black Hole Swarm in Context Animation: Sequence Showing Evidence of Black Hole Swarm in Context Among the thousands of X-ray sources detected within 70 light years of Sgr A*, Muno and his colleagues searched for those most likely to be active black holes and neutron stars by selecting only the brightest sources that also exhibited large variations in their X-ray output. These characteristics identify black holes and neutron stars that are in binary star systems and are pulling matter from nearby companion stars. Of the seven sources that met these criteria, four are within three light years of Sgr A*. "Although the region around Sgr A* is crowded with stars, we expected that there was only a 20 percent chance that we would find even one X-ray binary within a three-light-year radius," said Muno. "The observed high concentration of these sources implies that a huge number of black holes and neutron stars have gathered in the center of the

  7. X-ray bursters and the X-ray sources of the galactic bulge

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lewin, W. H. G.; Joss, P. C.

    1980-01-01

    Type 1 X-ray bursts, optical, infrared, and radio properties of the galactic bulge sources, are discussed. It was proven that these burst sources are neutron stars in low mass, close binary stellar systems. Several burst sources are found in globular clusters with high central densities. Optical type 1 X-ray bursts were observed from three sources. Type 2 X-ray bursts, observed from the Rapid Burster, are due to an accretion instability which converts gravitational potential energy into heat and radiation, which makes them of a fundamentally different nature from Type 1 bursts.

  8. Late type close binary system CM Dra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalomeni, Belinda

    2015-08-01

    In this study, we present new observations of the close binary system CM Dra. We analyzed all the available data of the system and estimated the physical parameters of the system stars highly accurately. Using the newly obtained parameters the distance of the system is determined to be 11.6 pc. A possible giant planet orbiting the close binary system has been detected. This orbital period would likely make it one of the longest known orbital period planet.

  9. The formation of high-mass binary star systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lund, Kristin; Bonnell, Ian A.

    2018-06-01

    We develop a semi-analytic model to investigate how accretion onto wide low-mass binary stars can result in a close high-mass binary system. The key ingredient is to allow mass accretion while limiting the gain in angular momentum. We envision this process as being regulated by an external magnetic field during infall. Molecular clouds are made to collapse spherically with material either accreting onto the stars or settling in a disk. Our aim is to determine what initial conditions are needed for the resulting binary to be both massive and close. Whether material accretes, and what happens to the binary separation as a result, depends on the relative size of its specific angular momentum, compared to the specific angular momentum of the binary. When we add a magnetic field we are introducing a torque to the system which is capable of stripping the molecular cloud of some of its angular momentum, and consequently easing the formation of high-mass binaries. Our results suggest that clouds in excess of 1000 M⊙ and radii of 0.5 pc or larger, can easily form binary systems with masses in excess of 25 M⊙ and separations of order 10 R⊙ with magnetic fields of order 100 μG (mass-to-flux ratios of order 5).

  10. A spectroscopic binary in the Hercules dwarf spheroidal galaxy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Koch, Andreas; Hansen, Terese; Feltzing, Sofia

    2014-01-01

    We present the radial velocity curve of a single-lined spectroscopic binary in the faint Hercules dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, based on 34 individual spectra covering more than 2 yr of observations. This is the first time that orbital elements could be derived for a binary in a dSph. The system consists of a metal-poor red giant and a low-mass companion, possibly a white dwarf, with a 135 day period in a moderately eccentric (e = 0.18) orbit. Its period and eccentricity are fully consistent with metal-poor binaries in the Galactic halo, while the projected semimajor axis is small, at a{submore » p} sin i = 38 R {sub ☉}. In fact, a very close orbit could inhibit the production of heavier elements through s-process nucleosynthesis, leading to the very low abundances of neutron-capture elements that are found in this star. We discuss the further implications for the chemical enrichment history of the Hercules dSph, but find no compelling binary scenario that could reasonably explain the full, peculiar abundance pattern of the Hercules dSph galaxy.« less

  11. Mass loss from interacting close binary systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Plavec, M. J.

    1981-01-01

    The three well-defined classes of evolved binary systems that show evidence of present and/or past mass loss are the cataclysmic variables, the Algols, and Wolf-Rayet stars. It is thought that the transformation of supergiant binary systems into the very short-period cataclysmic variables must have been a complex process. The new evidence that has recently been obtained from the far ultraviolet spectra that a certain subclass of the Algols (the Serpentids) are undergoing fairly rapid evolution is discussed. It is thought probable that the remarkable mass outflow observed in them is connected with a strong wind powered by accretion. The origin of the circumbinary clouds or flat disks that probably surround many strongly interacting binaries is not clear. Attention is also given to binary systems with hot white dwarf or subdwarf components, such as the symbiotic objects and the BQ stars; it is noted that in them both components may be prone to an enhanced stellar wind.

  12. KOI-3278: a self-lensing binary star system.

    PubMed

    Kruse, Ethan; Agol, Eric

    2014-04-18

    Over 40% of Sun-like stars are bound in binary or multistar systems. Stellar remnants in edge-on binary systems can gravitationally magnify their companions, as predicted 40 years ago. By using data from the Kepler spacecraft, we report the detection of such a "self-lensing" system, in which a 5-hour pulse of 0.1% amplitude occurs every orbital period. The white dwarf stellar remnant and its Sun-like companion orbit one another every 88.18 days, a long period for a white dwarf-eclipsing binary. By modeling the pulse as gravitational magnification (microlensing) along with Kepler's laws and stellar models, we constrain the mass of the white dwarf to be ~63% of the mass of our Sun. Further study of this system, and any others discovered like it, will help to constrain the physics of white dwarfs and binary star evolution.

  13. Effects of variability of X-ray binaries on the X-ray luminosity functions of Milky Way

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Islam, Nazma; Paul, Biswajit

    2016-08-01

    The X-ray luminosity functions of galaxies have become a useful tool for population studies of X-ray binaries in them. The availability of long term light-curves of X-ray binaries with the All Sky X-ray Monitors opens up the possibility of constructing X-ray luminosity functions, by also including the intensity variation effects of the galactic X-ray binaries. We have constructed multiple realizations of the X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) of Milky Way, using the long term light-curves of sources obtained in the 2-10 keV energy band with the RXTE-ASM. The observed spread seen in the value of slope of both HMXB and LMXB XLFs are due to inclusion of variable luminosities of X-ray binaries in construction of these XLFs as well as finite sample effects. XLFs constructed for galactic HMXBs in the luminosity range 1036-1039 erg/sec is described by a power-law model with a mean power-law index of -0.48 and a spread due to variability of HMXBs as 0.19. XLFs constructed for galactic LMXBs in the luminosity range 1036-1039 erg/sec has a shape of cut-off power-law with mean power-law index of -0.31 and a spread due to variability of LMXBs as 0.07.

  14. The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems.

    PubMed

    Postnov, Konstantin A; Yungelson, Lev R

    2014-01-01

    We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Mergings of compact-star binaries are expected to be the most important sources for forthcoming gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy. In the first part of the review, we discuss observational manifestations of close binaries with NS and/or BH components and their merger rate, crucial points in the formation and evolution of compact stars in binary systems, including the treatment of the natal kicks, which NSs and BHs acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution, which are most relevant to the merging rates of NS-NS, NS-BH and BH-BH binaries. The second part of the review is devoted mainly to the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations, including their role as progenitors of cosmologically-important thermonuclear SN Ia. We also consider AM CVn-stars, which are thought to be the best verification binary GW sources for future low-frequency GW space interferometers.

  15. Low-mass X-ray binaries from black hole retaining globular clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giesler, Matthew; Clausen, Drew; Ott, Christian D.

    2018-06-01

    Recent studies suggest that globular clusters (GCs) may retain a substantial population of stellar-mass black holes (BHs), in contrast to the long-held belief of a few to zero BHs. We model the population of BH low-mass X-ray binaries (BH-LMXBs), an ideal observable proxy for elusive single BHs, produced from a representative group of Milky Way GCs with variable BH populations. We simulate the formation of BH binaries in GCs through exchange interactions between binary and single stars in the company of tens to hundreds of BHs. Additionally, we consider the impact of the BH population on the rate of compact binaries undergoing gravitational wave driven mergers. The characteristics of the BH-LMXB population and binary properties are sensitive to the GCs structural parameters as well as its unobservable BH population. We find that GCs retaining ˜1000 BHs produce a galactic population of ˜150 ejected BH-LMXBs, whereas GCs retaining only ˜20 BHs produce zero ejected BH-LMXBs. Moreover, we explore the possibility that some of the presently known BH-LMXBs might have originated in GCs and identify five candidate systems.

  16. Masses of the Planetary Nebula Central Stars in the Galactic Globular Cluster System from HST Imaging and Spectroscopy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jacoby, George H.; Marco, Orsola De; Davies, James

    The globular cluster (GC) system of our Galaxy contains four planetary nebulae (PNe): K 648 (or Ps 1) in M15, IRAS 18333-2357 in M22, JaFu 1 in Pal 6, and JaFu 2 in NGC 6441. Because single-star evolution at the low stellar mass of present-epoch GCs was considered incapable of producing visible PNe, their origin presented a puzzle. We imaged the PN JaFu 1 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to obtain photometry of its central star (CS) and high-resolution morphological information. We imaged IRAS 18333-2357 with better depth and resolution, and we analyzed its archival HST spectra to constrainmore » its CS temperature and luminosity. All PNe in Galactic GCs now have quality HST data, allowing us to improve CS mass estimates. We find reasonably consistent masses between 0.53 and 0.58 M {sub ⊙} for all four objects, though estimates vary when adopting different stellar evolutionary calculations. The CS mass of IRAS 18333-2357, though, depends strongly on its temperature, which remains elusive due to reddening uncertainties. For all four objects, we consider their CS and nebula masses, their morphologies, and other incongruities to assess the likelihood that these objects formed from binary stars. Although generally limited by uncertainties (∼0.02 M {sub ⊙}) in post-AGB tracks and core mass versus luminosity relations, the high-mass CS in K 648 indicates a binary origin. The CS of JaFu 1 exhibits compact, bright [O iii] and H α emission, like EGB 6, suggesting a binary companion or disk. Evidence is weaker for a binary origin of JaFu 2.« less

  17. UNDERSTANDING X-RAY STARS:. The Discovery of Binary X-ray Sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schreier, E. J.; Tananbaum, H.

    2000-09-01

    The discovery of binary X-ray sources with UHURU introduced many new concepts to astronomy. It provided the canonical model which explained X-ray emission from a large class of galactic X-ray sources: it confirmed the existence of collapsed objects as the source of intense X-ray emission; showed that such collapsed objects existed in binary systems, with mass accretion as the energy source for the X-ray emission; and provided compelling evidence for the existence of black holes. This model also provided the basis for explaining the power source of AGNs and QSOs. The process of discovery and interpretation also established X-ray astronomy as an essential sub-discipline of astronomy, beginning its incorporation into the mainstream of astronomy.

  18. THE STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION OF ULTRA-FAINT DWARF GALAXIES: EVIDENCE FOR IMF VARIATIONS WITH GALACTIC ENVIRONMENT

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Geha, Marla; Brown, Thomas M.; Tumlinson, Jason

    2013-07-01

    We present constraints on the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in two ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies, Hercules and Leo IV, based on deep Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging. The Hercules and Leo IV galaxies are extremely low luminosity (M{sub V} = -6.2, -5.5), metal-poor (([Fe/H]) = -2.4, -2.5) systems that have old stellar populations (>11 Gyr). Because they have long relaxation times, we can directly measure the low-mass stellar IMF by counting stars below the main-sequence turnoff without correcting for dynamical evolution. Over the stellar mass range probed by our data, 0.52-0.77 M{sub Sun }, the IMFmore » is best fit by a power-law slope of {alpha}= 1.2{sub -0.5}{sup +0.4} for Hercules and {alpha} = 1.3 {+-} 0.8 for Leo IV. For Hercules, the IMF slope is more shallow than a Salpeter ({alpha} = 2.35) IMF at the 5.8{sigma} level, and a Kroupa ({alpha} = 2.3 above 0.5 M{sub Sun }) IMF slope at 5.4{sigma} level. We simultaneously fit for the binary fraction, f{sub binary}, finding f{sub binary}= 0.47{sup +0.16}{sub -0.14} for Hercules, and 0.47{sup +0.37}{sub -0.17} for Leo IV. The UFD binary fractions are consistent with that inferred for Milky Way stars in the same mass range, despite very different metallicities. In contrast, the IMF slopes in the UFDs are shallower than other galactic environments. In the mass range 0.5-0.8 M{sub Sun }, we see a trend across the handful of galaxies with directly measured IMFs such that the power-law slopes become shallower (more bottom-light) with decreasing galactic velocity dispersion and metallicity. This trend is qualitatively consistent with results in elliptical galaxies inferred via indirect methods and is direct evidence for IMF variations with galactic environment.« less

  19. The Galactic Distribution of Planets via Spitzer Microlensing Parallax

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gould, Andrew; Yee, Jennifer; Carey, Sean; Shvartzvald, Yossi

    2018-05-01

    We will measure the Galactic distribution of planets by obtaining 'microlens parallaxes' of about 200 events, including 3 planetary events, from the comparison of microlens lightcurves observed from Spitzer and Earth, which are separated by >1.5 AU in projection. The proposed observations are part of a campaign that we have conducted with Spitzer since 2014. The planets expected to be identified in this campaign when combined with previous work will yield a first statistically significant measurement of the frequency of planets in the Galactic bulge versus the Galactic disk. As we have demonstrated in three previous programs, the difference in these lightcurves yields both the 'microlens parallax' (ratio of the lens-source relative parallax) to the Einstein radius, and the direction of lens-source relative motion. For planetary events, this measurement directly yields the mass and distance of the planet. This proposal is significantly more sensitive to planets than previous work because it takes advantage of the KMTNet observing strategy that covers >85 sq.deg t >0.4/hr cadence, 24/7 from 3 southern observatories and a alert system KMTNet is implementing for 2019. This same observing program also provides a unique probe of dark objects. It will yield an improved measurement of the isolated-brown-dwarf mass function. Thirteen percent of the observations will specifically target binaries, which will probe systems with dark components (brown dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes) that are difficult or impossible to investigate by other methods. The observations and methods from this work are a test bed for WFIRST microlensing.

  20. Flip-flopping binary black holes.

    PubMed

    Lousto, Carlos O; Healy, James

    2015-04-10

    We study binary spinning black holes to display the long term individual spin dynamics. We perform a full numerical simulation starting at an initial proper separation of d≈25M between equal mass holes and evolve them down to merger for nearly 48 orbits, 3 precession cycles, and half of a flip-flop cycle. The simulation lasts for t=20 000M and displays a total change in the orientation of the spin of one of the black holes from an initial alignment with the orbital angular momentum to a complete antialignment after half of a flip-flop cycle. We compare this evolution with an integration of the 3.5 post-Newtonian equations of motion and spin evolution to show that this process continuously flip flops the spin during the lifetime of the binary until merger. We also provide lower order analytic expressions for the maximum flip-flop angle and frequency. We discuss the effects this dynamics may have on spin growth in accreting binaries and on the observational consequences for galactic and supermassive binary black holes.

  1. Tidal evolution in close binary systems.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kopal, Z.

    1972-01-01

    Mathematical outline of the theory of tidal evolution in close binary systems of secularly constant total momentum. Following a general outline of the problem the basic expressions for the energy and momenta of close binaries consisting of components of arbitrary internal structure are established, and the maximum and minimum values of the energy (kinetic and potential) which such systems can attain for a given amount of total momentum are investigated. These results are compared with the actual facts encountered in binaries with components whose internal structure (and, therefore, rotational momenta) are known from evidence furnished by the observed rates of apsidal advance. The results show that all such systems whether of detached or semidetached type - disclose that more than 99% of their total momenta are stored in the orbital momentum. The sum of the rotational momenta of the constituent components amounts to less than 1% of the total -a situation characteristic of a state close to the minimum energy for given total momentum.

  2. Equilibrium, stability, and orbital evolution of close binary systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lai, Dong; Rasio, Frederic A.; Shapiro, Stuart L.

    1994-01-01

    We present a new analytic study of the equilibrium and stability properties of close binary systems containing polytropic components. Our method is based on the use of ellipsoidal trial functions in an energy variational principle. We consider both synchronized and nonsynchronized systems, constructing the compressible generalizations of the classical Darwin and Darwin-Riemann configurations. Our method can be applied to a wide variety of binary models where the stellar masses, radii, spins, entropies, and polytropic indices are all allowed to vary over wide ranges and independently for each component. We find that both secular and dynamical instabilities can develop before a Roche limit or contact is reached along a sequence of models with decreasing binary separation. High incompressibility always makes a given binary system more susceptible to these instabilities, but the dependence on the mass ratio is more complicated. As simple applications, we construct models of double degenerate systems and of low-mass main-sequence star binaries. We also discuss the orbital evoltuion of close binary systems under the combined influence of fluid viscosity and secular angular momentum losses from processes like gravitational radiation. We show that the existence of global fluid instabilities can have a profound effect on the terminal evolution of coalescing binaries. The validity of our analytic solutions is examined by means of detailed comparisons with the results of recent numerical fluid calculations in three dimensions.

  3. Are Binary Separations related to their System Mass?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sterzik, M. F.; Durisen, R. H.

    2004-08-01

    We compile most recent multiplicity fractions and binary separation distributions for different primary masses, including very low-mass and brown dwarf primaries, and compare them with dynamical decay models of small-N clusters. The model predictions are based on detailed numerical calculations of the internal cluster dynamics, as well as on Monte-Carlo methods. Both observations and models reflect the same trends: (1) The multiplicity fraction is an increasing function of the primary mass. (2) The mean binary separations are increasing with the system mass in the sense that very low-mass binaries have average separations around ≈ 4AU, while the binary separation distribution for solar-type primaries peaks at ≈ 40AU. M-type binary systems apparently preferentially populate intermediate separations. Similar specific energy at the time of cluster formation for all cluster masses can possibly explain this trend.

  4. New Eclipsing Contact Binary System in Auriga

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Austin, S. J.; Robertson, J. W.; Justice, C.; Campbell, R. T.; Hoskins, J.

    2004-05-01

    We present data on a newly discovered eclipsing binary system. The serendipitous discovery of this variable star was made by J.W. Robertson analyzing inhomogeneous ensemble photometry of stars in the field of the cataclysmic variable FS Aurigae from Indiana University RoboScope data. We obtained differential time-series BVR photometry during 2003 of this field variable using an ensemble of telescopes including the university observatories at ATU, UCA and joint ventures with amateur observatories in the state of Arkansas (Whispering Pines Observatory and Nubbin Ridge Observatory). The orbital period of this eclipsing system is 0.2508 days. The B-V light curve indicates colors of 1.2 around quadrature, to nearly 1.4 at primary eclipse. Binary star light curve models that best fit the BVR differential photometry suggest that the system is a contact binary overfilling the inner Roche Lobe by 12%, a primary component with a temperature of 4350K, a secondary component with a temperature of 3500K, a mass ratio of 0.37, and an inclination of 83 degrees. We present BVR light curves, an ephemeris, and best fit model parameters for the physical characteristics of this new eclipsing binary system.

  5. Planetary Formation and Dynamics in Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, J. W.

    2013-01-01

    As of today, over 500 exoplanets have been detected since the first exoplanet was discovered around a solar-like star in 1995. The planets in binaries could be common as stars are usually born in binary or multiple star systems. Although current observations show that the planet host rate in multiple star systems is around 17%, this fraction should be considered as a lower limit because of noticeable selection effects against binaries in planet searches. Most of the current known planet-bearing binary systems are S-types, meaning the companion star acts as a distant satellite, typically orbiting the inner star-planet system over 100 AU away. Nevertheless, there are four systems with a smaller separation of 20 AU, including the Gamma Cephei, GJ 86, HD 41004, and HD 196885. In addition to the planets in circumprimary (S-type) orbits discussed above, planets in circumbinary (P-type) orbits have been found in only two systems. In this thesis, we mainly study the planet formation in the S-type binary systems. In chapter 1, we first summarize current observational facts of exoplanets both in single-star and binary systems, then review the theoretical models of planet formation, with special attention to the application in binary systems. Perturbative effects from stellar companions render the planet formation process in binary systems even more complex than that in single-star systems. The perturbations from a binary companion can excite planetesimal orbits, and increase their mutual impact velocities to the values that might exceed their escape velocity or even the critical velocity for the onset of eroding collisions. The intermediate stage of the formation process---from planetesimals to planetary embryos---is thus the most problematic. In the following chapters, we investigate whether and how the planet formation goes through such a problematic stage. In chapter 2, we study the effects of gas dissipation on the planetesimals' mutual accretion. We find that in a

  6. Binary Black Hole Mergers from Globular Clusters: Implications for Advanced LIGO.

    PubMed

    Rodriguez, Carl L; Morscher, Meagan; Pattabiraman, Bharath; Chatterjee, Sourav; Haster, Carl-Johan; Rasio, Frederic A

    2015-07-31

    The predicted rate of binary black hole mergers from galactic fields can vary over several orders of magnitude and is extremely sensitive to the assumptions of stellar evolution. But in dense stellar environments such as globular clusters, binary black holes form by well-understood gravitational interactions. In this Letter, we study the formation of black hole binaries in an extensive collection of realistic globular cluster models. By comparing these models to observed Milky Way and extragalactic globular clusters, we find that the mergers of dynamically formed binaries could be detected at a rate of ∼100 per year, potentially dominating the binary black hole merger rate. We also find that a majority of cluster-formed binaries are more massive than their field-formed counterparts, suggesting that Advanced LIGO could identify certain binaries as originating from dense stellar environments.

  7. DISCOVERY OF EXTENDED AND VARIABLE RADIO STRUCTURE FROM THE GAMMA-RAY BINARY SYSTEM PSR B1259-63/LS 2883

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Moldon, Javier; Ribo, Marc; Paredes, Josep M.

    2011-05-01

    PSR B1259-63 is a 48 ms pulsar in a highly eccentric 3.4 year orbit around the young massive star LS 2883. During the periastron passage the system displays transient non-thermal unpulsed emission from radio to very high energy gamma rays. It is one of the three galactic binary systems clearly detected at TeV energies, together with LS 5039 and LS I +61 303. We observed PSR B1259-63 after the 2007 periastron passage with the Australian Long Baseline Array at 2.3 GHz to trace the milliarcsecond (mas) structure of the source at three different epochs. We have discovered extended and variablemore » radio structure. The peak of the radio emission is detected outside the binary system near periastron, at projected distances of 10-20 mas (25-45 AU assuming a distance of 2.3 kpc). The total extent of the emission is {approx}50 mas ({approx}120 AU). This is the first observational evidence that non-accreting pulsars orbiting massive stars can produce variable extended radio emission at AU scales. Similar structures are also seen in LS 5039 and LS I +61 303, in which the nature of the compact object is unknown. The discovery presented here for the young non-accreting pulsar PSR B1259-63 reinforces the link with these two sources and supports the presence of pulsars in these systems as well. A simple kinematical model considering only a spherical stellar wind can approximately trace the extended structures if the binary system orbit has a longitude of the ascending node of {Omega} {approx} -40{sup 0} and a magnetization parameter of {sigma} {approx} 0.005.« less

  8. The disruption of multiplanet systems through resonance with a binary orbit.

    PubMed

    Touma, Jihad R; Sridhar, S

    2015-08-27

    Most exoplanetary systems in binary stars are of S-type, and consist of one or more planets orbiting a primary star with a wide binary stellar companion. Planetary eccentricities and mutual inclinations can be large, perhaps forced gravitationally by the binary companion. Earlier work on single planet systems appealed to the Kozai-Lidov instability wherein a sufficiently inclined binary orbit excites large-amplitude oscillations in the planet's eccentricity and inclination. The instability, however, can be quenched by many agents that induce fast orbital precession, including mutual gravitational forces in a multiplanet system. Here we report that orbital precession, which inhibits Kozai-Lidov cycling in a multiplanet system, can become fast enough to resonate with the orbital motion of a distant binary companion. Resonant binary forcing results in dramatic outcomes ranging from the excitation of large planetary eccentricities and mutual inclinations to total disruption. Processes such as planetary migration can bring an initially non-resonant system into resonance. As it does not require special physical or initial conditions, binary resonant driving is generic and may have altered the architecture of many multiplanet systems. It can also weaken the multiplanet occurrence rate in wide binaries, and affect planet formation in close binaries.

  9. Physical Structure of Four Symbiotic Binaries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kenyon, Scott J. (Principal Investigator)

    1997-01-01

    Disk accretion powers many astronomical objects, including pre-main sequence stars, interacting binary systems, and active galactic nuclei. Unfortunately, models developed to explain the behavior of disks and their surroundings - boundary layers, jets, and winds - lack much predictive power, because the physical mechanism driving disk evolution - the viscosity - is not understood. Observations of many types of accreting systems are needed to constrain the basic physics of disks and provide input for improved models. Symbiotic stars are an attractive laboratory for studying physical phenomena associated with disk accretion. These long period binaries (P(sub orb) approx. 2-3 yr) contain an evolved red giant star, a hot companion, and an ionized nebula. The secondary star usually is a white dwarf accreting material from the wind of its red giant companion. A good example of this type of symbiotic is BF Cygni: our analysis shows that disk accretion powers the nuclear burning shell of the hot white dwarf and also manages to eject material perpendicular to the orbital plane (Mikolajewska, Kenyon, and Mikolajewski 1989). The hot components in other symbiotic binaries appear powered by tidal overflow from a very evolved red giant companion. We recently completed a study of CI Cygni and demonstrated that the accreting secondary is a solar-type main sequence star, rather than a white dwarf (Kenyon et aL 1991). This project continued our study of symbiotic binary systems. Our general plan was to combine archival ultraviolet and optical spectrophotometry with high quality optical radial velocity observations to determine the variation of line and continuum sources as functions of orbital phase. We were very successful in generating orbital solutions and phasing UV+optical spectra for five systems: AG Dra, V443 Her, RW Hya, AG Peg, and AX Per. Summaries of our main results for these systems appear below. A second goal of our project was to consider general models for the

  10. SDSS-IV MaNGA: Galaxy Pair Fraction and Correlated Active Galactic Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Hai; Steffen, Joshua L.; Gross, Arran C.; Dai, Y. Sophia; Isbell, Jacob W.; Lin, Lihwai; Wake, David; Xue, Rui; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Pan, Kaike

    2018-04-01

    We have identified 105 galaxy pairs at z ∼ 0.04 with the MaNGA integral-field spectroscopic data. The pairs have projected separations between 1 and 30 kpc, and are selected to have radial velocity offsets less than 600 km s‑1 and stellar mass ratio between 0.1 and 1. The pair fraction increases with both the physical size of the integral-field unit and the stellar mass, consistent with theoretical expectations. We provide the best-fit analytical function of the pair fraction and find that ∼3% of M* galaxies are in close pairs. For both isolated galaxies and paired galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are selected using emission-line ratios and Hα equivalent widths measured inside apertures at a fixed physical size. We find AGNs in ∼24% of the paired galaxies and binary AGNs in ∼13% of the pairs. To account for the selection biases in both the pair sample and the MaNGA sample, we compare the AGN comoving volume densities with those expected from the mass- and redshift-dependent AGN fractions. We find a strong (∼5×) excess of binary AGNs over random pairing and a mild (∼20%) deficit of single AGNs. The binary AGN excess increases from ∼2× to ∼6× as the projected separation decreases from 10–30 to 1–10 kpc. Our results indicate that the pairing of galaxies preserves the AGN duty cycle in individual galaxies but increases the population of binary AGNs through correlated activities. We suggest tidally induced galactic-scale shocks and AGN cross-ionization as two plausible channels to produce low-luminosity narrow-line-selected binary AGNs.

  11. An elevation of 0.1 light-seconds for the optical jet base in an accreting Galactic black hole system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gandhi, P.; Bachetti, M.; Dhillon, V. S.; Fender, R. P.; Hardy, L. K.; Harrison, F. A.; Littlefair, S. P.; Malzac, J.; Markoff, S.; Marsh, T. R.; Mooley, K.; Stern, D.; Tomsick, J. A.; Walton, D. J.; Casella, P.; Vincentelli, F.; Altamirano, D.; Casares, J.; Ceccobello, C.; Charles, P. A.; Ferrigno, C.; Hynes, R. I.; Knigge, C.; Kuulkers, E.; Pahari, M.; Rahoui, F.; Russell, D. M.; Shaw, A. W.

    2017-12-01

    Relativistic plasma jets are observed in many systems that host accreting black holes. According to theory, coiled magnetic fields close to the black hole accelerate and collimate the plasma, leading to a jet being launched1-3. Isolating emission from this acceleration and collimation zone is key to measuring its size and understanding jet formation physics. But this is challenging because emission from the jet base cannot easily be disentangled from other accreting components. Here, we show that rapid optical flux variations from an accreting Galactic black-hole binary are delayed with respect to X-rays radiated from close to the black hole by about 0.1 seconds, and that this delayed signal appears together with a brightening radio jet. The origin of these subsecond optical variations has hitherto been controversial4-8. Not only does our work strongly support a jet origin for the optical variations but it also sets a characteristic elevation of ≲103 Schwarzschild radii for the main inner optical emission zone above the black hole9, constraining both internal shock10 and magnetohydrodynamic11 models. Similarities with blazars12,13 suggest that jet structure and launching physics could potentially be unified under mass-invariant models. Two of the best-studied jetted black-hole binaries show very similar optical lags8,14,15, so this size scale may be a defining feature of such systems.

  12. NuSTAR Observations of Two New Black Hole X-ray Binary Candidates within 1 pc of Sgr A*

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hord, Benjamin; Hailey, Charles; Mori, Kaya; Mandel, Shifra

    2018-01-01

    Remarkably, two new X-ray transients were discovered in outburst within ~1 pc of the Galactic Center by the Swift X-ray Telescope in the first half of 2016. A few weeks after each outburst began, NuSTAR ToO observations were triggered for both of the objects. These sources have no known counterparts at other energies. Both objects exhibit relativistically broadened Fe lines in their spectra and possible quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) in their power spectra, which are features seen in many black hole X-ray binaries. Combined with the fact that there have been no previously observed large outbursts at these positions over the decade of the Swift X-ray Telescope galactic center monitoring campaign, these sources make for prime black hole binary candidates (BHC) rather than neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (NS-LMXB), which have a known short (<~5 year) recurrence time. We will present 3-79 keV NuSTAR spectra and timing analysis of these sources that supports a black hole binary interpretation over a neutron star scenario. These new BHC, combined with at least one other previously discovered BHC near the Galactic Center, hint at a potentially substantive black hole population in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole at Sgr A*.

  13. Investigating ChaMPlane X-Ray Sources in the Galactic Bulge with Magellan LDSS2 Spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koenig, Xavier; Grindlay, Jonathan E.; van den Berg, Maureen; Laycock, Silas; Zhao, Ping; Hong, JaeSub; Schlegel, Eric M.

    2008-09-01

    We have carried out optical and X-ray spectral analyses on a sample of 136 candidate optical counterparts of X-ray sources found in five Galactic bulge fields included in our Chandra Multiwavelength Plane Survey. We use a combination of optical spectral fitting and quantile X-ray analysis to obtain the hydrogen column density toward each object, and a three-dimensional dust model of the Galaxy to estimate the most probable distance in each case. We present the discovery of a population of stellar coronal emission sources, likely consisting of pre-main-sequence, young main-sequence, and main-sequence stars, as well as a component of active binaries of RS CVn or BY Dra type. We identify one candidate quiescent low-mass X-ray binary with a subgiant companion; we note that this object may also be an RS CVn system. We report the discovery of three new X-ray-detected cataclysmic variables (CVs) in the direction of the Galactic center (at distances lesssim2 kpc). This number is in excess of predictions made with a simple CV model based on a local CV space density of lesssim10-5 pc-3, and a scale height ~200 pc. We discuss several possible reasons for this observed excess.

  14. Acceleration by pulsar winds in binary systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harding, Alice K.; Gaisser, T. K.

    1990-01-01

    In the absence of accretion torques, a pulsar in a binary system will spin down due to electromagnetic dipole radiation and the spin-down power will drive a wind of relativistic electron-positron pairs. Winds from pulsars with short periods will prevent any subsequent accretion but may be confined by the companion star atmosphere, wind, or magnetosphere to form a standing shock. The authors investigate the possibility of particle acceleration at such a pulsar wind shock and the production of very high energy (VHE) and ultra high energy (UHE) gamma rays from interactions of accelerated protons in the companion star's wind or atmosphere. They find that in close binaries containing active pulsars, protons will be shock accelerated to a maximum energy dependent on the pulsar spin-down luminosity. If a significant fraction of the spin-down power goes into particle acceleration, these systems should be sources of VHE and possibly UHE gamma rays. The authors discuss the application of the pulsar wind model to binary sources such as Cygnus X-3, as well as the possibility of observing VHE gamma-rays from known binary radio pulsar systems.

  15. Palomar 13: An Unusual Stellar System in the Galactic Halo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Côté, Patrick; Djorgovski, S. G.; Meylan, G.; Castro, Sandra; McCarthy, J. K.

    2002-08-01

    We report the first results of a program to study the internal kinematics of globular clusters in the outer halo of the Milky Way. Using the Keck telescope and High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer, we have measured precise radial velocities for 30 candidate red giants in the direction of Palomar 13, an object traditionally cataloged as a compact, low-luminosity globular cluster. We have combined these radial velocities with published proper motion membership probabilities and new CCD photometry from the Keck and Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes to isolate a sample of 21 probable members. We find a systemic velocity of s=24.1+/-0.5 km s-1 and a projected, intrinsic velocity dispersion of σp=2.2+/-0.4 km s-1. Although modest, this dispersion is nevertheless several times larger than that expected for a globular cluster of this luminosity and central concentration. Taken at face value, it implies a mass-to-light ratio of ΥV=40+24-17 based on the best-fit King-Michie model. The surface density profile of Palomar 13 also appears unusual compared to most Galactic globular clusters; depending upon the details of background subtraction and model-fitting, Palomar 13 either contains a substantial population of ``extratidal'' stars, or is considerably more spatially extended than previously suspected. The full surface density profile is equally well fitted by a King-Michie model having a high concentration and large tidal radius, or by a Navarro-Frenk-White model. We examine-and tentatively reject-a number of possible origins for the observed characteristics of Palomar 13 (e.g., velocity ``jitter'' among the red giant branch stars, spectroscopic binary stars, nonstandard mass functions, modified Newtonian dynamics) and conclude that the two leading explanations are either catastrophic heating during a recent perigalacticon passage or the presence of a dark matter halo. The available evidence therefore suggests that Palomar 13 is either a globular cluster that is now in

  16. Searching for Super Massive Binary Black Holes in the VLBA Calibrator Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    High, Brittney C.; Peck, Alison B.; Beasley, Anthony J.

    2016-01-01

    Due to its incredible resolving power, the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) allows astronomers to view radio emission from celestial objects in incredible detail. This makes the VLBA the best instrument for studying the dynamics of active galactic nuclei, or compact regions at the centers of galaxies where black holes are thought to reside. Since most galaxies harbor supermassive black holes at their centers, and some galaxies merge with others, supermassive binary black hole systems arise. Though a number of these systems have been found, only one system contains black holes within 10 pc apart. During the summer, we analyzed new observations from the VLBA Calibrator Survey (VCS) on approximately 2200 sources in the hopes of detecting more close supermassive binary black hole candidates. Here we present the results from reducing and categorizing these sources. We also discuss the importance of the VCS and its role in enabling observations of the most distant celestial objects.

  17. On the Binary Nature of Massive Blue Hypergiants: High-resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy Suggests That Cyg OB2 12 is a Colliding Wind Binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oskinova, L. M.; Huenemoerder, D. P.; Hamann, W.-R.; Shenar, T.; Sander, A. A. C.; Ignace, R.; Todt, H.; Hainich, R.

    2017-08-01

    The blue hypergiant Cyg OB2 12 (B3Ia+) is a representative member of the class of very massive stars in a poorly understood evolutionary stage. We obtained its high-resolution X-ray spectrum using the Chandra observatory. PoWR model atmospheres were calculated to provide realistic wind opacities and to establish the wind density structure. We find that collisional de-excitation is the dominant mechanism depopulating the metastable upper levels of the forbidden lines of the He-like ions Si xiv and Mg xii. Comparison between the model and observations reveals that X-ray emission is produced in a dense plasma, which could reside only at the photosphere or in a colliding wind zone between binary components. The observed X-ray spectra are well-fitted by thermal plasma models, with average temperatures in excess of 10 MK. The wind speed in Cyg OB2 12 is not high enough to power such high temperatures, but the collision of two winds in a binary system can be sufficient. We used archival data to investigate the X-ray properties of other blue hypergiants. In general, stars of this class are not detected as X-ray sources. We suggest that our new Chandra observations of Cyg OB2 12 can be best explained if Cyg OB2 12 is a colliding wind binary possessing a late O-type companion. This makes Cyg OB2 12 only the second binary system among the 16 known Galactic hypergiants. This low binary fraction indicates that the blue hypergiants are likely products of massive binary evolution during which they either accreted a significant amount of mass or already merged with their companions.

  18. High-resolution spectroscopy of extremely metal-poor stars from SDSS/Segue. II. Binary fraction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Aoki, Wako; Suda, Takuma; Beers, Timothy C.

    2015-02-01

    The fraction of binary systems in various stellar populations of the Galaxy and the distribution of their orbital parameters are important but not well-determined factors in studies of star formation, stellar evolution, and Galactic chemical evolution. While observational studies have been carried out for a large sample of nearby stars, including some metal-poor Population II stars, almost no constraints on the binary nature for extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] <−3.0) stars have yet been obtained. Here we investigate the fraction of double-lined spectroscopic binaries and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, many of which could have formed as pairs of low-mass and intermediate-massmore » stars, to estimate the lower limit of the fraction of binary systems having short periods. The estimate is based on a sample of very metal-poor stars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and observed at high spectral resolution in a previous study by Aoki et al. That survey reported 3 double-lined spectroscopic binaries and 11 CEMP stars, which we consider along with a sample of EMP stars from the literature compiled in the SAGA database. We have conducted measurements of the velocity components for stacked absorption features of different spectral lines for each double-lined spectroscopic binary. Our estimate indicates that the fraction of binary stars having orbital periods shorter than 1000 days is at least 10%, and possibly as high as 20% if the majority of CEMP stars are formed in such short-period binaries. This result suggests that the period distribution of EMP binary systems is biased toward short periods, unless the binary fraction of low-mass EMP stars is significantly higher than that of other nearby stars.« less

  19. Orbital period changes of OB-type contact binaries and their implications for the triplicity, formation and evolution of this type of binary stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qian, S.-B.; Kreiner, J. M.; Liu, L.; He, J.-J.; Zhu, L.-Y.; Yuan, J.-Z.; Dai, Z.-B.

    2007-08-01

    Orbital period variations of NINE well-observed OB-type contact binary stars, LY Aur, BH Cen, V382 CYg, V729 Cyg, AW Lac, TU Mus, RZ Pyx, V701 Sco and CT Tau, are investigated in detail. Of the nine systems, V701 Sco and CT Tau are two contact binaries containing twin components with a mass ratio of unit, LY Aur and V729 Cyg have the longest period among contact binary stars (P=4.0 and 6.6 days, respectively), and BH Cen and V701 Sco are the members of two extremely young galactic cluster IC 2994 and NGC 6383. It is discovered that, apart from the two systems with twin components (V701 Sco and CT Tau), the orbital periods of the rest SEVEN binary stars show a long-term increase. This is different from the situations of the late-type (W UMa-type) contact binaries where both secular period increase and decrease are usually encountered, indicating that magnetic field may play an important role in causing the long-term period decrease of W UMa-type contact binary stars. The fact that no long-term continuous period variations were found for V701 Sco and CT Tau may suggest that contact binary with twin components can be in an equilibrium. Based on the rates of period changes (dP/dt) of the SEVEN sample binary stars, statistical relations between dP/dt and orbital period (P) and the mean density of the secondary component were found. Our results suggest that the period increases of the short-period systems (P<2 days) may be mainly caused by a mass transfer from the less massive component to the more massive one, while for the long-period ones (P>2 days), LY Aur and V729 Cyg, their period increases may be resulted from a combination of stellar wind and mass transfer from the secondary to the primary. Meanwhile, cyclic period changes are found for all of the nine binary systems. Those periodic variations can be plausibly explained as the results of light-travel time effects suggesting that they are triple systems. The astrophysical parameters of the tertiary components in

  20. Galaxy Rotation and Rapid Supermassive Binary Coalescence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holley-Bockelmann, Kelly; Khan, Fazeel Mahmood

    2015-09-01

    Galaxy mergers usher the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in each galaxy to the center of the potential, where they form an SMBH binary. The binary orbit shrinks by ejecting stars via three-body scattering, but ample work has shown that in spherical galaxy models, the binary separation stalls after ejecting all the stars in its loss cone—this is the well-known final parsec problem. However, it has been shown that SMBH binaries in non-spherical galactic nuclei harden at a nearly constant rate until reaching the gravitational wave regime. Here we use a suite of direct N-body simulations to follow SMBH binary evolution in both corotating and counterrotating flattened galaxy models. For N > 500 K, we find that the evolution of the SMBH binary is convergent and is independent of the particle number. Rotation in general increases the hardening rate of SMBH binaries even more effectively than galaxy geometry alone. SMBH binary hardening rates are similar for co- and counterrotating galaxies. In the corotating case, the center of mass of the SMBH binary settles into an orbit that is in corotation resonance with the background rotating model, and the coalescence time is roughly a few 100 Myr faster than a non-rotating flattened model. We find that counterrotation drives SMBHs to coalesce on a nearly radial orbit promptly after forming a hard binary. We discuss the implications for gravitational wave astronomy, hypervelocity star production, and the effect on the structure of the host galaxy.

  1. A high-frequency survey of the southern Galactic plane for pulsars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnston, Simon; Lyne, A. G.; Manchester, R. N.; Kniffen, D. A.; D'Amico, N.; Lim, J.; Ashworth, M.

    1992-01-01

    Results of an HF survey designed to detect young, distant, and short-period pulsars are presented. The survey detected a total of 100 pulsars, 46 of which were previously unknown. The periods of the newly discovered pulsars range between 47 ms and 2.5 ms. One of the new discoveries, PSR 1259-63, is a member of a long-period binary system. At least three of the pulsars have ages less than 30,000 yr, bringing the total number of such pulsars to 12. The majority of the new discoveries are distant objects with high dispersion measures, which are difficult to detect at low frequencies. This demonstrates that the survey has reduced the severe selection effects of pulse scattering, high Galactic background temperature, and dispersion broadening, which hamper the detection of such pulsars at low radio frequencies. The pulsar distribution in the southern Galaxy is found to extend much further from the Galactic center than that in the north, probably due to two prominent spiral arms in the southern Galaxy.

  2. Cas A and the Crab were not stellar binaries at death

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kochanek, C. S.

    2018-01-01

    The majority of massive stars are in binaries, which implies that many core collapse supernovae should be binaries at the time of the explosion. Here we show that the three most recent, local (visual) SNe (the Crab, Cas A and SN 1987A) were not stellar binaries at death, with limits on the initial mass ratios of q = M2/M1 ≲ 0.1. No quantitative limits have previously been set for Cas A and the Crab, while for SN 1987A we merely updated existing limits in view of new estimates of the dust content. The lack of stellar companions to these three ccSNe implies a 90 per cent confidence upper limit on the q ≳ 0.1 binary fraction at death of fb < 44 per cent. In a passively evolving binary model (meaning no binary interactions), with a flat mass ratio distribution and a Salpeter IMF, the resulting 90 per cent confidence upper limit on the initial binary fraction of F < 63 per cent is in tension with observed massive binary statistics. Allowing a significant fraction fM ≃ 25 per cent of stellar binaries to merge reduces the tension, with F < 63({1-f}M)^{-1}{ per cent} ˜eq 81{ per cent}, but allowing for the significant fraction in higher order systems (triples, etc.) reintroduces the tension. That Cas A was not a stellar binary at death also shows that a surviving massive binary companion at the time of the explosion is not necessary for producing a Type IIb SNe. Much larger surveys for binary companions to Galactic SNe will become feasible with the release of the full Gaia proper motion and parallax catalogues providing a powerful probe of the statistics of such binaries and their role in massive star evolution, neutron star velocity distributions and runaway stars.

  3. KIC 7177553: A QUADRUPLE SYSTEM OF TWO CLOSE BINARIES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lehmann, H.; Borkovits, T.; Rappaport, S. A.

    2016-03-01

    KIC 7177553 was observed by the Kepler satellite to be an eclipsing eccentric binary star system with an 18-day orbital period. Recently, an eclipse timing study of the Kepler binaries has revealed eclipse timing variations (ETVs) in this object with an amplitude of ∼100 s and an outer period of 529 days. The implied mass of the third body is that of a super-Jupiter, but below the mass of a brown dwarf. We therefore embarked on a radial velocity (RV) study of this binary to determine its system configuration and to check the hypothesis that it hosts a giant planet. Frommore » the RV measurements, it became immediately obvious that the same Kepler target contains another eccentric binary, this one with a 16.5-day orbital period. Direct imaging using adaptive optics reveals that the two binaries are separated by 0.″4 (∼167 AU) and have nearly the same magnitude (to within 2%). The close angular proximity of the two binaries and very similar γ velocities strongly suggest that KIC 7177553 is one of the rare SB4 systems consisting of two eccentric binaries where at least one system is eclipsing. Both systems consist of slowly rotating, nonevolved, solar-like stars of comparable masses. From the orbital separation and the small difference in γ velocity, we infer that the period of the outer orbit most likely lies in the range of 1000–3000 yr. New images taken over the next few years, as well as the high-precision astrometry of the Gaia satellite mission, will allow us to set much narrower constraints on the system geometry. Finally, we note that the observed ETVs in the Kepler data cannot be produced by the second binary. Further spectroscopic observations on a longer timescale will be required to prove the existence of the massive planet.« less

  4. REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Cygnus X-3: a powerful galactic source of hard radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vladimirskiĭ, B. M.; Gal'per, A. M.; Luchkov, B. I.; Stepanyan, A. A.

    1985-02-01

    A review is given of experimental and theoretical research on the galactic source Cyg X-3, whose electromagnetic spectrum extends from radio frequencies to ultrahigh-energy (Eγ ~ 1016 eV) γ-rays. Cyg X-3 also has a high x-ray luminosity (1038 erg/sec) and exhibits diversified sporadic and periodic variations, most notably occasional radio outbursts and a 4h.8 infrared, x-ray, and γ-ray cycle. Analysis of the observations indicates that Cyg X-3 is a close binary system comprising a compact relativistic object (neutron star, black hole) and a dwarf companion losing mass. Particles are accelerated to 1016 eV within the system.

  5. Post-Newtonian Dynamical Modeling of Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic-scale Simulations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rantala, Antti; Pihajoki, Pauli; Johansson, Peter H.

    We present KETJU, a new extension of the widely used smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation code GADGET-3. The key feature of the code is the inclusion of algorithmically regularized regions around every supermassive black hole (SMBH). This allows for simultaneously following global galactic-scale dynamical and astrophysical processes, while solving the dynamics of SMBHs, SMBH binaries, and surrounding stellar systems at subparsec scales. The KETJU code includes post-Newtonian terms in the equations of motions of the SMBHs, which enables a new SMBH merger criterion based on the gravitational wave coalescence timescale, pushing the merger separation of SMBHs down to ∼0.005 pc. Wemore » test the performance of our code by comparison to NBODY7 and rVINE. We set up dynamically stable multicomponent merger progenitor galaxies to study the SMBH binary evolution during galaxy mergers. In our simulation sample the SMBH binaries do not suffer from the final-parsec problem, which we attribute to the nonspherical shape of the merger remnants. For bulge-only models, the hardening rate decreases with increasing resolution, whereas for models that in addition include massive dark matter halos, the SMBH binary hardening rate becomes practically independent of the mass resolution of the stellar bulge. The SMBHs coalesce on average 200 Myr after the formation of the SMBH binary. However, small differences in the initial SMBH binary eccentricities can result in large differences in the SMBH coalescence times. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of KETJU, which allows for a straightforward inclusion of gas physics in the simulations.« less

  6. Close binary systems among very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeffries, R. D.; Maxted, P. F. L.

    2005-12-01

    Using Monte Carlo simulations and published radial velocity surveys we have constrained the frequency and separation (a) distribution of very low-mass star (VLM) and brown dwarf (BD) binary systems. We find that simple Gaussian extensions of the observed wide binary distribution, with a peak at 4 AU and 0.6<\\sigma_{\\log(a/AU)}<1.0, correctly reproduce the observed number of close binary systems, implying a close (a<2.6 AU) binary frequency of 17-30 % and overall frequency of 32-45 %. N-body models of the dynamical decay of unstable protostellar multiple systems are excluded with high confidence because they do not produce enough close binary VLMs/BDs. The large number of close binaries and high overall binary frequency are also completely inconsistent with published smoothed particle hydrodynamical modelling and argue against a dynamical origin for VLMs/BDs.

  7. Multiplicity of the Galactic Senior Citizens: A High-resolution Search for Cool Subdwarf Companions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ziegler, Carl; Law, Nicholas M.; Baranec, Christoph; Riddle, Reed L.; Fuchs, Joshua T.

    2015-05-01

    Cool subdwarfs are the oldest members of the low-mass stellar population. Mostly present in the galactic halo, subdwarfs are characterized by their low-metallicity. Measuring their binary fraction and comparing it to solar-metallicity stars could give key insights into the star formation process early in the Milky Way’s history. However, because of their low luminosity and relative rarity in the solar neighborhood, binarity surveys of cool subdwarfs have suffered from small sample sizes and incompleteness. Previous surveys have suggested that the binary fraction of red subdwarfs is much lower than for their main-sequence cousins. Using the highly efficient Robo-AO system, we present the largest high-resolution survey of subdwarfs, sensitive to angular separations (ρ ≥slant 0.″ 15) and contrast ratios ({Δ }{{m}i} ≤slant 6) invisible in past surveys. Of 344 target cool subdwarfs, 43 are in multiple systems, 19 of which are newly discovered, for a binary fraction of 12.5 ± 1.9%. We also discovered seven triple star systems for a triplet fraction of 2.0 ± 0.8%. Comparisons to similar surveys of solar-metallicity dwarf stars gives a ∼3σ disparity in luminosity between companion stars, with subdwarfs displaying a shortage of low-contrast companions. We also observe a lack of close subdwarf companions in comparison to similar-mass dwarf multiple systems.

  8. X-ray Binaries in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cowley, Anne P.

    1993-05-01

    For more than two decades astronomers have been aware that the most X-ray luminous stellar sources (L_x > 10(35) erg s(-1) ) are interacting binaries where one component is a neutron star or black hole. While other types of single and multiple stars are known X-ray sources, none compare in X-ray luminosity with the ``classical" X-ray binaries. In these systems X-ray emission results from accretion of material from a non-degenerate companion onto the compact star through several alternate mechanisms including Roche lobe overflow, stellar winds, or periastron effects in non-circular orbits. It has been recognized for many years that X-ray binaries divide into two broad groups, characterized primarily by the mass of the non-degenerate star: 1) massive X-ray binaries (MXRB), in which the optical primary is a bright, early-type star, and 2) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB), where a lower main-sequence or subgiant star is the mass donor. A broad variety of observational characteristics further subdivide these classes. In the Galaxy these two groups appear to be spatially and kinematically associated with the disk and the halo populations, respectively. A few dozen MXRB are known in the Galaxy. A great deal of information about their physical properties has been learned from observational study. Their optical primaries can be investigated by conventional techniques. Furthermore, most MXRB contain X-ray pulsars, allowing accurate determination of their orbital parameters. From these data masses have been determined for the neutron stars, all of which are ~ 1.4 Msun, within measurement errors. By contrast, the LMXB have been much more difficult to study. Although there are ~ 150 LMXB in the Galaxy, most are distant and faint, requiring use of large telescopes for their study. Their optical light is almost always dominated by an accretion disk, rather than the mass-losing star, making interpretation of their spectral and photometric properties difficult. Their often uncertain

  9. Dynamical Processes Near the Super Massive Black Hole at the Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antonini, Fabio

    2011-01-01

    Observations of the stellar environment near the Galactic center provide the strongest empirical evidence for the existence of massive black holes in the Universe. Theoretical models of the Milky Way nuclear star cluster fail to explain numerous properties of such environment, including the presence of very young stars close to the super massive black hole (SMBH) and the more recent discovery of a parsec-scale core in the central distribution of the bright late-type (old) stars. In this thesis we present a theoretical study of dynamical processes near the Galactic center, strongly related to these issues. Using different numerical techniques we explore the close environment of a SMBH as catalyst for stellar collisions and mergers. We study binary stars that remain bound for several revolutions around the SMBH, finding that in the case of highly inclined binaries the Kozai resonance can lead to large periodic oscillations in the internal binary eccentricity and inclination. Collisions and mergers of the binary elements are found to increase significantly for multiple orbits around the SMBH. In collisions involving a low-mass and a high-mass star, the merger product acquires a high core hydrogen abundance from the smaller star, effectively resetting the nuclear evolution clock to a younger age. This process could serve as an important source of young stars at the Galactic center. We then show that a core in the old stars can be naturally explained in a scenario in which the Milky Way nuclear star cluster (NSC) is formed via repeated inspiral of globular clusters into the Galactic center. We present results from a set of N -body simulations of this process, which show that the fundamental properties of the NSC, including its mass, outer density profile and velocity structure, are also reproduced. Chandrasekhar's dynamical friction formula predicts no frictional force on a test body in a low-density core, regardless of its density, due to the absence of stars moving

  10. Massive Black Hole Binary Mergers and their Gravitational Waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelley, Luke Zoltan; Blecha, Laura; Hernquist, Lars; Sesana, Alberto

    2017-01-01

    Gravitational Waves (GW) from stellar-mass BH binaries have recently been observed by LIGO, but GW from their supermassive counterparts have remained elusive. Recent upper limits from Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTA) have excluded significant portions of the predicted parameter space. Most previous studies, however, have assumed that most or all Massive Black Hole (MBH) Binaries merge effectively and quickly. I will present results derived—for the first time—from cosmological, hydrodynamic simulations with self-consistently coevolved populations of MBH particles. We perform post-processing simulations of the MBH merger process, using realistic galactic environments, including models of dynamical friction, stellar scattering, gas drag from a circumbinary disk, and GW emission—with no assumptions of merger fractions or timescales. We find that despite only the most massive systems merging effectively (and still on gigayear timescales), the GW Background is only just below current detection limits with PTA. Our models suggest that PTA should make detections within the next decade, and will provide information about MBH binary populations, environments, and even eccentricities. I’ll also briefly discuss prospects for observations of dual-AGN, and the possible importance of MBH triples in the merger process.

  11. The Effects of Single and Close Binary Evolution on the Stellar Mass Function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schneider, R. N. F.; Izzard, G. R.; de Mink, S.; Langer, N., Stolte, A., de Koter, A.; Gvaramadze, V. V.; Hussmann, B.; Liermann, A.; Sana, H.

    2013-06-01

    Massive stars are almost exclusively born in star clusters, where stars in a cluster are expected to be born quasi-simultaneously and with the same chemical composition. The distribution of their birth masses favors lower over higher stellar masses, such that the most massive stars are rare, and the existence of an stellar upper mass limit is still debated. The majority of massive stars are born as members of close binary systems and most of them will exchange mass with a close companion during their lifetime. We explore the influence of single and binary star evolution on the high mass end of the stellar mass function using a rapid binary evolution code. We apply our results to two massive Galactic star clusters and show how the shape of their mass functions can be used to determine cluster ages and comment on the stellar upper mass limit in view of our new findings.

  12. Photometric Analysis and Modeling of Five Mass-Transferring Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geist, Emily; Beaky, Matthew; Jamison, Kate

    2018-01-01

    In overcontact eclipsing binary systems, both stellar components have overfilled their Roche lobes, resulting in a dumbbell-shaped shared envelope. Mass transfer is common in overcontact binaries, which can be observed as a slow change on the rotation period of the system.We studied five overcontact eclipsing binary systems with evidence of period change, and thus likely mass transfer between the components, identified by Nelson (2014): V0579 Lyr, KN Vul, V0406 Lyr, V2240 Cyg, and MS Her. We used the 31-inch NURO telescope at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona to obtain images in B,V,R, and I filters for V0579 Lyr, and the 16-inch Meade LX200GPS telescope with attached SBIG ST-8XME CCD camera at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania to image KN Vul, V0406 Lyr, V2240 Cyg, and MS Her, also in B,V,R, and I.After data reduction, we created light curves for each of the systems and modeled the eclipsing binaries using the BinaryMaker3 and PHOEBE programs to determine their fundamental physical parameters for the first time. Complete light curves and preliminary models for each of these neglected eclipsing binary systems will be presented.

  13. On obtaining neutron-star mass and radius constraints from quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries in the Galactic plane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marino, Alessio; Degenaar, N.; Di Salvo, T.; Wijnands, R.; Burderi, L.; Iaria, R.

    2018-06-01

    X-ray spectral analysis of quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) has been one of the most common tools to measure the radius of neutron stars (NSs) for over a decade. So far, this method has been mainly applied to NSs in globular clusters, primarily because of their well-constrained distances. Here, we study Chandra data of seven transient LMXBs in the Galactic plane in quiescence to investigate the potential of constraining the radius (and mass) of the NSs inhabiting these systems. We find that only two of these objects had X-ray spectra of sufficient quality to obtain reasonable constraints on the radius, with the most stringent being an upper limit of R ≲14.5 km for EXO 0748-676 (for assumed ranges for mass and distance). Using these seven sources, we also investigate systematic biases on the mass/radius determination; for Aql X-1 we find that omitting a power-law spectral component when it does not seem to be required by the data, results in peculiar trends in the obtained radius with changing mass and distance. For EXO 0748-676 we find that a slight variation in the lower limit of the energy range chosen for the fit leads to systematically different masses and radii. Finally, we simulated Athena spectra and found that some of the biases can be lifted when higher quality spectra are available and that, in general, the search for constraints on the equation of state of ultra-dense matter via NS radius and mass measurements may receive a considerable boost in the future.

  14. The H.E.S.S. Galactic plane survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    H. E. S. S. Collaboration; Abdalla, H.; Abramowski, A.; Aharonian, F.; Benkhali, F. Ait; Angüner, E. O.; Arakawa, M.; Arrieta, M.; Aubert, P.; Backes, M.; Balzer, A.; Barnard, M.; Becherini, Y.; Tjus, J. Becker; Berge, D.; Bernhard, S.; Bernlöhr, K.; Blackwell, R.; Böttcher, M.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bonnefoy, S.; Bordas, P.; Bregeon, J.; Brun, F.; Brun, P.; Bryan, M.; Büchele, M.; Bulik, T.; Capasso, M.; Carrigan, S.; Caroff, S.; Carosi, A.; Casanova, S.; Cerruti, M.; Chakraborty, N.; Chaves, R. C. G.; Chen, A.; Chevalier, J.; Colafrancesco, S.; Condon, B.; Conrad, J.; Davids, I. D.; Decock, J.; Deil, C.; Devin, J.; deWilt, P.; Dirson, L.; Djannati-Ataï, A.; Domainko, W.; Donath, A.; Drury, L. O.'C.; Dutson, K.; Dyks, J.; Edwards, T.; Egberts, K.; Eger, P.; Emery, G.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Eschbach, S.; Farnier, C.; Fegan, S.; Fernandes, M. V.; Fiasson, A.; Fontaine, G.; Förster, A.; Funk, S.; Füßling, M.; Gabici, S.; Gallant, Y. A.; Garrigoux, T.; Gast, H.; Gaté, F.; Giavitto, G.; Giebels, B.; Glawion, D.; Glicenstein, J. F.; Gottschall, D.; Grondin, M.-H.; Hahn, J.; Haupt, M.; Hawkes, J.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henri, G.; Hermann, G.; Hinton, J. A.; Hofmann, W.; Hoischen, C.; Holch, T. L.; Holler, M.; Horns, D.; Ivascenko, A.; Iwasaki, H.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jamrozy, M.; Jankowsky, D.; Jankowsky, F.; Jingo, M.; Jouvin, L.; Jung-Richardt, I.; Kastendieck, M. A.; Katarzyński, K.; Katsuragawa, M.; Katz, U.; Kerszberg, D.; Khangulyan, D.; Khélifi, B.; King, J.; Klepser, S.; Klochkov, D.; Kluźniak, W.; Komin, Nu.; Kosack, K.; Krakau, S.; Kraus, M.; Krüger, P. P.; Laffon, H.; Lamanna, G.; Lau, J.; Lees, J.-P.; Lefaucheur, J.; Lemière, A.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Lenain, J.-P.; Leser, E.; Lohse, T.; Lorentz, M.; Liu, R.; López-Coto, R.; Lypova, I.; Marandon, V.; Malyshev, D.; Marcowith, A.; Mariaud, C.; Marx, R.; Maurin, G.; Maxted, N.; Mayer, M.; Meintjes, P. J.; Meyer, M.; Mitchell, A. M. W.; Moderski, R.; Mohamed, M.; Mohrmann, L.; Morå, K.; Moulin, E.; Murach, T.; Nakashima, S.; de Naurois, M.; Ndiyavala, H.; Niederwanger, F.; Niemiec, J.; Oakes, L.; O'Brien, P.; Odaka, H.; Ohm, S.; Ostrowski, M.; Oya, I.; Padovani, M.; Panter, M.; Parsons, R. D.; Paz Arribas, M.; Pekeur, N. W.; Pelletier, G.; Perennes, C.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Peyaud, B.; Piel, Q.; Pita, S.; Poireau, V.; Poon, H.; Prokhorov, D.; Prokoph, H.; Pühlhofer, G.; Punch, M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Raab, S.; Rauth, R.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Renaud, M.; de los Reyes, R.; Rieger, F.; Rinchiuso, L.; Romoli, C.; Rowell, G.; Rudak, B.; Rulten, C. B.; Safi-Harb, S.; Sahakian, V.; Saito, S.; Sanchez, D. A.; Santangelo, A.; Sasaki, M.; Schandri, M.; Schlickeiser, R.; Schüssler, F.; Schulz, A.; Schwanke, U.; Schwemmer, S.; Seglar-Arroyo, M.; Settimo, M.; Seyffert, A. S.; Shafi, N.; Shilon, I.; Shiningayamwe, K.; Simoni, R.; Sol, H.; Spanier, F.; Spir-Jacob, M.; Stawarz, Ł.; Steenkamp, R.; Stegmann, C.; Steppa, C.; Sushch, I.; Takahashi, T.; Tavernet, J.-P.; Tavernier, T.; Taylor, A. M.; Terrier, R.; Tibaldo, L.; Tiziani, D.; Tluczykont, M.; Trichard, C.; Tsirou, M.; Tsuji, N.; Tuffs, R.; Uchiyama, Y.; van der Walt, D. J.; van Eldik, C.; van Rensburg, C.; van Soelen, B.; Vasileiadis, G.; Veh, J.; Venter, C.; Viana, A.; Vincent, P.; Vink, J.; Voisin, F.; Völk, H. J.; Vuillaume, T.; Wadiasingh, Z.; Wagner, S. J.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, R. M.; White, R.; Wierzcholska, A.; Willmann, P.; Wörnlein, A.; Wouters, D.; Yang, R.; Zaborov, D.; Zacharias, M.; Zanin, R.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Zech, A.; Zefi, F.; Ziegler, A.; Zorn, J.; Żywucka, N.

    2018-04-01

    We present the results of the most comprehensive survey of the Galactic plane in very high-energy (VHE) γ-rays, including a public release of Galactic sky maps, a catalog of VHE sources, and the discovery of 16 new sources of VHE γ-rays. The High Energy Spectroscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Galactic plane survey (HGPS) was a decade-long observation program carried out by the H.E.S.S. I array of Cherenkov telescopes in Namibia from 2004 to 2013. The observations amount to nearly 2700 h of quality-selected data, covering the Galactic plane at longitudes from ℓ = 250° to 65° and latitudes |b|≤ 3°. In addition to the unprecedented spatial coverage, the HGPS also features a relatively high angular resolution (0.08° ≈ 5 arcmin mean point spread function 68% containment radius), sensitivity (≲1.5% Crab flux for point-like sources), and energy range (0.2-100 TeV). We constructed a catalog of VHE γ-ray sources from the HGPS data set with a systematic procedure for both source detection and characterization of morphology and spectrum. We present this likelihood-based method in detail, including the introduction of a model component to account for unresolved, large-scale emission along the Galactic plane. In total, the resulting HGPS catalog contains 78 VHE sources, of which 14 are not reanalyzed here, for example, due to their complex morphology, namely shell-like sources and the Galactic center region. Where possible, we provide a firm identification of the VHE source or plausible associations with sources in other astronomical catalogs. We also studied the characteristics of the VHE sources with source parameter distributions. 16 new sources were previously unknown or unpublished, and we individually discuss their identifications or possible associations. We firmly identified 31 sources as pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), supernova remnants (SNRs), composite SNRs, or gamma-ray binaries. Among the 47 sources not yet identified, most of them (36) have possible

  15. X-ray Binaries and the Galaxy Structure in Hard X-rays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lutovinov, Alexander

    The Galaxy structure in the hard X-ray energy band (¿20 keV) was studied using data of the INTEGRAL observatory. A deep and nearly uniform coverage of the galactic plane allowed to increase significantly the sensitivity of the survey and discover several dozens new galac-tic sources. The follow-up observations with XMM-Newton and CHANDRA observatories in X-rays and ground-based telescopes in optical and infrared wavebands gave us a possibility to determine optical counterparts and distances for number of new and already known faint sources. That, in turn, allowed us to build the spatial distribution of different classes of galactic X-ray binaries and obtain preliminary results of the structure of the further part of the Galaxy.

  16. Be/X-Ray Pulsar Binary Science with LOFT

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.

    2011-01-01

    Accretion disks are ubiquitous in astronomical sources. Accretion powered pulsars are a good test bed for accretion disk physics, because unlike for other objects, the spin of the neutron star is directly observable allowing us to see the effects of angular momentum transfer onto the pulsar. The combination of a sensitive wide-field monitor and the large area detector on LOFT will enable new detailed studies of accretion powered pulsars which I will review. RXTE observations have shown an unusually high number of Be/X-ray pulsar binaries in the SMC. Unlike binaries in the Milky Way, these systems are all at the same distance, allowing detailed population studies using the sensitive LOFT WFM, potentially providing connections to star formation episodes. For Galactic accreting pulsar systems, LOFT will allow measurement of spectral variations within individual pulses, mapping the accretion column in detail for the first time. LOFT will also provide better constraints on magnetic fields in accreting pulsars, allowing measurements of cyclotron features, observations of transitions into the centrifugal inhibition regime, and monitoring of spin-up rate vs flux correlations. Coordinated multi-wavelength observations are crucial to extracting the best science from LOFT from these and numerous other objects.

  17. GALAXY ROTATION AND RAPID SUPERMASSIVE BINARY COALESCENCE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Holley-Bockelmann, Kelly; Khan, Fazeel Mahmood, E-mail: k.holley@vanderbilt.edu

    2015-09-10

    Galaxy mergers usher the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in each galaxy to the center of the potential, where they form an SMBH binary. The binary orbit shrinks by ejecting stars via three-body scattering, but ample work has shown that in spherical galaxy models, the binary separation stalls after ejecting all the stars in its loss cone—this is the well-known final parsec problem. However, it has been shown that SMBH binaries in non-spherical galactic nuclei harden at a nearly constant rate until reaching the gravitational wave regime. Here we use a suite of direct N-body simulations to follow SMBH binary evolutionmore » in both corotating and counterrotating flattened galaxy models. For N > 500 K, we find that the evolution of the SMBH binary is convergent and is independent of the particle number. Rotation in general increases the hardening rate of SMBH binaries even more effectively than galaxy geometry alone. SMBH binary hardening rates are similar for co- and counterrotating galaxies. In the corotating case, the center of mass of the SMBH binary settles into an orbit that is in corotation resonance with the background rotating model, and the coalescence time is roughly a few 100 Myr faster than a non-rotating flattened model. We find that counterrotation drives SMBHs to coalesce on a nearly radial orbit promptly after forming a hard binary. We discuss the implications for gravitational wave astronomy, hypervelocity star production, and the effect on the structure of the host galaxy.« less

  18. On the Binary Nature of Massive Blue Hypergiants: High-resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy Suggests That Cyg OB2 12 is a Colliding Wind Binary

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Oskinova, L. M.; Hamann, W.-R.; Shenar, T.

    The blue hypergiant Cyg OB2 12 (B3Ia{sup +}) is a representative member of the class of very massive stars in a poorly understood evolutionary stage. We obtained its high-resolution X-ray spectrum using the Chandra observatory. PoWR model atmospheres were calculated to provide realistic wind opacities and to establish the wind density structure. We find that collisional de-excitation is the dominant mechanism depopulating the metastable upper levels of the forbidden lines of the He-like ions Si xiv and Mg xii. Comparison between the model and observations reveals that X-ray emission is produced in a dense plasma, which could reside only atmore » the photosphere or in a colliding wind zone between binary components. The observed X-ray spectra are well-fitted by thermal plasma models, with average temperatures in excess of 10 MK. The wind speed in Cyg OB2 12 is not high enough to power such high temperatures, but the collision of two winds in a binary system can be sufficient. We used archival data to investigate the X-ray properties of other blue hypergiants. In general, stars of this class are not detected as X-ray sources. We suggest that our new Chandra observations of Cyg OB2 12 can be best explained if Cyg OB2 12 is a colliding wind binary possessing a late O-type companion. This makes Cyg OB2 12 only the second binary system among the 16 known Galactic hypergiants. This low binary fraction indicates that the blue hypergiants are likely products of massive binary evolution during which they either accreted a significant amount of mass or already merged with their companions.« less

  19. Variable Stars Observed in the Galactic Disk by AST3-1 from Dome A, Antarctica

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Lingzhi; Ma, Bin; Hu, Yi

    AST3-1 is the second-generation wide-field optical photometric telescope dedicated to time-domain astronomy at Dome A, Antarctica. Here, we present the results of an i -band images survey from AST3-1 toward one Galactic disk field. Based on time-series photometry of 92,583 stars, 560 variable stars were detected with i magnitude ≤16.5 mag during eight days of observations; 339 of these are previously unknown variables. We tentatively classify the 560 variables as 285 eclipsing binaries (EW, EB, and EA), 27 pulsating variable stars ( δ Scuti, γ Doradus, δ Cephei variable, and RR Lyrae stars), and 248 other types of variables (unclassifiedmore » periodic, multiperiodic, and aperiodic variable stars). Of the eclipsing binaries, 34 show O’Connell effects. One of the aperiodic variables shows a plateau light curve and another variable shows a secondary maximum after peak brightness. We also detected a complex binary system with an RS CVn-like light-curve morphology; this object is being followed-up spectroscopically using the Gemini South telescope.« less

  20. Dynamical Evolution and Momentum Transfer for Binary Asteroid Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellerose, Julie

    Over the past decade, robotic missions have been sent to small bodies, providing a basic understanding of their environment. Some of these small systems are found to be in pairs, orbiting each other, which are thought to represent about 16% of the near-Earth asteroid population. It is fair to assume that a mission will target a binary asteroid system in the near future as they can enable scientific insight into both the geology and dynamics of asteroids. In previous work, the dynamical evolution of binary systems was investigated for an ellipsoidsphere model. From the dynamics of two celestial bodies, equilibrium configurations and their stability were analyzed. For a given value of angular momentum, it was shown that there are in general two relative equilibrium configurations which are opposite in stability. When perturbations are introduced, we found that the equilibrium states are the minimum energy points of nearby periodic families. General dynamics from unstable to stable configurations were investigated for binaries in close proximity. Accounting for the dynamics of binaries, the dynamics of particles in this gravitational field were also studied. The location of the analogue Lagrangian points and energy associated with them were characterized. The L1 region is a key element for transfers between the bodies. It was shown that L1 can be situated between or inside the bodies depending on the free parameters of the system modifying the transfer possibilities since L1 has a hyperbolic manifold associated with it. In the current work, we look at the L1 region for binary system where the bodies are in relative equilibrium, close to each other. We find that L1 transits from outside to inside the ellipsoid when the mass ratio is larger than 0.6. For binary systems in close proximity with L1 being inside the ellipsoidal body, simulations show that particles on the surface tend to move away from the ellipsoid, toward the spherical primary. We can relate this to the

  1. SIM Lite Detection of Habitable Planets in P-Type Binary-Planetary Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pan, Xiaopei; Shao, Michael; Shaklan, Stuart; Goullioud, Renaud

    2010-01-01

    Close binary stars like spectroscopic binaries create a completely different environment than single stars for the evolution of a protoplanetary disk. Dynamical interactions between one star and protoplanets in such systems provide more challenges for theorists to model giant planet migration and formation of multiple planets. For habitable planets the majority of host stars are in binary star systems. So far only a small amount of Jupiter-size planets have been discovered in binary stars, whose minimum separations are 20 AU and the median value is about 1000 AU (because of difficulties in radial velocity measurements). The SIM Lite mission, a space-based astrometric observatory, has a unique capability to detect habitable planets in binary star systems. This work analyzed responses of the optical system to the field stop for companion stars and demonstrated that SIM Lite can observe exoplanets in visual binaries with small angular separations. In particular we investigated the issues for the search for terrestrial planets in P-type binary-planetary systems, where the planets move around both stars in a relatively distant orbit.

  2. Measuring tides and binary parameters from gravitational wave data and eclipsing timings of detached white dwarf binaries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shah, Sweta; Nelemans, Gijs, E-mail: s.shah@astro.ru.nl

    The discovery of the most compact detached white dwarf (WD) binary SDSS J065133.33+284423.3 has been discussed in terms of probing the tidal effects in WDs. This system is also a verification source for the space-based gravitational wave (GW) detector, eLISA, or the evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, which will observe short-period compact Galactic binaries with P {sub orb} ≲ 5 hr. We address the prospects of performing tidal studies using eLISA binaries by showing the fractional uncertainties in the orbital decay rate, f-dot , and the rate of that decay, f{sup ¨} expected from both the GW and electromagnetic (EM)more » data for some of the high-f binaries. We find that f-dot and f{sup ¨} can be measured using GW data only for the most massive WD binaries observed at high frequencies. From timing the eclipses for ∼10 yr, we find that f-dot can be known to ∼0.1% for J0651. We find that from GW data alone, measuring the effects of tides in binaries is (almost) impossible. We also investigate the improvement in the knowledge of the binary parameters by combining the GW amplitude and inclination with EM data with and without f-dot . In our previous work, we found that EM data on distance constrained the 2σ uncertainty in chirp mass to 15%-25% whereas adding f-dot reduces it to 0.11%. EM data on f-dot also constrain the 2σ uncertainty in distance to 35%-19%. EM data on primary mass constrain the secondary mass m {sub 2} to factors of two to ∼40% whereas adding f-dot reduces this to 25%. Finally, using single-line spectroscopic data constrains 2σ uncertainties in both the m {sub 2}, d to factors of two to ∼40%. Adding EM data on f-dot reduces these 2σ uncertainties to ≤25% and 6%-19%, respectively. Thus we find that EM measurements of f-dot and radial velocity are valuable in constraining eLISA binary parameters.« less

  3. VX Her: Eclipsing Binary System or Single Variable Star

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perry, Kathleen; Castelaz, Michael; Henson, Gary; Boghozian, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    VX Her is a pulsating variable star with a period of .4556504 days. It is believed to be part of an eclipsing binary system (Fitch et al. 1966). This hypothesis originated from Fitch seeing VX Her's minimum point on its light curve reaching a 0.7 magnitude fainter than normal and remaining that way for nearly two hours. If VX Her were indeed a binary system, I would expect to see similar results with a fainter minimum and a broader, more horizontal dip. Having reduced and analyzed images from the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy Observatory in Chile and Kitt Peak, as well as images from a 0.15m reflector at East Tennessee State University, I found that VX Her has the standard light curve of the prototype variable star, RR Lyrae. Using photometry, I found no differing features in its light curve to suggest that it is indeed a binary system. However, more observations are needed in case VX Her is a wide binary.

  4. Estimating gravitational radiation from super-emitting compact binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanna, Chad; Johnson, Matthew C.; Lehner, Luis

    2017-06-01

    Binary black hole mergers are among the most violent events in the Universe, leading to extreme warping of spacetime and copious emission of gravitational radiation. Even though black holes are the most compact objects they are not necessarily the most efficient emitters of gravitational radiation in binary systems. The final black hole resulting from a binary black hole merger retains a significant fraction of the premerger orbital energy and angular momentum. A nonvacuum system can in principle shed more of this energy than a black hole merger of equivalent mass. We study these super-emitters through a toy model that accounts for the possibility that the merger creates a compact object that retains a long-lived time-varying quadrupole moment. This toy model may capture the merger of (low mass) neutron stars, but it may also be used to consider more exotic compact binaries. We hope that this toy model can serve as a guide to more rigorous numerical investigations into these systems.

  5. Impact of Distance Determinations on Galactic Structure. I. Young and Intermediate-Age Tracers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsunaga, Noriyuki; Bono, Giuseppe; Chen, Xiaodian; de Grijs, Richard; Inno, Laura; Nishiyama, Shogo

    2018-06-01

    Here we discuss impacts of distance determinations on the Galactic disk traced by relatively young objects. The Galactic disk, ˜40 kpc in diameter, is a cross-road of studies on the methods of measuring distances, interstellar extinction, evolution of galaxies, and other subjects of interest in astronomy. A proper treatment of interstellar extinction is, for example, crucial for estimating distances to stars in the disk outside the small range of the solar neighborhood. We'll review the current status of relevant studies and discuss some new approaches to the extinction law. When the extinction law is reasonably constrained, distance indicators found in today and future surveys are telling us stellar distribution and more throughout the Galactic disk. Among several useful distance indicators, the focus of this review is Cepheids and open clusters (especially contact binaries in clusters). These tracers are particularly useful for addressing the metallicity gradient of the Galactic disk, an important feature for which comparison between observations and theoretical models can reveal the evolution of the disk.

  6. Advances in Telescope and Detector Technologies - Impacts on the Study and Understanding of Binary Star and Exoplanet Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guinan, Edward F.; Engle, Scott; Devinney, Edward J.

    2012-04-01

    Current and planned telescope systems (both on the ground and in space) as well as new technologies will be discussed with emphasis on their impact on the studies of binary star and exoplanet systems. Although no telescopes or space missions are primarily designed to study binary stars (what a pity!), several are available (or will be shortly) to study exoplanet systems. Nonetheless those telescopes and instruments can also be powerful tools for studying binary and variable stars. For example, early microlensing missions (mid-1990s) such as EROS, MACHO and OGLE were initially designed for probing dark matter in the halos of galaxies but, serendipitously, these programs turned out to be a bonanza for the studies of eclipsing binaries and variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds and in the Galactic Bulge. A more recent example of this kind of serendipity is the Kepler Mission. Although Kepler was designed to discover exoplanet transits (and so far has been very successful, returning many planetary candidates), Kepler is turning out to be a ``stealth'' stellar astrophysics mission returning fundamentally important and new information on eclipsing binaries, variable stars and, in particular, providing a treasure trove of data of all types of pulsating stars suitable for detailed Asteroseismology studies. With this in mind, current and planned telescopes and networks, new instruments and techniques (including interferometers) are discussed that can play important roles in our understanding of both binary star and exoplanet systems. Recent advances in detectors (e.g. laser frequency comb spectrographs), telescope networks (both small and large - e.g. Super-WASP, HAT-net, RoboNet, Las Combres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network), wide field (panoramic) telescope systems (e.g. Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and Pan-Starrs), huge telescopes (e.g. the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the Overwhelming Large Telescope (OWL) and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT

  7. Cyclotron Line and Wind studies of Galactic High Mass X-ray Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suchy, Slawomir

    High mass X-ray binaries are rotating neutron stars with very strong magnetic fields that channel accreting matter from their companion star onto the magnetic poles with subsequent collimated X-ray emission. The stars are fed either by a strong stellar wind of the optical companion or by an accretion disk, where material follows the magnetic field lines, emitting X-rays throughout this process either in the accretion column or directly from the neutron star surface. The fast rotation and the narrow collimation of the X-ray emission creates an observed pulsation, forming the concept of a pulsar. Some of the key questions of these thesis are the emission processes above the magnetic pole, including the influence of the magnetic field, the formation of the X-ray beam, and the structure of the stellar wind. An important process is the effect of the teraGauss magnetic field. Cyclotron resonance scattering creates spectral features similar to broad absorption lines (CRSFs or cyclotron lines) that are directly related to the magnetic field. The discovery of cyclotron lines ˜ 35 years ago allows for the only direct method to measure the magnetic field strength in neutron star systems. Variations in the line parameters throughout the pulse phase, and a dependence in the observed luminosity can also aid in the understanding of these processes. In this thesis I present the results of phase averaged and phase resolved analysis of the three high mass X-ray binaries CenX-3, 1A 1118--61, and GX301--2. The data used for this work were obtained with NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and the Japanese Suzaku mission. Both satellites are ideal to cover the broad energy band, where CRSFs occur and are necessary for understanding the continuum as a whole. In the process of investigating the 3 sources, I discovered a CRSF at ˜ 55 keV in the transient binary 1A 1118--61, which indicates one of the strongest magnetic fields known in these objects. I used the variations of the CRSF in GX

  8. Supermassive black hole binaries and transient radio events: studies in pulsar astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burke-Spolaor, S.

    2011-06-01

    The field of pulsar astronomy encompasses a rich breadth of astrophysical topics. The research in this thesis contributes to two particular subjects of pulsar astronomy: gravitational wave science, and identifying celestial sources of pulsed radio emission. We first investigated the detection of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries, which are the brightest expected source of gravitational waves for pulsar timing. We considered whether two electromagnetic SMBH tracers, velocity-resolved emission lines in active nuclei, and radio galactic nuclei with spatially-resolved, flat-spectrum cores, can reveal systems emitting gravitational waves in the pulsar timing band. We found that there are systems which may in principle be simultaneously detectable by both an electromagnetic signature and gravitational emission, however the probability of actually identifying such a system is low (they will represent much less than 1% of a randomly selected galactic nucleus sample). This study accents the fact that electromagnetic indicators may be used to explore binary populations down to the 'stalling radii' at which binary inspiral evolution may stall indefinitely at radii exceeding those which produce gravitational radiation in the pulsar timing band. We then performed a search for binary SMBH holes in archival Very Long Baseline Interferometry data for 3114 radio-luminous active galactic nuclei. One source was detected as a double nucleus. This result is interpreted in terms of post-merger timescales for SMBH centralisation, implications for 'stalling', and the relationship of radio activity in nuclei to mergers. Our analysis suggested that binary pair evolution of SMBHs (both of masses >108M circled bullet) spends less than 500Myr in progression from the merging of galactic stellar cores to within the purported stalling radius for SMBH pairs, giving no evidence for an excess of stalled binary systems at small separations. Circumstantial evidence showed that the relative state

  9. Characterization of the benchmark binary NLTT 33370 {sup ,}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schlieder, Joshua E.; Bonnefoy, Mickaël; Herbst, T. M.

    2014-03-01

    We confirm the binary nature of the nearby, very low mass (VLM) system NLTT 33370 with adaptive optics imaging and present resolved near-infrared photometry and integrated light optical and near-infrared spectroscopy to characterize the system. VLT-NaCo and LBTI-LMIRCam images show significant orbital motion between 2013 February and 2013 April. Optical spectra reveal weak, gravity-sensitive alkali lines and strong lithium 6708 Å absorption that indicate the system is younger than field age. VLT-SINFONI near-IR spectra also show weak, gravity-sensitive features and spectral morphology that is consistent with other young VLM dwarfs. We combine the constraints from all age diagnostics to estimatemore » a system age of ∼30-200 Myr. The 1.2-4.7 μm spectral energy distribution of the components point toward T {sub eff} = 3200 ± 500 K and T {sub eff} = 3100 ± 500 K for NLTT 33370 A and B, respectively. The observed spectra, derived temperatures, and estimated age combine to constrain the component spectral types to the range M6-M8. Evolutionary models predict masses of 97{sub −48}{sup +41} M{sub Jup} and 91{sub −44}{sup +41} M{sub Jup} from the estimated luminosities of the components. KPNO-Phoenix spectra allow us to estimate the systemic radial velocity of the binary. The Galactic kinematics of NLTT 33370AB are broadly consistent with other young stars in the solar neighborhood. However, definitive membership in a young, kinematic group cannot be assigned at this time and further follow-up observations are necessary to fully constrain the system's kinematics. The proximity, age, and late-spectral type of this binary make it very novel and an ideal target for rapid, complete orbit determination. The system is one of only a few model calibration benchmarks at young ages and VLMs.« less

  10. SECULAR EVOLUTION OF BINARIES NEAR MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: FORMATION OF COMPACT BINARIES, MERGER/COLLISION PRODUCTS AND G2-LIKE OBJECTS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Prodan, Snezana; Antonini, Fabio; Perets, Hagai B., E-mail: sprodan@cita.utoronto.ca, E-mail: antonini@cita.utoronto.ca

    2015-02-01

    Here we discuss the evolution of binaries around massive black holes (MBHs) in nuclear stellar clusters. We focus on their secular evolution due to the perturbation by the MBHs, while simplistically accounting for their collisional evolution. Binaries with highly inclined orbits with respect to their orbits around MBHs are strongly affected by secular processes, which periodically change their eccentricities and inclinations (e.g., Kozai-Lidov cycles). During periapsis approach, dissipative processes such as tidal friction may become highly efficient, and may lead to shrinkage of a binary orbit and even to its merger. Binaries in this environment can therefore significantly change theirmore » orbital evolution due to the MBH third-body perturbative effects. Such orbital evolution may impinge on their later stellar evolution. Here we follow the secular dynamics of such binaries and its coupling to tidal evolution, as well as the stellar evolution of such binaries on longer timescales. We find that stellar binaries in the central parts of nuclear stellar clusters (NSCs) are highly likely to evolve into eccentric and/or short-period binaries, and become strongly interacting binaries either on the main sequence (at which point they may even merge), or through their later binary stellar evolution. The central parts of NSCs therefore catalyze the formation and evolution of strongly interacting binaries, and lead to the enhanced formation of blue stragglers, X-ray binaries, gravitational wave sources, and possible supernova progenitors. Induced mergers/collisions may also lead to the formation of G2-like cloud-like objects such as the one recently observed in the Galactic center.« less

  11. White Dwarfs in Wide Binaries and the Age of the Galaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, John Allyn

    A comprehensive study of common proper binary systems suspected of containing white dwarf stars is being conducted by Oswalt and collaborators (Oswalt et al. 1988). These systems usually contain a white dwarf and a main sequence star. In the present study, we use the white dwarf luminosity function to determine the age of the local Galactic disk as well as the local space density of white dwarfs. We obtained BVRI photometry of approximately 475 systems (of 512) which were found to contain about 325 white dwarfs. Of these white dwarfs, 152 met the selection criteria for our study and were used in the final analysis. Using this largest sample of cool white dwarfs in binary systems observed to date, we have determined an age for the Galactic disk of 9.7-0.8+0.9 Gyr which yields a lower limit age for the Universe of about 11.7 Gyr. Recent globular cluster studies agree to within ±1σ for the Galaxy age derived from our Disk age. The latest cosmologically derived age for the Universe, modified for the recently released Hipparcos data, is now in accordance with our age estimates for the Universe, for H o (69 km s-1 Mpc-1) and an inflationary cosmology. Further, our age is in accord with the ages derived for the Galaxy from nucleocomsochronology and meteoritic sample analyses. As a part of this work, we have determined the white dwarf space density to be 4.5 ± 1.0 10-3 pc-3, in accord with the results previously reported by Liebert, Dahn & Monet (1987). This space density corresponds to a white dwarf birthrate of 4.65 × 10-13 yr-1 pc-3. This research also details a unique approach to calculating and correcting for the incompleteness of a proper motion and magnitude selected stellar sample.

  12. Dual Active Galactic Nuclei in Nearby Galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Das, Mousumi; Rubinur, Khatun; Karb, Preeti; Varghese, Ashlin; Novakkuni, Navyasree; James, Atul

    2018-04-01

    Galaxy mergers play a crucial role in the formation of massive galaxies and the buildup of their bulges. An important aspect of the merging process is the in-spiral of the supermassive black-holes (SMBHs) to the centre of the merger remnant and the eventual formation of a SMBH binary. If both the SMBHs are accreting they will form a dual or binary active galactic nucleus (DAGN). The final merger remnant is usually very bright and shows enhanced star formation. In this paper we summarise the current sample of DAGN from previous studies and describe methods that can be used to identify strong DAGN candidates from optical and spectroscopic surveys. These methods depend on the Doppler separation of the double peaked AGN emission lines, the nuclear velocity dispersion of the galaxies and their optical/UV colours. We describe two high resolution, radio observations of DAGN candidates that have been selected based on their double peaked optical emission lines (DPAGN). We also examine whether DAGN host galaxies have higher star formation rates (SFRs) compared to merging galaxies that do not appear to have DAGN. We find that the SFR is not higher for DAGN host galaxies. This suggests that the SFRs in DAGN host galaxies is due to the merging process itself and not related to the presence of two AGN in the system.

  13. The True Ultracool Binary Fraction Using Spectral Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bardalez Gagliuffi, Daniella; Burgasser, Adam J.; Schmidt, Sarah J.; Gagné, Jonathan; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Cruz, Kelle; Gelino, Chris

    2018-01-01

    Brown dwarfs bridge the gap between stars and giant planets. While the essential mechanisms governing their formation are not well constrained, binary statistics are a direct outcome of the formation process, and thus provide a means to test formation theories. Observational constraints on the brown dwarf binary fraction place it at 10 ‑ 20%, dominated by imaging studies (85% of systems) with the most common separation at 4 AU. This coincides with the resolution limit of state-of-the-art imaging techniques, suggesting that the binary fraction is underestimated. We have developed a separation-independent method to identify and characterize tightly-separated (< 5 AU) binary systems of brown dwarfs as spectral binaries by identifying traces of methane in the spectra of late-M and early-L dwarfs. Imaging follow-up of 17 spectral binaries yielded 3 (18%) resolved systems, corroborating the observed binary fraction, but 5 (29%) known binaries were missed, reinforcing the hypothesis that the short-separation systems are undercounted. In order to find the true binary fraction of brown dwarfs, we have compiled a volume-limited, spectroscopic sample of M7-L5 dwarfs and searched for T dwarf companions. In the 25 pc volume, 4 candidates were found, three of which are already confirmed, leading to a spectral binary fraction of 0.95 ± 0.50%, albeit for a specific combination of spectral types. To extract the true binary fraction and determine the biases of the spectral binary method, we have produced a binary population simulation based on different assumptions of the mass function, age distribution, evolutionary models and mass ratio distribution. Applying the correction fraction resulting from this method to the observed spectral binary fraction yields a true binary fraction of 27 ± 4%, which is roughly within 1σ of the binary fraction obtained from high resolution imaging studies, radial velocity and astrometric monitoring. This method can be extended to identify giant

  14. Lattice animals in diffusion limited binary colloidal system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shireen, Zakiya; Babu, Sujin B.

    2017-08-01

    In a soft matter system, controlling the structure of the amorphous materials has been a key challenge. In this work, we have modeled irreversible diffusion limited cluster aggregation of binary colloids, which serves as a model for chemical gels. Irreversible aggregation of binary colloidal particles leads to the formation of a percolating cluster of one species or both species which are also called bigels. Before the formation of the percolating cluster, the system forms a self-similar structure defined by a fractal dimension. For a one component system when the volume fraction is very small, the clusters are far apart from each other and the system has a fractal dimension of 1.8. Contrary to this, we will show that for the binary system, we observe the presence of lattice animals which has a fractal dimension of 2 irrespective of the volume fraction. When the clusters start inter-penetrating, we observe a fractal dimension of 2.5, which is the same as in the case of the one component system. We were also able to predict the formation of bigels using a simple inequality relation. We have also shown that the growth of clusters follows the kinetic equations introduced by Smoluchowski for diffusion limited cluster aggregation. We will also show that the chemical distance of a cluster in the flocculation regime will follow the same scaling law as predicted for the lattice animals. Further, we will also show that irreversible binary aggregation comes under the universality class of the percolation theory.

  15. A high-velocity black hole on a Galactic-halo orbit in the solar neighbourhood.

    PubMed

    Mirabel, I F; Dhawan, V; Mignani, R P; Rodrigues, I; Guglielmetti, F

    2001-09-13

    Only a few of the dozen or so known stellar-mass black holes have been observed away from the plane of the Galaxy. Those few could have been ejected from the plane as a result of a 'kick' received during a supernova explosion, or they could be remnants of the population of massive stars formed in the early stages of evolution of the Galaxy. Determining their orbital motion should help to distinguish between these options. Here we report the transverse motion (in the plane of the sky) for the black-hole X-ray nova XTE J1118+480 (refs 2, 3, 4, 5), from which we derive a large space velocity. This X-ray binary system has an eccentric orbit around the Galactic Centre, like most objects in the halo of the Galaxy, such as ancient stars and globular clusters. The properties of the system suggest that its age is comparable to or greater than the age of the Galactic disk. Only an extraordinary 'kick' from a supernova could have launched the black hole into an orbit like this from a birthplace in the disk of the Galaxy.

  16. Life and light: exotic photosynthesis in binary and multiple-star systems.

    PubMed

    O'Malley-James, J T; Raven, J A; Cockell, C S; Greaves, J S

    2012-02-01

    The potential for Earth-like planets within binary/multiple-star systems to host photosynthetic life was evaluated by modeling the levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) such planets receive. Combinations of M and G stars in (i) close-binary systems; (ii) wide-binary systems, and (iii) three-star systems were investigated, and a range of stable radiation environments were found to be possible. These environmental conditions allow for the possibility of familiar, but also more exotic, forms of photosynthetic life, such as IR photosynthesizers and organisms that are specialized for specific spectral niches.

  17. The Evolution of Massive Close Binaries: Anomalous Relationship between Nitrogen Abundances and Rotational Velocities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Hanfeng; Wang, Jiangtao; Song, Fen; Zhang, Ruiyu; Li, Zhi; Peng, Weiguo; Zhan, Qiong; Jing, Jianghong

    2018-05-01

    The combined effects of rotation and mass accretion on the evolution of binary systems are investigated in this work. Rotational binaries provide us with a promising channel that could explain the abnormal phenomenon of the nitrogen abundances in Groups 1 and 2 of the Galactic Hunter diagram. Group 1 contains fast-rotating but nitrogen-unenriched stars, whereas Group 2 includes apparently slowly rotating but nitrogen-enhanced stars. The donor star suffers from heavy mass loss that progressively exposes deep layers of nitrogen and corresponding angular momentum loss that can efficiently spin the star down. Rapid-rotation stars without nitrogen enrichment may be related to mass gainers that had accreted little matter from a close companion and then been spun up to rapid rotation. Nitrogen enrichment of mass gainers can be greatly suppressed by low accreting efficiency, which is induced by critical rotation, thermohaline mixing, and the gradient of mean molecular weight. Nitrogen enrichment due to mass accretion appears to be more efficient than that due to rotational mixing, because there exist thermohaline instabilities during Roche lobe overflow. The mixing in the enlarged convective core reduces carbon and nitrogen abundances but increases oxygen abundances in mass gainers. This process significantly triggers CNO cycling but does not support CN cycling. The orbital separation can be widened because of the nonconservative mass transfer, and this process gives rise to weak tidal torques. Therefore, invoking binaries has the potential to simultaneously explain the observed stars in Groups 1 and 2 of the Galactic Hunter diagram.

  18. Modeling and Observations of Massive Binaries with the B[e] Phenomenon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lobel, A.; Martayan, C.; Mehner, A.; Groh, J. H.

    2017-02-01

    We report a long-term high-resolution spectroscopic monitoring program of LBVs and candidate LBVs with Mercator-HERMES. Based on 7 years of data, we recently showed that supergiant MWC 314 is a (Galactic) semi-detached eccentric binary with stationary permitted and forbidden emission lines in the optical and near-IR region. MWC 314 is a luminous and massive probable LBV star showing a strongly orbitally-modulated wind variability. We observe discrete absorption components in P Cyg He I lines signaling large-scale wind structures. In 2014 XMM observed X-rays indicating strong wind-wind collision in the close binary system (a ≃1 AU). A VLT-NACO imaging survey recently revealed that MWC 314 is a triple hierarchical system. We present a 3-D non-LTE radiative transfer model of the extended asymmetric wind structure around the primary B0 supergiant for modeling the orbital variability of P Cyg absorption (v∞˜1200 km s-1) in He I lines. An analysis of the HERMES monitoring spectra of the Galactic LBV star MWC 930 however does not show clear indications of a spectroscopic binary. The detailed long-term spectroscopic variability of this massive B[e] star is very similar to the spectroscopic variability of the prototypical blue hypergiant S Dor in the LMC. We observe prominent P Cyg line shapes in MWC 930 that temporarily transform into split absorption line cores during variability phases of its S Dor cycle over the past decade with a brightening in V of ˜ 1.2 mag. The line splitting phenomenon is very similar to the split metal line cores observed in pulsating Yellow Hypergiants ρ Cas (F-K Ia+) and HR 8752 (A-K Ia+) with [Ca II] and [N II] emission lines. We propose the line core splitting in MWC 930 is due to optically thick central line emission produced in the inner ionized wind region becoming mechanically shock-excited with the increase of R* and decrease of Teff of the LBV.

  19. Very High Energy Emission from the Binary System Cyg X-3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sinitsyna, V. G.; Sinitsyna, V. Yu.

    2018-03-01

    Cyg X-3 is actively studied in the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum from the radio band to ultrahigh energies. Based on the detection of ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray emission, it has been suggested that Cyg X-3 could be one of the most powerful sources of charged cosmic-ray particles in the Galaxy. We present the results of long-term observations of the Cygnus X-3 region at energies 800 GeV-100 TeV by the SHALON mirror Cherenkov telescope. In 1995 the SHALON observations revealed a new Galactic source of very high energy gamma-ray emission coincident in its coordinates with the microquasar Cyg X-3. To reliably identify the detected source with Cyg X-3, an analysis has been performed and an orbital period of 4.8 h has been found, which is a signature of Cyg X-3. A series of flares in Cyg X-3 at energies >800 GeV and their correlation with the activity in the X-ray and radio bands have been observed. The results obtained in a wide energy range for Cyg X-3, including those during the periods of relativistic jet events, are needed to find the connection and to understand the different components of an accreting binary system.

  20. The influence of massive black hole binaries on the morphology of merger remnants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bortolas, E.; Gualandris, A.; Dotti, M.; Read, J. I.

    2018-06-01

    Massive black hole (MBH) binaries, formed as a result of galaxy mergers, are expected to harden by dynamical friction and three-body stellar scatterings, until emission of gravitational waves (GWs) leads to their final coalescence. According to recent simulations, MBH binaries can efficiently harden via stellar encounters only when the host geometry is triaxial, even if only modestly, as angular momentum diffusion allows an efficient repopulation of the binary loss cone. In this paper, we carry out a suite of N-body simulations of equal-mass galaxy collisions, varying the initial orbits and density profiles for the merging galaxies and running simulations both with and without central MBHs. We find that the presence of an MBH binary in the remnant makes the system nearly oblate, aligned with the galaxy merger plane, within a radius enclosing 100 MBH masses. We never find binary hosts to be prolate on any scale. The decaying MBHs slightly enhance the tangential anisotropy in the centre of the remnant due to angular momentum injection and the slingshot ejection of stars on nearly radial orbits. This latter effect results in about 1 per cent of the remnant stars being expelled from the galactic nucleus. Finally, we do not find any strong connection between the remnant morphology and the binary hardening rate, which depends only on the inner density slope of the remnant galaxy. Our results suggest that MBH binaries are able to coalesce within a few Gyr, even if the binary is found to partially erase the merger-induced triaxiality from the remnant.

  1. THE LEECH EXOPLANET IMAGING SURVEY: ORBIT AND COMPONENT MASSES OF THE INTERMEDIATE-AGE, LATE-TYPE BINARY NO UMa

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schlieder, Joshua E.; Skemer, Andrew J.; Hinz, Philip

    2016-02-10

    We present high-resolution Large Binocular Telescope LBTI/LMIRcam images of the spectroscopic and astrometric binary NO UMa obtained as part of the LBT Interferometer Exozodi Exoplanet Common Hunt exoplanet imaging survey. Our H-, K{sub s}-, and L′-band observations resolve the system at angular separations <0.″09. The components exhibit significant orbital motion over a span of ∼7 months. We combine our imaging data with archival images, published speckle interferometry measurements, and existing spectroscopic velocity data to solve the full orbital solution and estimate component masses. The masses of the K2.0 ± 0.5 primary and K6.5 ± 0.5 secondary are 0.83 ± 0.02 M{sub ⊙} and 0.64 ± 0.02 M{sub ⊙},more » respectively. We also derive a system distance of d = 25.87 ± 0.02 pc and revise the Galactic kinematics of NO UMa. Our revised Galactic kinematics confirm NO UMa as a nuclear member of the ∼500 Myr old Ursa Major moving group, and it is thus a mass and age benchmark. We compare the masses of the NO UMa binary components to those predicted by five sets of stellar evolution models at the age of the Ursa Major group. We find excellent agreement between our measured masses and model predictions with little systematic scatter between the models. NO UMa joins the short list of nearby, bright, late-type binaries having known ages and fully characterized orbits.« less

  2. Massive binary stars as a probe of massive star formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiminki, Daniel C.

    2010-10-01

    Massive stars are among the largest and most influential objects we know of on a sub-galactic scale. Binary systems, composed of at least one of these stars, may be responsible for several types of phenomena, including type Ib/c supernovae, short and long gamma ray bursts, high-velocity runaway O and B-type stars, and the density of the parent star clusters. Our understanding of these stars has met with limited success, especially in the area of their formation. Current formation theories rely on the accumulated statistics of massive binary systems that are limited because of their sample size or the inhomogeneous environments from which the statistics are collected. The purpose of this work is to provide a higher-level analysis of close massive binary characteristics using the radial velocity information of 113 massive stars (B3 and earlier) and binary orbital properties for the 19 known close massive binaries in the Cygnus OB2 Association. This work provides an analysis using the largest amount of massive star and binary information ever compiled for an O-star rich cluster like Cygnus OB2, and compliments other O-star binary studies such as NGC 6231, NGC 2244, and NGC 6611. I first report the discovery of 73 new O or B-type stars and 13 new massive binaries by this survey. This work involved the use of 75 successful nights of spectroscopic observation at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory in addition to observations obtained using the Hydra multi-object spectrograph at WIYN, the HIRES echelle spectrograph at KECK, and the Hamilton spectrograph at LICK. I use these data to estimate the spectrophotometric distance to the cluster and to measure the mean systemic velocity and the one-sided velocity dispersion of the cluster. Finally, I compare these data to a series of Monte Carlo models, the results of which indicate that the binary fraction of the cluster is 57 +/- 5% and that the indices for the power law distributions, describing the log of the periods, mass

  3. Dynamical fate of wide binaries in the solar neighborhood

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weinberg, M.D.; Shapiro, S.L.; Wasserman, I.

    1987-01-01

    An analytical model is presented for the evolution of wide binaries in the Galaxy. The study is pertinent to the postulated solar companion, Nemesis, which may disturb the Oort cloud and cause catastrophic comet showers to strike the earth every 26 Myr. Distant gravitational encounters are modeled by Fokker-Planck coefficients for advection and diffusion of the orbital binding energy. It is shown that encounters with passing stars cause a diffusive evolution of the binding energy and semimajor axis. Encounters with subclumps in giant molecular clouds disrupt orbits to a degree dependent on the cumulative number of stellar encounters. The timemore » scales of the vents and the limitations of scaling laws used are discussed. Results are provided from calculations of galactic distribution of wide binaries and the evolution of wide binary orbits. 38 references.« less

  4. Wind-accelerated orbital evolution in binary systems with giant stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Zhuo; Blackman, Eric G.; Nordhaus, Jason; Frank, Adam; Carroll-Nellenback, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    Using 3D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations and analytic theory, we study the orbital evolution of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) binary systems for various initial orbital separations and mass ratios, and thus different initial accretion modes. The time evolution of binary separations and orbital periods are calculated directly from the averaged mass-loss rate, accretion rate and angular momentum loss rate. We separately consider spin-orbit synchronized and zero-spin AGB cases. We find that the angular momentum carried away by the mass loss together with the mass transfer can effectively shrink the orbit when accretion occurs via wind-Roche lobe overflow. In contrast, the larger fraction of mass lost in Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accreting systems acts to enlarge the orbit. Synchronized binaries tend to experience stronger orbital period decay in close binaries. We also find that orbital period decay is faster when we account for the non-linear evolution of the accretion mode as the binary starts to tighten. This can increase the fraction of binaries that result in common envelope, luminous red novae, Type Ia supernovae and planetary nebulae with tight central binaries. The results also imply that planets in the habitable zone around white dwarfs are unlikely to be found.

  5. Establishing binarity amongst Galactic RV Tauri stars with a disc⋆

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manick, Rajeev; Van Winckel, Hans; Kamath, Devika; Hillen, Michel; Escorza, Ana

    2017-01-01

    Context. Over the last few decades it has become more evident that binarity is a prevalent phenomenon amongst RV Tauri stars with a disc. This study is a contribution to comprehend the role of binarity upon late stages of stellar evolution. Aims: In this paper we determine the binary status of six Galactic RV Tauri stars, namely DY Ori, EP Lyr, HP Lyr, IRAS 17038-4815, IRAS 09144-4933, and TW Cam, which are surrounded by a dusty disc. The radial velocities are contaminated by high-amplitude pulsations. We disentangle the pulsations from the orbital signal in order to determine accurate orbital parameters. We also place them on the HR diagram, thereby establishing their evolutionary nature. Methods: We used high-resolution spectroscopic time series obtained from the HERMES and CORALIE spectrographs mounted on the Flemish Mercator and Swiss Leonhard Euler Telescopes, respectively. An updated ASAS/AAVSO photometric time series is analysed to complement the spectroscopic pulsation search and to clean the radial velocities from the pulsations. The pulsation-cleaned orbits are fitted with a Keplerian model to determine the spectroscopic orbital parameters. We also calibrated a PLC relationship using type II cepheids in the LMC and apply the relation to our Galactic sample to obtain accurate distances and hence luminosities. Results: All six of the Galactic RV Tauri stars included in this study are binaries with orbital periods ranging between 650 and 1700 days and with eccentricities between 0.2 and 0.6. The mass functions range between 0.08 to 0.55 M⊙ which points to an unevolved low-mass companion. In the photometric time series we detect a long-term variation on the timescale of the orbital period for IRAS 17038-4815, IRAS 09144-4933, and TW Cam. Our derived stellar luminosities indicate that all except DY Ori and EP Lyr are post-AGB stars. DY Ori and EP Lyr are likely examples of the recently discovered dusty post-RGB stars. Conclusions: The orbital parameters

  6. Determination of the Period of Binary Asteroid Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lust, Nathaniel B.; Britt, D. T.

    2008-09-01

    In the study of asteroids, binary pairs offer a unique window of study. By observing these systems and determining the period of the secondary, it is possible to determine system mass (e.g. Pravec and Hahn 1997; Ryan et al., 2004). With mass and volume, properties such as bulk density and porosity can be derived. At the University of Central Florida we have begun a binary asteroid hunt, in conjunction with the Prague consortium, in order to identify new binary candidates and to better constrain data on known pairs. All of the observations are collected on campus using a 0.5meter f/8.1 Ritchey-Chretien telescope with a SBIG STL-6303E detector. For our first test target we observed the known binary asteroid 107 Camila over a period of six days for approximately six to eight hours a night. The data is then processed using an open source python algorithm developed by Nate Lust. The data is read in, reduced, and compared to a standard star. Once the light curve was generated we make use of the CLEAN algorithm, originally developed by Hogbom (1974), to extract meaningful periods from the light curve.

  7. R144: a very massive binary likely ejected from R136 through a binary-binary encounter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oh, Seungkyung; Kroupa, Pavel; Banerjee, Sambaran

    2014-02-01

    R144 is a recently confirmed very massive, spectroscopic binary which appears isolated from the core of the massive young star cluster R136. The dynamical ejection hypothesis as an origin for its location is claimed improbable by Sana et al. due to its binary nature and high mass. We demonstrate here by means of direct N-body calculations that a very massive binary system can be readily dynamically ejected from an R136-like cluster, through a close encounter with a very massive system. One out of four N-body cluster models produces a dynamically ejected very massive binary system with a mass comparable to R144. The system has a system mass of ≈355 M⊙ and is located at 36.8 pc from the centre of its parent cluster, moving away from the cluster with a velocity of 57 km s-1 at 2 Myr as a result of a binary-binary interaction. This implies that R144 could have been ejected from R136 through a strong encounter with another massive binary or single star. In addition, we discuss all massive binaries and single stars which are ejected dynamically from their parent cluster in the N-body models.

  8. Interactions in Massive Colliding Wind Binaries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Corcoran, M.

    2012-01-01

    The most massive stars (M> 60 Solar Mass) play crucial roles in altering the chemical and thermodynamic properties of their host galaxies. Stellar mass is the fundamental stellar parameter that determines their ancillary properties and which ultimately determines the fate of these stars and their influence on their galactic environs. Unfortunately, stellar mass becomes observationally and theoretically less well constrained as it increases. Theory becomes uncertain mostly because very massive stars are prone to strong, variable mass loss which is difficult to model. Observational constraints are uncertain too. Massive stars are rare, and massive binary stars (needed for dynamical determination of mass) are rarer still: and of these systems only a fraction have suitably high orbital inclinations for direct photometric and spectroscopic radial-velocity analysis. Even in the small number of cases in which a high-inclination binary near the upper mass limit can be identified, rotational broadening and contamination of spectral line features from thick circumstellar material (either natal clouds or produced by strong stellar wind driven mass loss from one or both of he stellar components) biases the analysis. In the wilds of the upper HR diagram, we're often left with indirect and circumstantial means of determining mass, a rather unsatisfactory state of affairs.

  9. Observing the Next Galactic Supernova

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adams, Scott M.; Kochanek, C. S.; Beacom, John F.; Vagins, Mark R.; Stanek, K. Z.

    2013-12-01

    No supernova (SN) in the Milky Way has been observed since the invention of the optical telescope, instruments for other wavelengths, neutrino detectors, or gravitational wave observatories. It would be a tragedy to miss the opportunity to fully characterize the next one. To aid preparations for its observations, we model the distance, extinction, and magnitude probability distributions of a successful Galactic core-collapse supernova (ccSN), its shock breakout radiation, and its massive star progenitor. We find, at very high probability (sime 100%), that the next Galactic SN will easily be detectable in the near-IR and that near-IR photometry of the progenitor star very likely (sime 92%) already exists in the Two Micron All Sky Survey. Most ccSNe (98%) will be easily observed in the optical, but a significant fraction (43%) will lack observations of the progenitor due to a combination of survey sensitivity and confusion. If neutrino detection experiments can quickly disseminate a likely position (~3°), we show that a modestly priced IR camera system can probably detect the shock breakout radiation pulse even in daytime (64% for the cheapest design). Neutrino experiments should seriously consider adding such systems, both for their scientific return and as an added and internal layer of protection against false triggers. We find that shock breakouts from failed ccSNe of red supergiants may be more observable than those of successful SNe due to their lower radiation temperatures. We review the process by which neutrinos from a Galactic ccSN would be detected and announced. We provide new information on the EGADS system and its potential for providing instant neutrino alerts. We also discuss the distance, extinction, and magnitude probability distributions for the next Galactic Type Ia supernova (SN Ia). Based on our modeled observability, we find a Galactic ccSN rate of 3.2^{+7.3}_{-2.6} per century and a Galactic SN Ia rate of 1.4^{+1.4}_{-0.8} per century for a

  10. Formation of Thorne-Żytkow objects in close binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hutilukejiang, Bumareyamu; Zhu, Chunhua; Wang, Zhaojun; Lü, Guoliang

    2018-04-01

    Thorne-Żytkow objects (TŻOs), originally proposed by Thorne and Żytkow, may form as a result of unstable mass transfer in a massive X-ray binary after a neutron star (NS) is engulfed in the envelope of its companion star. Using a rapid binary evolution program and the Monte Carlo method, we simulated the formation of TŻOs in close binary stars. The Galactic birth rate of TŻOs is about 1.5× 10^{-4} yr^{-1}. Their progenitors may be composed of a NS and a main-sequence star, a star in the Hertzsprung gap or a core-helium burning, or a naked helium star. The birth rates of TŻOs via the above different progenitors are 1.7× 10^{-5}, 1.2× 10^{-4}, 0.7× 10^{-5}, 0.6× 10^{-5} yr^{-1}, respectively. These progenitors may be massive X-ray binaries. We found that the observational properties of three massive X-ray binaries (SMC X-1, Cen X-3 and LMC X-4) in which the companions of NSs may fill their Roche robes were consistent with those of their progenitors.

  11. Planetary Systems Dynamics Eccentric patterns in debris disks & Planetary migration in binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faramaz, V.; Beust, H.; Augereau, J.-C.; Bonsor, A.; Thébault, P.; Wu, Y.; Marshall, J. P.; del Burgo, C.; Ertel, S.; Eiroa, C.; Montesinos, B.; Mora, A.

    2014-01-01

    We present some highlights of two ongoing investigations that deal with the dynamics of planetary systems. Firstly, until recently, observed eccentric patterns in debris disks were found in young systems. However recent observations of Gyr-old eccentric debris disks leads to question the survival timescale of this type of asymmetry. One such disk was recently observed in the far-IR by the Herschel Space Observatory around ζ2 Reticuli. Secondly, as a binary companion orbits a circumprimary disk, it creates regions where planet formation is strongly handicapped. However, some planets were detected in this zone in tight binary systems (γ Cep, HD 196885). We aim to determine whether a binary companion can affect migration such that planets are brought in these regions and focus in particular on the planetesimal-driven migration mechanism.

  12. An X-ray look at the first head-trail nebula in an X-ray binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soleri, Paolo

    2011-09-01

    Head-tail trails are a common feature in active galactic nuclei and pulsar bow-shocks. Heinz et al. (2008) suggested that also X-ray binaries, being jet sources moving with high velocities in dense media, can leave trails of highly ionized plasma that should be detectable at radio frequencies. During bservations of faint-persistent X-ray binaries, we discovered an optical nebula around the X-ray binary SAX J1712.6-3739, consisting of a bow-shock ring-like nebula in front of the binary and two trails originating close to it. This is the first detection of such structure in a X-ray binary and it opens a new sub-field in the study of these objects. Observations with XMM-Newton and Chandra are now needed to investigate the properties of the surrounding nebula.

  13. An X-ray look at the first head-trail nebula in an X-ray binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soleri, Paolo

    2010-10-01

    Head-tail trails are a common feature in active galactic nuclei and pulsar bow-shocks. Heinz et al. (2008) suggested that also X-ray binaries, being jet sources moving with high velocities in dense media, can leave trails of highly ionized plasma that should be detectable at radio frequencies. During observations of faint-persistent X-ray binaries, we discovered an optical nebula around the X-ray binary SAX J1712.6-3739, consisting of a bow-shock ring-like nebula ``in front'' of the binary and two trails originating close to it. This is the first detection of such structure in a X-ray binary and it opens a new sub-field in the study of these objects. Observations with XMM-Newton and Chandra are now needed to investigate the properties of the surrounding nebula.

  14. A precise measurement of the magnetic field in the corona of the black hole binary V404 Cygni.

    PubMed

    Dallilar, Yigit; Eikenberry, Stephen S; Garner, Alan; Stelter, Richard D; Gottlieb, Amy; Gandhi, Poshak; Casella, Piergiorgio; Dhillon, Vik S; Marsh, Tom R; Littlefair, Stuart P; Hardy, Liam; Fender, Rob; Mooley, Kunal; Walton, Dominic J; Fuerst, Felix; Bachetti, Matteo; Castro-Tirado, A J; Charcos, Miguel; Edwards, Michelle L; Lasso-Cabrera, Nestor M; Marin-Franch, Antonio; Raines, S Nicholas; Ackley, Kendall; Bennett, John G; Cenarro, A Javier; Chinn, Brian; Donoso, H Veronica; Frommeyer, Raymond; Hanna, Kevin; Herlevich, Michael D; Julian, Jeff; Miller, Paola; Mullin, Scott; Murphey, Charles H; Packham, Chris; Varosi, Frank; Vega, Claudia; Warner, Craig; Ramaprakash, A N; Burse, Mahesh; Punnadi, Sujit; Chordia, Pravin; Gerarts, Andreas; de Paz Martín, Héctor; Calero, María Martín; Scarpa, Riccardo; Acosta, Sergio Fernandez; Hernández Sánchez, William Miguel; Siegel, Benjamin; Pérez, Francisco Francisco; Viera Martín, Himar D; Rodríguez Losada, José A; Nuñez, Agustín; Tejero, Álvaro; Martín González, Carlos E; Rodríguez, César Cabrera; Molgó, Jordi; Rodriguez, J Esteban; Cáceres, J Israel Fernández; Rodríguez García, Luis A; Lopez, Manuel Huertas; Dominguez, Raul; Gaggstatter, Tim; Lavers, Antonio Cabrera; Geier, Stefan; Pessev, Peter; Sarajedini, Ata

    2017-12-08

    Observations of binary stars containing an accreting black hole or neutron star often show x-ray emission extending to high energies (>10 kilo--electron volts), which is ascribed to an accretion disk corona of energetic particles akin to those seen in the solar corona. Despite their ubiquity, the physical conditions in accretion disk coronae remain poorly constrained. Using simultaneous infrared, optical, x-ray, and radio observations of the Galactic black hole system V404 Cygni, showing a rapid synchrotron cooling event in its 2015 outburst, we present a precise 461 ± 12 gauss magnetic field measurement in the corona. This measurement is substantially lower than previous estimates for such systems, providing constraints on physical models of accretion physics in black hole and neutron star binary systems. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

  15. AN OFF-CENTERED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS IN NGC 3115

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Menezes, R. B.; Steiner, J. E.; Ricci, T. V., E-mail: robertobm@astro.iag.usp.br

    2014-11-20

    NGC 3115 is an S0 galaxy that has always been considered to have a pure absorption-line spectrum. Some recent studies have detected a compact radio-emitting nucleus in this object, coinciding with the photometric center and with a candidate for the X-ray nucleus. This is evidence of the existence of a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the galaxy, although no emission line has ever been observed. We report the detection of an emission-line spectrum of a type 1 AGN in NGC 3115, with an Hα luminosity of L {sub Hα} = (4.2 ± 0.4) × 10{sup 37} erg s{sup –1}. Our analysismore » revealed that this AGN is located at a projected distance of ∼0.''29 ± 0.''05 (corresponding to ∼14.3 ± 2.5 pc) from the stellar bulge center, which is coincident with the kinematic center of this object's stellar velocity map. The black hole corresponding to the observed off-centered AGN may form a binary system with a black hole located at the stellar bulge center. However, it is also possible that the displaced black hole is the merged remnant of the binary system coalescence, after the ''kick'' caused by the asymmetric emission of gravitational waves. We propose that certain features in the stellar velocity dispersion map are the result of perturbations caused by the off-centered AGN.« less

  16. Parameter estimation accuracies of Galactic binaries with eLISA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Błaut, Arkadiusz

    2018-09-01

    We study parameter estimation accuracy of nearly monochromatic sources of gravitational waves with the future eLISA-like detectors. eLISA will be capable of observing millions of such signals generated by orbiting pairs of compact binaries consisting of white dwarf, neutron star or black hole and to resolve and estimate parameters of several thousands of them providing crucial information regarding their orbital dynamics, formation rates and evolutionary paths. Using the Fisher matrix analysis we compare accuracies of the estimated parameters for different mission designs defined by the GOAT advisory team established to asses the scientific capabilities and the technological issues of the eLISA-like missions.

  17. Stability of binaries. Part 1: Rigid binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Ishan

    2015-09-01

    We consider the stability of binary asteroids whose members are possibly granular aggregates held together by self-gravity alone. A binary is said to be stable whenever each member is orbitally and structurally stable to both orbital and structural perturbations. To this end, we extend the stability test for rotating granular aggregates introduced by Sharma (Sharma, I. [2012]. J. Fluid Mech., 708, 71-99; Sharma, I. [2013]. Icarus, 223, 367-382; Sharma, I. [2014]. Icarus, 229, 278-294) to the case of binary systems comprised of rubble members. In part I, we specialize to the case of a binary with rigid members subjected to full three-dimensional perturbations. Finally, we employ the stability test to critically appraise shape models of four suspected binary systems, viz., 216 Kleopatra, 25143 Itokawa, 624 Hektor and 90 Antiope.

  18. Using Model Point Spread Functions to Identifying Binary Brown Dwarf Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matt, Kyle; Stephens, Denise C.; Lunsford, Leanne T.

    2017-01-01

    A Brown Dwarf (BD) is a celestial object that is not massive enough to undergo hydrogen fusion in its core. BDs can form in pairs called binaries. Due to the great distances between Earth and these BDs, they act as point sources of light and the angular separation between binary BDs can be small enough to appear as a single, unresolved object in images, according to Rayleigh Criterion. It is not currently possible to resolve some of these objects into separate light sources. Stephens and Noll (2006) developed a method that used model point spread functions (PSFs) to identify binary Trans-Neptunian Objects, we will use this method to identify binary BD systems in the Hubble Space Telescope archive. This method works by comparing model PSFs of single and binary sources to the observed PSFs. We also use a method to compare model spectral data for single and binary fits to determine the best parameter values for each component of the system. We describe these methods, its challenges and other possible uses in this poster.

  19. Astrophysical Implications of the Binary Black-hole Merger GW150914

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Arceneaux, C. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bavigadda, V.; Bazzan, M.; Behnke, B.; Bejger, M.; Belczynski, C.; Bell, A. S.; Bell, C. J.; Berger, B. K.; Bergman, J.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bogan, C.; Bohe, A.; Bojtos, P.; Bond, C.; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brown, N. M.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Callister, T.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Casanueva Diaz, J.; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C.; Cerboni Baiardi, L.; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chakraborty, R.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, C.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, S.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conte, A.; Conti, L.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Cowan, E. E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Craig, K.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Darman, N. S.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Daveloza, H. P.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; DeBra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deléglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dereli, H.; Dergachev, V.; DeRosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Díaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Dojcinoski, G.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Douglas, R.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H.-B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Engels, W.; Essick, R. C.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Everett, R.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Fang, Q.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Fejer, M. M.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fournier, J.-D.; Franco, S.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fricke, T. T.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H. A. G.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gatto, A.; Gaur, G.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Gendre, B.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glaefke, A.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; González, G.; Gonzalez Castro, J. M.; Gopakumar, A.; Gordon, N. A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Graef, C.; Graff, P. B.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hacker, J. J.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Hartman, M. T.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Hofman, D.; Hollitt, S. E.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, S.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Idrisy, A.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Islas, G.; Isogai, T.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jang, H.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; K, Haris; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kaur, T.; Kawabe, K.; Kawazoe, F.; Kéfélian, F.; Kehl, M. S.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kells, W.; Kennedy, R.; Key, J. S.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, C.; Kim, J.; Kim, K.; Kim, Nam-Gyu; Kim, Namjun; Kim, Y.-M.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Kokeyama, K.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Krueger, C.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Lackey, B. D.; Landry, M.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lasky, P. D.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, K.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Levine, B. M.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Logue, J.; Lombardi, A. L.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lück, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Luo, J.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; MacDonald, T.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Magee, R. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Martynov, D. V.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mendoza-Gandara, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mirshekari, S.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B. C.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D. J.; Murray, P. G.; Mytidis, A.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Necula, V.; Nedkova, K.; Nelemans, G.; Neri, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newton, G.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Patrick, Z.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perreca, A.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Predoi, V.; Premachandra, S. S.; Prestegard, T.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prix, R.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Re, V.; Read, J.; Reed, C. M.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Reyes, S. D.; Ricci, F.; Riles, K.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romanov, G.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Schilling, R.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schönbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schutz, B. F.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Sellers, D.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Serna, G.; Setyawati, Y.; Sevigny, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shah, S.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shaltev, M.; Shao, Z.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Simakov, D.; Singer, A.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, N. D.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stevenson, S. P.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Straniero, N.; Stratta, G.; Strauss, N. A.; Strigin, S.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepańczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tápai, M.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, R.; Theeg, T.; Thirugnanasambandam, M. P.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Tomlinson, C.; Tonelli, M.; Torres, C. V.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifirò, D.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tse, M.; Turconi, M.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; van den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vaulin, R.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Welborn, T.; Wen, L.; Weßels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; White, D. J.; Whiting, B. F.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, G.; Yablon, J.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, H.; Yvert, M.; Zadrożny, A.; Zangrando, L.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zuraw, S. E.; and; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

    2016-02-01

    The discovery of the gravitational-wave (GW) source GW150914 with the Advanced LIGO detectors provides the first observational evidence for the existence of binary black hole (BH) systems that inspiral and merge within the age of the universe. Such BH mergers have been predicted in two main types of formation models, involving isolated binaries in galactic fields or dynamical interactions in young and old dense stellar environments. The measured masses robustly demonstrate that relatively “heavy” BHs (≳ 25 {M}⊙ ) can form in nature. This discovery implies relatively weak massive-star winds and thus the formation of GW150914 in an environment with a metallicity lower than about 1/2 of the solar value. The rate of binary-BH (BBH) mergers inferred from the observation of GW150914 is consistent with the higher end of rate predictions (≳ 1 Gpc-3 yr-1) from both types of formation models. The low measured redshift (z≃ 0.1) of GW150914 and the low inferred metallicity of the stellar progenitor imply either BBH formation in a low-mass galaxy in the local universe and a prompt merger, or formation at high redshift with a time delay between formation and merger of several Gyr. This discovery motivates further studies of binary-BH formation astrophysics. It also has implications for future detections and studies by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, and GW detectors in space.

  20. Astrophysical Implications of the Binary Black Hole Merger GW150914

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The discovery of the gravitational-wave (GW) source GW150914 with the Advanced LIGO detectors provides the first observational evidence for the existence of binary black hole (BH) systems that in spiral and merge within the age of the universe. Such BH mergers have been predicted in two main types of formation models, involving isolated binaries in galactic fields or dynamical interactions in young and old dense stellar environments. The measured masses robustly demonstrate that relatively heavy BHs (> or approx. 25 Stellar Mass) can form in nature. This discovery implies relatively weak massive-star winds and thus the formation of GW150914 in an environment with a metallicity lower than about 12 of the solar value. The rate of binary-BH (BBH) mergers inferred from the observation of GW150914 is consistent with the higher end of rate predictions (> or approx. 1/cu Gpc/yr) from both types of formation models. The low measured redshift (z approx. = 0.1) of GW150914 and the low inferred metallicity of the stellar progenitor imply either BBH formation in a low-mass galaxy in the local universe and a prompt merger, or formation at high redshift with a time delay between formation and merger of several Gyr. This discovery motivates further studies of binary-BH formation astrophysics. It also has implications for future detections and studies by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, and GW detectors in space.

  1. Galactic Astronomy in the Ultraviolet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rastorguev, A. S.; Sachkov, M. E.; Zabolotskikh, M. V.

    2017-12-01

    We propose a number of prospective observational programs for the ultraviolet space observatory WSO-UV, which seem to be of great importance to modern galactic astronomy. The programs include the search for binary Cepheids; the search and detailed photometric study and the analysis of radial distribution of UV-bright stars in globular clusters ("blue stragglers", blue horizontal-branch stars, RR Lyrae variables, white dwarfs, and stars with UV excesses); the investigation of stellar content and kinematics of young open clusters and associations; the study of spectral energy distribution in hot stars, including calculation of the extinction curves in the UV, optical and NIR; and accurate definition of the relations between the UV-colors and effective temperature. The high angular resolution of the observatory allows accurate astrometric measurements of stellar proper motions and their kinematic analysis.

  2. Caustics of 1/r{sup n} binary gravitational lenses: from galactic haloes to exotic matter

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bozza, V.; Melchiorre, C., E-mail: valboz@physics.unisa.it, E-mail: cmelchiorre@unisa.it

    2016-03-01

    We investigate the caustic topologies for binary gravitational lenses made up of two objects whose gravitational potential declines as 1/r{sup n}. With n<1 this corresponds to power-law dust distributions like the singular isothermal sphere. The n>1 regime can be obtained with some violations of the energy conditions, one famous example being the Ellis wormhole. Gravitational lensing provides a natural arena to distinguish and identify such exotic objects in our Universe. We find that there are still three topologies for caustics as in the standard Schwarzschild binary lens, with the main novelty coming from the secondary caustics of the close topology,more » which become huge at higher n. After drawing caustics by numerical methods, we derive a large amount of analytical formulae in all limits that are useful to provide deeper insight in the mathematics of the problem. Our study is useful to better understand the phenomenology of galaxy lensing in clusters as well as the distinct signatures of exotic matter in complex systems.« less

  3. Binary Plutinos

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noll, Keith S.

    2015-08-01

    The Pluto-Charon binary was the first trans-neptunian binary to be identified in 1978. Pluto-Charon is a true binary with both components orbiting a barycenter located between them. The Pluto system is also the first, and to date only, known binary with a satellite system consisting of four small satellites in near-resonant orbits around the common center of mass. Seven other Plutinos, objects in 3:2 mean motion resonance with Neptune, have orbital companions including 2004 KB19 reported here for the first time. Compared to the Cold Classical population, the Plutinos differ in the frequency of binaries, the relative sizes of the components, and their inclination distribution. These differences point to distinct dynamical histories and binary formation processes encountered by Plutinos.

  4. Effect of Binary Source Companions on the Microlensing Optical Depth Determination toward the Galactic Bulge Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Cheongho

    2005-11-01

    Currently, gravitational microlensing survey experiments toward the Galactic bulge field use two different methods of minimizing the blending effect for the accurate determination of the optical depth τ. One is measuring τ based on clump giant (CG) source stars, and the other is using ``difference image analysis'' (DIA) photometry to measure the unblended source flux variation. Despite the expectation that the two estimates should be the same assuming that blending is properly considered, the estimates based on CG stars systematically fall below the DIA results based on all events with source stars down to the detection limit. Prompted by the gap, we investigate the previously unconsidered effect of companion-associated events on τ determination. Although the image of a companion is blended with that of its primary star and thus not resolved, the event associated with the companion can be detected if the companion flux is highly magnified. Therefore, companions work effectively as source stars to microlensing, and thus the neglect of them in the source star count could result in a wrong τ estimation. By carrying out simulations based on the assumption that companions follow the same luminosity function as primary stars, we estimate that the contribution of the companion-associated events to the total event rate is ~5fbi% for current surveys and can reach up to ~6fbi% for future surveys monitoring fainter stars, where fbi is the binary frequency. Therefore, we conclude that the companion-associated events comprise a nonnegligible fraction of all events. However, their contribution to the optical depth is not large enough to explain the systematic difference between the optical depth estimates based on the two different methods.

  5. Global dynamics and diffusion in triaxial galactic models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Papaphilippou, Y.

    We apply the Frequency Map Analysis method to the 3--dimensional logarithmic galactic potential in order to clarify the dynamical behaviour of triaxial power--law galactic models. All the fine dynamical details are displayed in the complete frequency map, a direct representation of the system's Arnol'd web. The influence of resonant lines and the extent of the chaotic zones are directly associated with the physical space of the system. Some new results related with the diffusion of galactic orbits are also discussed. This approach reveals many unknown dynamical features of triaxial galactic potentials and provides strong indications that chaos should be an innate characteristic of triaxial configurations.

  6. The new eclipsing magnetic binary system E 1114 + 182

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Biermann, P.; Schmidt, G. D.; Liebert, J.; Tapia, S.; Strittmatter, P. A.; West, S.; Stockman, H. S.; Kuehr, H.; Lamb, D. Q.

    1985-01-01

    A comprehensive analysis of E 1114 + 182, the first eclipsing AM Herculis binary system and the shortest-period eclipsing cataclysmic variable known, is presented. The time-resolved X-ray observations which led to the system's recognition as an AM Her system with a roughly 90 minute orbital period are reported. The current optical photometric and polarimetric ephemeris and a description of the system's phase-modulated properties are given. The detailed photometric eclipse profile and the highly variable spectroscopic behavior are addressed. This information is used to determine systemic parameters and derive new information on the line emission regions. The data put severe constraints on current torque models for keeping the binary and white dwarf rotation in phase.

  7. Searching for Solar System Wide Binaries with Pan-STARRS-1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holman, Matthew J.; Protopapas, P.; Tholen, D. J.

    2007-10-01

    Roughly 60% of the observing time of the Pan-STARRS-1 (PS1) telescope will be dedicated to a "3pi steradian" survey with an observing cadence that is designed for the detection of near-Earth asteroids and slow-moving solar system bodies. Over this course of its 3.5 year cience mission, this unprecedented survey will discover nearly every asteroid, Trojan, Centaur, long-period comet, short-period comet, and trans-neptunian object (TNO) brighter than magnitude R=23. This census will be used to address a large number of questions regarding the physical and dynamical properties of the various small body populations of the solar system. Roughly 1-2% of TNOs are wide binaries with companions at separations greater than 1 arcsec and brightness differences less than 2 magnitudes (Kern & Elliot 2006; Noll et al 2007). These can be readily detected by PS1; we will carry out such a search with PS1 data. To do so, we will modify the Pan-STARRS Moving Object Processing System (MOPS) such that it will associate the components of resolved or marginally resolved binaries, link such pairs of detections obtained at different epochs, and the estimate the relative orbit of the binary. We will also determine the efficiency with which such binaries are detected as a function of the binary's relative orbit and the relative magnitudes of the components. Based on an estimated 7000 TNOs that PS1 will discover, we anticipate finding 70-140 wide binaries. The PS1 data, 60 epochs over three years, is naturally suited to determining the orbits of these objects. Our search will accurately determine the binary fraction for a variety of subclasses of TNOs.

  8. Compact Objects In Binary Systems: Formation and Evolution of X-ray Binaries and Tides in Double White Dwarfs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valsecchi, Francesca

    Binary star systems hosting black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs are unique laboratories for investigating both extreme physical conditions, and stellar and binary evolution. Black holes and neutron stars are observed in X-ray binaries, where mass accretion from a stellar companion renders them X-ray bright. Although instruments like Chandra have revolutionized the field of X-ray binaries, our theoretical understanding of their origin and formation lags behind. Progress can be made by unravelling the evolutionary history of observed systems. As part of my thesis work, I have developed an analysis method that uses detailed stellar models and all the observational constraints of a system to reconstruct its evolutionary path. This analysis models the orbital evolution from compact-object formation to the present time, the binary orbital dynamics due to explosive mass loss and a possible kick at core collapse, and the evolution from the progenitor's Zero Age Main Sequence to compact-object formation. This method led to a theoretical model for M33 X-7, one of the most massive X-ray binaries known and originally marked as an evolutionary challenge. Compact objects are also expected gravitational wave (GW) sources. In particular, double white dwarfs are both guaranteed GW sources and observed electromagnetically. Although known systems show evidence of tidal deformation and a successful GW astronomy requires realistic models of the sources, detached double white dwarfs are generally approximated to point masses. For the first time, I used realistic models to study tidally-driven periastron precession in eccentric binaries. I demonstrated that its imprint on the GW signal yields constrains on the components' masses and that the source would be misclassified if tides are neglected. Beyond this adiabatic precession, tidal dissipation creates a sink of orbital angular momentum. Its efficiency is strongest when tides are dynamic and excite the components' free

  9. The distances of the Galactic Novae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozdonmez, Aykut; Guver, Tolga; Cabrera-Lavers, Antonio; Ak, Tansel

    2016-07-01

    Using location of the RC stars on the CMDs obtained from the UKIDSS, VISTA and 2MASS photometry, we have derived the reddening-distance relations towards each Galactic nova for which at least one independent reddening measurement exists. We were able to determine the distances of 72 Galactic novae and set lower limits on the distances of 45 systems. The reddening curves of the systems are presented. These curves can be also used to estimate reddening or the distance of any source, whose location is close to the position of the nova in our sample. The distance measurement method in our study can be easily applicable to any source, especially for ones that concentrated along the Galactic plane.

  10. Supernova kicks and dynamics of compact remnants in the Galactic Centre

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bortolas, Elisa; Mapelli, Michela; Spera, Mario

    2017-08-01

    The Galactic Centre (GC) is a unique place to study the extreme dynamical processes occurring near a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Here, we investigate the role of supernova (SN) explosions occurring in massive binary systems lying in a disc-like structure within the innermost parsec. We use a regularized algorithm to simulate 3 × 104 isolated three-body systems composed of a stellar binary orbiting the SMBH. We start the integration when the primary member undergoes an SN explosion and analyse the impact of SN kicks on the orbits of stars and compact remnants. We find that SN explosions scatter the lighter stars in the pair on completely different orbits, with higher eccentricity and inclination. In contrast, stellar-mass black holes (BHs) and massive stars retain memory of the orbit of their progenitor star. Our results suggest that SN kicks are not sufficient to eject BHs from the GC. We thus predict that all BHs that form in situ in the central parsec of our Galaxy remain in the GC, building up a cluster of dark remnants. In addition, the change of neutron star (NS) orbits induced by SNe may partially account for the observed dearth of NSs in the GC. About 40 per cent of remnants stay bound to the stellar companion after the kick; we expect up to 70 per cent of them might become X-ray binaries through Roche lobe filling. Finally, the eccentricity of some light stars becomes >0.7 as an effect of the SN kick, producing orbits similar to those of the G1 and G2 dusty objects.

  11. The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS): Galactic Astrophysics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Digel, Seth William; Funk, S.; Kaaret, P. E.; Tajima, H.; AGIS Collaboration

    2010-03-01

    The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS), a concept for a next-generation atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array, would provide unprecedented sensitivity and resolution in the energy range >50 GeV, allowing great advances in the understanding of the populations and physics of sources of high-energy gamma rays in the Milky Way. Extrapolation based on the known source classes and the performance parameters for AGIS indicates that a survey of the Galactic plane with AGIS will reveal hundreds of TeV sources in exquisite detail, for population studies of a variety of source classes, and detailed studies of individual sources. AGIS will be able to study propagation effects on the cosmic rays produced by Galactic sources by detecting the diffuse glow from their interactions in dense interstellar gas. AGIS will complement and extend results now being obtained in the GeV range with the Fermi mission, by providing superior angular resolution and sensitivity to variability on short time scales, and of course by probing energies that Fermi cannot reach.

  12. Kepler Eclipsing Binary Stars. I. Catalog and Principal Characterization of 1879 Eclipsing Binaries in the First Data Release

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prša, Andrej; Batalha, Natalie; Slawson, Robert W.; Doyle, Laurance R.; Welsh, William F.; Orosz, Jerome A.; Seager, Sara; Rucker, Michael; Mjaseth, Kimberly; Engle, Scott G.; Conroy, Kyle; Jenkins, Jon; Caldwell, Douglas; Koch, David; Borucki, William

    2011-03-01

    The Kepler space mission is devoted to finding Earth-size planets orbiting other stars in their habitable zones. Its large, 105 deg2 field of view features over 156,000 stars that are observed continuously to detect and characterize planet transits. Yet, this high-precision instrument holds great promise for other types of objects as well. Here we present a comprehensive catalog of eclipsing binary stars observed by Kepler in the first 44 days of operation, the data being publicly available through MAST as of 2010 June 15. The catalog contains 1879 unique objects. For each object, we provide its Kepler ID (KID), ephemeris (BJD0, P 0), morphology type, physical parameters (T eff, log g, E(B - V)), the estimate of third light contamination (crowding), and principal parameters (T 2/T 1, q, fillout factor, and sin i for overcontacts, and T 2/T 1, (R 1 + R 2)/a, esin ω, ecos ω, and sin i for detached binaries). We present statistics based on the determined periods and measure the average occurrence rate of eclipsing binaries to be ~1.2% across the Kepler field. We further discuss the distribution of binaries as a function of galactic latitude and thoroughly explain the application of artificial intelligence to obtain principal parameters in a matter of seconds for the whole sample. The catalog was envisioned to serve as a bridge between the now public Kepler data and the scientific community interested in eclipsing binary stars.

  13. The interacting binary white dwarf systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Provencal, Judith Lucille

    1994-01-01

    Interacting binary white dwarfs are believed to contain two white dwarfs of extreme mass ratio, one of which is filling its Roche Lobe, transferring material to its companion via an accretion disk. The defining characteristic of an IBWD is the nondetection of hydrogen in the system. IBWD's represent the culmination of binary star evolution. In this final death dance, two degenerate objects are entangled, the massive white dwarf tidally stripping and devouring its helpless companion's outer layers. Because a white dwarf expands as it loses mass, the end result of this process is the complete absorption of one star by the other . My goal in the examination of these systems is to understand their photometric behavior and determine the best model of these objects. The IBWD's represent the endpoint of binary evolution. Knowledge of the physical properties of these objects will provide constraints on theories of binary evolution, white dwarf formation, the thermal and physical structure of accreting white dwarfs, and nucleosynthesis. To achieve this goal, I have analyzed the most comprehensive high speed photometric data sets available on 5 of the 6 known objects: AM CVn, PG1346+082, CP Eri, V803 Cen, and G61-29. AM CVn and PG1346+0S2 were targets of the Whole Earth Telescope in 1988 and 1990 respectively. We find a range of variation timescales, from minutes to days, and a range of physical behaviour. Most importantly, we measure a rate of period change of P = 1.68 +/- 0.03 x 10-11s/s for the dominant variation in AM CVn. We also find the differences in behavior can be attributed to a difference in mass transfer rate that may be evolutionary in origin. Finally, I discuss in detail the observational characteristics of each object, and overall properties of the IBWD family. In conclusion, I discuss past and future history of these objects, and touch on their possible influence on our knowledge of white dwarf evolution and formation. The IBWD's are possible progenitors of

  14. Evolution of close binary systems: Observational aspects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Plavec, M. J.

    1981-01-01

    Detached close binary systems define the main sequence band satisfactorily, but very little is known about the masses of giants and supergiants. High dispersion international ultraviolet explorer satellite observations promise an improvement, since blue companions are now frequently found to late type supergiants. Mu Sagittaril and in particular Xi Aurigae are discussed in more detail. The barium star abundance anomaly appears to be due to mass transfer in interacting systems. The symbiotic stars are another type of binary systems containing late type giants; several possible models for the hotter star and for the type of interaction are discussed. The W Serpentis stars appear to be Algols in the rapid phase of mass transfer, but a possible link relating them to the symbiotics is also indicated. Evidence of hot circumstellar plasmas has now been found in several ordinary Algols; there may exist a smooth transition between very quiescent Algols and the W Serpentis stars. Beta Lyrae is discussed in the light of new spectrophotometric results.

  15. Kepler eclipsing binary stars. IV. Precise eclipse times for close binaries and identification of candidate three-body systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Conroy, Kyle E.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Prša, Andrej

    2014-02-01

    We present a catalog of precise eclipse times and analysis of third-body signals among 1279 close binaries in the latest Kepler Eclipsing Binary Catalog. For these short-period binaries, Kepler's 30 minute exposure time causes significant smearing of light curves. In addition, common astrophysical phenomena such as chromospheric activity, as well as imperfections in the light curve detrending process, can create systematic artifacts that may produce fictitious signals in the eclipse timings. We present a method to measure precise eclipse times in the presence of distorted light curves, such as in contact and near-contact binaries which exhibit continuously changing light levelsmore » in and out of eclipse. We identify 236 systems for which we find a timing variation signal compatible with the presence of a third body. These are modeled for the light travel time effect and the basic properties of the third body are derived. This study complements J. A. Orosz et al. (in preparation), which focuses on eclipse timing variations of longer period binaries with flat out-of-eclipse regions. Together, these two papers provide comprehensive eclipse timings for all binaries in the Kepler Eclipsing Binary Catalog, as an ongoing resource freely accessible online to the community.« less

  16. Self-organization in a system of binary strings with spatial interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banzhaf, W.; Dittrich, P.; Eller, B.

    1999-01-01

    We consider an artificial reaction system whose components are binary strings. Upon encounter, two binary strings produce a third string which competes for storage space with the originators. String types or species can only survive when produced in sufficient numbers. Spatial interactions through introduction of a topology and rules for distance-dependent reactions are discussed. We observe various kinds of survival strategies of binary strings.

  17. Observation of Galactic Sources of Very High Energy γ-RAYS with the Magic Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartko, H.

    The MAGIC telescope with its 17m diameter mirror is today the largest operating single-dish Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). It is located on the Canary Island La Palma, at an altitude of 2200 m above sea level, as part of the Roque de los Muchachos European Northern Observatory. The MAGIC telescope detects celestial very high energy γ-radiation in the energy band between about 50 GeV and 10 TeV. Since the autumn of 2004 MAGIC has been taking data routinely, observing various objects, like supernova remnants (SNRs), γ-ray binaries, Pulsars, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Gamma-ray Bursts (GRB). We briefly describe the observational strategy, the procedure implemented for the data analysis, and discuss the results of observations of Galactic Sources.

  18. Asteroid Systems: Binaries, Triples, and Pairs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Margot, J.-L.; Pravec, P.; Taylor, P.; Carry, B.; Jacobson, S.

    In the past decade, the number of known binary near-Earth asteroids has more than quadrupled and the number of known large main-belt asteroids with satellites has doubled. Half a dozen triple asteroids have been discovered, and the previously unrecognized populations of asteroid pairs and small main-belt binaries have been identified. The current observational evidence confirms that small (≲20 km) binaries form by rotational fission and establishes that the Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect powers the spin-up process. A unifying paradigm based on rotational fission and post-fission dynamics can explain the formation of small binaries, triples, and pairs. Large (>~20 km) binaries with small satellites are most likely created during large collisions.

  19. NuSTAR results from the Galactic Center - diffuse emission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hailey, Charles

    2016-03-01

    The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) was launched in June 2012. It carried the first true, hard X-ray (>~10 keV-79 keV) focusing telescopes into orbit. Its twin telescopes provide 10 times better angular resolution and 100 times better sensitivity than previously obtainable in the hard X-ray band. Consequently NuSTAR is able to resolve faint diffuse structures whose hard X-rays offer insight into some of the most energetic processes in the Galactic Center. One of the surprising discoveries that NuSTAR made in the Galactic Center is the central hard X-ray emission (CHXE). The CHXE is a diffuse emission detected from ~10 keV to beyond 50 keV in X-ray energy, and extending spatially over a region ~8 parsecs x ~4 parsecs in and out of the plane of the galaxy respectively, and centered on the supermassive black hole Sgr A*. The CHXE was speculated to be due to a large population of unresolved black hole X-ray binaries, millisecond pulsars (MSP), a class of highly magnetized white dwarf binaries called intermediate polars, or to particle outflows from Sgr A*. The presence of an unexpectedly large population of MSP in the Galactic Center would be particularly interesting, since MSP emitting at higher energies and over a much larger region have been posited to be the origin of the gamma-ray emission that is also ascribed to dark matter annihilation in the galaxy. In addition, the connection of the CHXE to the ~9000 unidentified X-ray sources in the central the the ~100 pc detected by the Chandra Observatory, to the soft X-ray emission detected by the Chandra and XMM/Newton observatories in the Galactic Center, and to the hard X-ray emission detected by both the RXTE and INTEGRAL observatories in the Galactic Ridge, is unclear. I review these results and present recent NuSTAR observations that potentially resolve the origin of the CHXE and point to a unified origin for all these X-ray emissions. Two other noteworthy classes of diffuse structures in the

  20. Predicting the 4th caustic crossing in Gaia16aye binary microlensing event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mroz, P.; Wyrzykowski, L.; Rybicki, K.; Altavilla, G.; Bakis, V.; Bendjoya, P.; Birenbaum, G.; Blagorodnova, N.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Bonanos, A.; Bozza, V.; Britavskiy, N.; Burgaz, U.; Butterley, T.; Capuozzo, P.; Carrasco, J. M.; Chruslinska, M.; Damljanovic, G.; Dennefeld, M.; Dhillon, V. S.; Dominik, M.; Esenoglu, H.; Fossey, S.; Gomboc, A.; Hallokoun, N.; Hamanowicz, A.; Hardy, L. K.; Hudec, R.; Khamitov, I.; Klencki, J.; Kolaczkowski, Z.; Kolb, U.; Leonini, S.; Leto, G.; Lewis, F.; Liakos, A.; Littlefair, S. P.; Maoz, D.; Maund, J. R.; Mikolajczyk, P.; Palaversa, L.; Pawlak, M.; Penny, M.; Piascik, A.; Reig, P.; Rhodes, L.; Russell, D.; Sanchez, R. Z.; Shappee, B.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Sitek, M.; Sniegowska, M.; Sokolovsky, K.; Steele, I.; Street, R.; Tomasella, L.; Trascinelli, L.; Wiersema, K.; Wilson, R. W.; Zharkov, I.; Zola, S.; Zubareva, A.

    2016-11-01

    Gaia16aye, nicknamed Ayers Rock (19:40:01.13 +30:07:53.4, J2000) is a spectacular binary microlensing event in the Northern Galactic Plane. The event has been observed by Gaia, ASAS-SN survey and a network of follow-up telescopes, coordinated by the Time Domain WP of the EC's OPTICON grant.

  1. The link between ejected stars, hardening and eccentricity growth of super massive black holes in galactic nuclei

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Long; Berczik, Peter; Spurzem, Rainer

    2014-01-10

    The hierarchical galaxy formation picture suggests that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) observed in galactic nuclei today have grown from coalescence of massive black hole binaries (MBHB) after galaxy merging. Once the components of an MBHB become gravitationally bound, strong three-body encounters between the MBHB and stars dominate its evolution in a 'dry' gas-free environment and change the MBHB's energy and angular momentum (semimajor axis, eccentricity, and orientation). Here we present high-accuracy direct N-body simulations of spherical and axisymmetric (rotating) galactic nuclei with order of 10{sup 6} stars and two MBHs that are initially unbound. We analyze the properties of themore » ejected stars due to slingshot effects from three-body encounters with the MBHB in detail. Previous studies have investigated the eccentricity and energy changes of MBHs using approximate models or Monte Carlo three-body scatterings. We find general agreement with the average results of previous semi-analytic models for spherical galactic nuclei, but our results show a large statistical variation. Our new results show many more phase space details of how the process works, and also show the influence of stellar system rotation on the process. We detect that the angle between the orbital plane of the MBHBs and that of the stellar system (when it rotates) influences the phase-space properties of the ejected stars. We also find that MBHBs tend to switch stars with counter-rotating orbits into corotating orbits during their interactions.« less

  2. Classification of close binary systems by Svechnikov

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dryomova, G. N.

    The paper presents the historical overview of classification schemes of eclipsing variable stars with the foreground of advantages of the classification scheme by Svechnikov being widely appreciated for Close Binary Systems due to simplicity of classification criteria and brevity.

  3. High Resolution Imaging of Very Low Mass Spectral Binaries: Three Resolved Systems and Detection of Orbital Motion in an L/T Transition Binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bardalez Gagliuffi, Daniella C.; Gelino, Christopher R.; Burgasser, Adam J.

    2015-11-01

    We present high resolution Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics imaging of 43 late-M, L and T dwarf systems with Keck/NIRC2. These include 17 spectral binary candidates, systems whose spectra suggest the presence of a T dwarf secondary. We resolve three systems: 2MASS J1341-3052, SDSS J1511+0607 and SDSS J2052-1609 the first two are resolved for the first time. All three have projected separations <8 AU and estimated periods of 14-80 years. We also report a preliminary orbit determination for SDSS J2052-1609 based on six epochs of resolved astrometry between 2005 and 2010. Among the 14 unresolved spectral binaries, 5 systems were confirmed binaries but remained unresolved, implying a minimum binary fraction of {47}-11+12% for this sample. Our inability to resolve most of the spectral binaries, including the confirmed binaries, supports the hypothesis that a large fraction of very low mass systems have relatively small separations and are missed with direct imaging. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

  4. The Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey. I. Classification System and Bright Northern Stars in the Blue-violet at R ~ 2500

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sota, A.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Walborn, N. R.; Alfaro, E. J.; Barbá, R. H.; Morrell, N. I.; Gamen, R. C.; Arias, J. I.

    2011-04-01

    We present the first installment of a massive spectroscopic survey of Galactic O stars, based on new, high signal-to-noise ratio, R ~ 2500 digital observations from both hemispheres selected from the Galactic O-Star Catalog of Maíz Apellániz et al. and Sota et al. The spectral classification system is rediscussed and a new atlas is presented, which supersedes previous versions. Extensive sequences of exceptional objects are given, including types Ofc, ON/OC, Onfp, Of?p, Oe, and double-lined spectroscopic binaries. The remaining normal spectra bring this first sample to 184 stars, which is close to complete to B = 8 and north of δ = -20° and includes all of the northern objects in Maíz Apellániz et al. that are still classified as O stars. The systematic and random accuracies of these classifications are substantially higher than previously attainable, because of the quality, quantity, and homogeneity of the data and analysis procedures. These results will enhance subsequent investigations in Galactic astronomy and stellar astrophysics. In the future, we will publish the rest of the survey, beginning with a second paper that will include most of the southern stars in Maíz Apellániz et al. The spectroscopic data in this article were gathered with three facilities: the 1.5 m telescope at the Observatorio de Sierra Nevada (OSN), the 3.5 m telescope at Calar Alto Observatory (CAHA), and the du Pont 2.5 m telescope at Las Campanas Observatory (LCO). Some of the supporting imaging data were obtained with the 2.2 m telescope at CAHA and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The rest were retrieved from the DSS2 and Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) surveys. The HST data were obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.

  5. The Nature of Double-peaked [O III] Active Galactic Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Hai; Yan, Lin; Myers, Adam D.; Stockton, Alan; Djorgovski, S. G.; Aldering, G.; Rich, Jeffrey A.

    2012-01-01

    Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with double-peaked [O III] lines are suspected to be sub-kpc or kpc-scale binary AGNs. However, pure gas kinematics can produce the same double-peaked line profile in spatially integrated spectra. Here we combine integral-field spectroscopy and high-resolution imaging of 42 double-peaked [O III] AGNs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to investigate the constituents of the population. We find two binary AGNs where the line splitting is driven by the orbital motion of the merging nuclei. Such objects account for only ~2% of the double-peaked AGNs. Almost all (~98%) of the double-peaked AGNs were selected because of gas kinematics; and half of those show spatially resolved narrow-line regions that extend 4-20 kpc from the nuclei. Serendipitously, we find two spectrally unresolved binary AGNs where gas kinematics produced the double-peaked [O III] lines. The relatively frequent serendipitous discoveries indicate that only ~1% of binary AGNs would appear double-peaked in Sloan spectra and 2.2+2.5 -0.8% of all Sloan AGNs are binary AGNs. Therefore, the double-peaked sample does not offer much advantage over any other AGN samples in finding binary AGNs. The binary AGN fraction implies an elevated AGN duty cycle (8+8 -3%), suggesting galaxy interactions enhance nuclear accretion. We illustrate that integral-field spectroscopy is crucial for identifying binary AGNs: several objects previously classified as "binary AGNs" with long-slit spectra are most likely single AGNs with extended narrow-line regions (ENLRs). The formation of ENLRs driven by radiation pressure is also discussed. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

  6. Obtaining gravitational waves from inspiral binary systems using LIGO data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antelis, Javier M.; Moreno, Claudia

    2017-01-01

    The discovery of the astrophysical events GW150926 and GW151226 has experimentally confirmed the existence of gravitational waves (GW) and has demonstrated the existence of binary stellar-mass black hole systems. This finding marks the beginning of a new era that will reveal unexpected features of our universe. This work presents a basic insight to the fundamental theory of GW emitted by inspiral binary systems and describes the scientific and technological efforts developed to measure these waves using the interferometer-based detector called LIGO. Subsequently, the work presents a comprehensive data analysis methodology based on the matched filter algorithm, which aims to recovery GW signals emitted by inspiral binary systems of astrophysical sources. This algorithm was evaluated with freely available LIGO data containing injected GW waveforms. Results of the experiments performed to assess detection accuracy showed the recovery of 85% of the injected GW.

  7. UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF CLOSE BINARY SYSTEMS WITH RADIO PULSARS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Benvenuto, O. G.; De Vito, M. A.; Horvath, J. E., E-mail: obenvenu@fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar, E-mail: adevito@fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar, E-mail: foton@astro.iag.usp.br

    We calculate the evolution of close binary systems (CBSs) formed by a neutron star (behaving as a radio pulsar) and a normal donor star, which evolve either to a helium white dwarf (HeWD) or to ultra-short orbital period systems. We consider X-ray irradiation feedback and evaporation due to radio pulsar irradiation. We show that irradiation feedback leads to cyclic mass transfer episodes, allowing CBSs to be observed in between episodes as binary radio pulsars under conditions in which standard, non-irradiated models predict the occurrence of a low-mass X-ray binary. This behavior accounts for the existence of a family of eclipsingmore » binary systems known as redbacks. We predict that redback companions should almost fill their Roche lobe, as observed in PSR J1723-2837. This state is also possible for systems evolving with larger orbital periods. Therefore, binary radio pulsars with companion star masses usually interpreted as larger than expected to produce HeWDs may also result in such quasi-Roche lobe overflow states, rather than hosting a carbon-oxygen WD. We found that CBSs with initial orbital periods of P{sub i} < 1 day evolve into redbacks. Some of them produce low-mass HeWDs, and a subgroup with shorter P{sub i} becomes black widows (BWs). Thus, BWs descend from redbacks, although not all redbacks evolve into BWs. There is mounting observational evidence favoring BW pulsars to be very massive (≳ 2 M {sub ☉}). As they should be redback descendants, redback pulsars should also be very massive, since most of the mass is transferred before this stage.« less

  8. Binary Systems and the Initial Mass Function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malkov, O. Yu.

    2017-07-01

    In the present paper we discuss advantages and disadvantages of binary stars, which are important for star formation history determination. We show that to make definite conclusions of the initial mass function shape, it is necessary to study binary population well enough to correct the luminosity function for unresolved binaries; to construct the mass-luminosity relation based on wide binaries data, and to separate observational mass functions of primaries, of secondaries, and of unresolved binaries.

  9. Percolation of binary disk systems: Modeling and theory

    DOE PAGES

    Meeks, Kelsey; Tencer, John; Pantoya, Michelle L.

    2017-01-12

    The dispersion and connectivity of particles with a high degree of polydispersity is relevant to problems involving composite material properties and reaction decomposition prediction and has been the subject of much study in the literature. This paper utilizes Monte Carlo models to predict percolation thresholds for a two-dimensional systems containing disks of two different radii. Monte Carlo simulations and spanning probability are used to extend prior models into regions of higher polydispersity than those previously considered. A correlation to predict the percolation threshold for binary disk systems is proposed based on the extended dataset presented in this work and comparedmore » to previously published correlations. Finally, a set of boundary conditions necessary for a good fit is presented, and a condition for maximizing percolation threshold for binary disk systems is suggested.« less

  10. Stability of binaries. Part II: Rubble-pile binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Ishan

    2016-10-01

    We consider the stability of the binary asteroids whose members are granular aggregates held together by self-gravity alone. A binary is said to be stable whenever both its members are orbitally and structurally stable to both orbital and structural perturbations. To this end, we extend the stability analysis of Sharma (Sharma [2015] Icarus, 258, 438-453), that is applicable to binaries with rigid members, to the case of binary systems with rubble members. We employ volume averaging (Sharma et al. [2009] Icarus, 200, 304-322), which was inspired by past work on elastic/fluid, rotating and gravitating ellipsoids. This technique has shown promise when applied to rubble-pile ellipsoids, but requires further work to settle some of its underlying assumptions. The stability test is finally applied to some suspected binary systems, viz., 216 Kleopatra, 624 Hektor and 90 Antiope. We also see that equilibrated binaries that are close to mobilizing their maximum friction can sustain only a narrow range of shapes and, generally, congruent shapes are preferred.

  11. Near-Infrared Polarimetry of the GG Tauri A Binary System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Itoh, Yoichi; Oasa, Yumiko; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko; Hashimoto, Jun; Abe, Lyu; Brandner, Wolfgang; Brandt, Timothy D.; Carson, Joseph C.; Egner, Sebastian; hide

    2014-01-01

    A high angular resolution near-infrared image that shows the intensity of polarization for the GG Tau A binary system was obtained with the Subaru Telescope. The image shows a circumbinary disk scattering the light from the central binary. The azimuthal profile of the intensity of polarization for the circumbinary disk is roughly reproduced by a simple disk model with the Henyey-Greenstein phase function and the Rayleigh function, indicating there are small dust grains at the surface of the disk. Combined with a previous observation of the circumbinary disk, our image indicates that the gap structure in the circumbinary disk orbits counterclockwise, but material in the disk orbits clockwise. We propose that there is a shadow caused by material located between the central binary and the circumbinary disk. The separations and position angles of the stellar components of the binary in the past 20 yr are consistent with the binary orbit with a = 33.4 AU and e = 0.34.

  12. KEPLER ECLIPSING BINARY STARS. I. CATALOG AND PRINCIPAL CHARACTERIZATION OF 1879 ECLIPSING BINARIES IN THE FIRST DATA RELEASE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Prsa, Andrej; Engle, Scott G.; Conroy, Kyle

    2011-03-15

    The Kepler space mission is devoted to finding Earth-size planets orbiting other stars in their habitable zones. Its large, 105 deg{sup 2} field of view features over 156,000 stars that are observed continuously to detect and characterize planet transits. Yet, this high-precision instrument holds great promise for other types of objects as well. Here we present a comprehensive catalog of eclipsing binary stars observed by Kepler in the first 44 days of operation, the data being publicly available through MAST as of 2010 June 15. The catalog contains 1879 unique objects. For each object, we provide its Kepler ID (KID),more » ephemeris (BJD{sub 0}, P{sub 0}), morphology type, physical parameters (T{sub eff}, log g, E(B - V)), the estimate of third light contamination (crowding), and principal parameters (T{sub 2}/T{sub 1}, q, fillout factor, and sin i for overcontacts, and T{sub 2}/T{sub 1}, (R{sub 1} + R{sub 2})/a, esin {omega}, ecos {omega}, and sin i for detached binaries). We present statistics based on the determined periods and measure the average occurrence rate of eclipsing binaries to be {approx}1.2% across the Kepler field. We further discuss the distribution of binaries as a function of galactic latitude and thoroughly explain the application of artificial intelligence to obtain principal parameters in a matter of seconds for the whole sample. The catalog was envisioned to serve as a bridge between the now public Kepler data and the scientific community interested in eclipsing binary stars.« less

  13. Lithium in a short-period tidally locked binary of M67: Implications for stellar evolution, Galactic Lithium evolution, and cosmology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Deliyannis, Constantine P.; King, Jeremy R.; Boesgaard, Ann M.; Ryan, Sean G.

    1994-01-01

    In open clusters, late-F stars exhibit a Li maximum (the Li 'peak' region) at lower abundance with age, which could be due either to stellar depletion or Galactic Li enrichment (or some other cause). We have observed a short-period tidally locked binary (SPTLB) on the Li peak region in the old cluster M67 to distinguish between alternatives. SPTLBs which synchronized in the early pre-main sequence would avoid the rotational mixing which, according to Yale models, may be responsible for depleting Li with age in open cluster dwarfs. We find that both components of the M67 SPTLB have a Li abundance lying about a factor of 2 or more above any other M67 single star and about a factor of 3 or more above the mean Li peak region abundance in M67. Our results suggest that the initial Li abundance in M67 is at least as high as approximately 3.0 = 12 + log (N(sub Li)/N(sub H)). Our high M67 SPTLB Li abundance and those in other clusters support the combination of Zahn's tidal circularization and the Yale rotational mixing theories and may indicate that the halo Li plateau (analogous to the cluster Li peak region) abundance has been depleted from a higher primordial value. Implications are discussed.

  14. EPIC 219217635: A Doubly Eclipsing Quadruple System Containing an Evolved Binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borkovits, T.; Albrecht, S.; Rappaport, S.; Nelson, L.; Vanderburg, A.; Gary, B. L.; Tan, T. G.; Justesen, A. B.; Kristiansen, M. H.; Jacobs, T. L.; LaCourse, D.; Ngo, H.; Wallack, N.; Ruane, G.; Mawet, D.; Howell, S. B.; Tronsgaard, R.

    2018-05-01

    We have discovered a doubly eclipsing, bound, quadruple star system in the field of K2 Campaign 7. EPIC 219217635 is a stellar image with Kp = 12.7 that contains an eclipsing binary (`EB') with PA = 3.59470 d and a second EB with PB = 0.61825 d. We have obtained followup radial-velocity (`RV') spectroscopy observations, adaptive optics imaging, as well as ground-based photometric observations. From our analysis of all the observations, we derive good estimates for a number of the system parameters. We conclude that (1) both binaries are bound in a quadruple star system; (2) a linear trend to the RV curve of binary A is found over a 2-year interval, corresponding to an acceleration, \\dot{γ }= 0.0024 ± 0.0007 cm s-2; (3) small irregular variations are seen in the eclipse-timing variations (`ETVs') detected over the same interval; (4) the orbital separation of the quadruple system is probably in the range of 8-25 AU; and (5) the orbital planes of the two binaries must be inclined with respect to each other by at least 25°. In addition, we find that binary B is evolved, and the cooler and currently less massive star has transferred much of its envelope to the currently more massive star. We have also demonstrated that the system is sufficiently bright that the eclipses can be followed using small ground-based telescopes, and that this system may be profitably studied over the next decade when the outer orbit of the quadruple is expected to manifest itself in the ETV and/or RV curves.

  15. Evolution of Optical Binary Fraction in Sparse Stellar Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zhongmu; Mao, Caiyan

    2018-05-01

    This work studies the evolution of the fraction of optical binary stars (OBF; not including components such as neutron stars and black holes), which is caused by stellar evolution, and the contributions of various binaries to OBF via the stellar population synthesis technique. It is shown that OBF decreases from 1 to about 0.81 for stellar populations with the Salpeter initial mass function (IMF), and to about 0.85 for the case of the Kroupa IMF, on a timescale of 15 Gyr. This result depends on metallicity, slightly. The contributions of binaries varying with mass ratio, orbital period, separation, spectral types of primary and secondary, contact degree, and pair type to OBF are calculated for stellar populations with different ages and metallicities. The contribution of different kinds of binaries to OBF depends on age and metallicity. The results can be used for estimating the global OBF of star clusters or galaxies from the fraction of a kind of binary. It is also helpful for estimating the primordial and future binary fractions of sparse stellar systems from the present observations. Our results are suitable for studying field stars, open clusters, and the outer part of globular clusters, because the OBF of such objects is affected by dynamical processes, relatively slightly, but they can also be used for giving some limits for other populations.

  16. New Binary Systems With Asymmetric Light Curves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Virnina, Natalia A.

    2010-12-01

    We present the results of investigation of the light curves of 27 newly discovered binary systems. Among the examined curves, there were 10 curves with statistically significant asymmetry of maximums, according the 3σ criterion for the difference between the maximal brightness. Half of these 10 curves have a higher first maximum, another half the second one. Two of these 10 curves, USNO-B1.0 1629-0064825 = VSX J052807.9+725606 and USNO-B1.0 1586-0116785, show the largest difference between magnitudes in maxima. The star VSX J052807.9+725606 also shows the secondary minimum, which is shifted from the phase φ = 0.5. The shape of the curve argues that the physical processes of this star could be close to that of well known short periodic binary system V361 Lyr, which has a spot on the surface of one star of the system. Another star, USNO-B1.0 1586-0116785, probably has a cold spot, or several spots, in the photosphere of one of the components.

  17. Monitoring the Black Hole Binary GRS 1758-258 with INTEGRAL and RXTE

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pottschmidt, Katja; Chernyakova, Masha; Lubinski, Piotr; Migliari, Simone; Smith, David M.; Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Tomsick, John A.; Bezayiff, N.; Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Kretschmar, Peter; hide

    2008-01-01

    The microquasar GRS 1758-258 is one of only three persistent black hole binaries that spend most of their time in the hard spectral state, the other two being Cyg X-l and 1E 1741.7-2942. It therefore provides the rare opportunity for an extensive long term study of this important black hole state which is associated with strong variability and radio jet emission. INTEGRAL has been monitoring the source since the first Galactic Center Deep Exposure season in spring 2003 during two 2-3 months long Galactic Center viewing epochs each year, amounting to 11 epochs including spring of 2008. With the exception of the last epoch quasi-simultaneous RXTE monitoring observations are available as well. Here we present an analysis of the epoch averaged broad band spectra which display considerable long term variability, most notably the occurrence of two soft/off states, extreme examples for the hysteretic behavior of black hole binaries. The hard source spectrum and long exposures allow us to extend the analysis for several epochs to approximately 800 keV using PICsIT data and address the question of the presence of a non-thermal Comptonization component.

  18. Forming short-period Wolf-Rayet X-ray binaries and double black holes through stable mass transfer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van den Heuvel, E. P. J.; Portegies Zwart, S. F.; de Mink, S. E.

    2017-11-01

    We show that black hole high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with O- or B-type donor stars and relatively short orbital periods, of order one week to several months may survive spiral-in, to then form Wolf-Rayet (WR) X-ray binaries with orbital periods of order a day to a few days; while in systems where the compact star is a neutron star, HMXBs with these orbital periods never survive spiral-in. We therefore predict that WR X-ray binaries can only harbour black holes. The reason why black hole HMXBs with these orbital periods may survive spiral-in is: the combination of a radiative envelope of the donor star and a high mass of the compact star. In this case, when the donor begins to overflow its Roche lobe, the systems are able to spiral in slowly with stable Roche lobe overflow, as is shown by the system SS433. In this case, the transferred mass is ejected from the vicinity of the compact star (so-called isotropic re-emission mass-loss mode, or SS433-like mass-loss), leading to gradual spiral-in. If the mass ratio of donor and black hole is ≳3.5, these systems will go into common-envelope evolution and are less likely to survive. If they survive, they produce WR X-ray binaries with orbital periods of a few hours to one day. Several of the well-known WR+O binaries in our Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds, with orbital periods in the range between a week and several months, are expected to evolve into close WR-black hole binaries, which may later produce close double black holes. The galactic formation rate of double black holes resulting from such systems is still uncertain, as it depends on several poorly known factors in this evolutionary picture. It might possibly be as high as ˜10-5 yr-1.

  19. Effects of Disk Warping on the Inclination Evolution of Star-Disk-Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zanazzi, J. J.; Lai, Dong

    2018-04-01

    Several recent studies have suggested that circumstellar disks in young stellar binaries may be driven into misalignement with their host stars due to secular gravitational interactions between the star, disk and the binary companion. The disk in such systems is twisted/warped due to the gravitational torques from the oblate central star and the external companion. We calculate the disk warp profile, taking into account of bending wave propagation and viscosity in the disk. We show that for typical protostellar disk parameters, the disk warp is small, thereby justifying the "flat-disk" approximation adopted in previous theoretical studies. However, the viscous dissipation associated with the small disk warp/twist tends to drive the disk toward alignment with the binary or the central star. We calculate the relevant timescales for the alignment. We find the alignment is effective for sufficiently cold disks with strong external torques, especially for systems with rapidly rotating stars, but is ineffective for the majority of star-disk-binary systems. Viscous warp driven alignment may be necessary to account for the observed spin-orbit alignment in multi-planet systems if these systems are accompanied by an inclined binary companion.

  20. Effects of disc warping on the inclination evolution of star-disc-binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zanazzi, J. J.; Lai, Dong

    2018-07-01

    Several recent studies have suggested that circumstellar discs in young stellar binaries may be driven into misalignement with their host stars due to the secular gravitational interactions between the star, disc, and the binary companion. The disc in such systems is twisted/warped due to the gravitational torques from the oblate central star and the external companion. We calculate the disc warp profile, taking into account the bending wave propagation and viscosity in the disc. We show that for typical protostellar disc parameters, the disc warp is small, thereby justifying the `flat-disc' approximation adopted in previous theoretical studies. However, the viscous dissipation associated with the small disc warp/twist tends to drive the disc towards alignment with the binary or the central star. We calculate the relevant time-scales for the alignment. We find that the alignment is effective for sufficiently cold discs with strong external torques, especially for systems with rapidly rotating stars, but is ineffective for the majority of the star-disc-binary systems. Viscous warp-driven alignment may be necessary to account for the observed spin-orbit alignment in multiplanet systems if these systems are accompanied by an inclined binary companion.

  1. The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems.

    PubMed

    Postnov, Konstantin A; Yungelson, Lev R

    2006-01-01

    We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given to AM CVn-stars - compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.

  2. The Einstein objective grating spectrometer survey of galactic binary X-ray sources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vrtilek, S. D.; Mcclintock, J. E.; Seward, F. D.; Kahn, S. M.; Wargelin, B. J.

    1991-01-01

    The results of observations of 22 bright Galactic X-ray point sources are presented, and the most reliable measurements to date of X-ray column densities to these sources are derived. The results are consistent with the idea that some of the objects have a component of column density intrinsic to the source in addition to an interstellar component. The K-edge absorption due to oxygen is clearly detected in 10 of the sources and the Fe L and Ne K edges are detected in a few. The spectra probably reflect emission originating in a collisionally excited region combined with emission from a photoionized region excited directly by the central source.

  3. On the orbital evolution of radiating binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bekov, A. A.; Momynov, S. B.

    2018-05-01

    The evolution of dynamic parameters of radiating binary systems with variable mass is studied. As a dynamic model, the problem of two gravitating and radiating bodies is considered, taking into account the gravitational attraction and the light pressure of the interacting bodies with the additional assumption of isotropic variability of their masses. The problem combines the Gylden-Meshchersky problem, acquiring a new physical meaning, and the two-body photogravitational Radzievsky problem. The evolving orbit is presented, unlike Kepler, with varying orbital elements - parameter and eccentricity, defines by the parameter µ(t), area integral C and quasi-integral energy h(t). Adiabatic invariants of the problem, which are of interest for the slow evolution of orbits, are determined. The general course of evolution of orbits of binary systems with radiation are determined by the change of the parameter µ(t) and the total energy of the system.

  4. Observational Evidence for Tidal Interaction in Close Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mazeh, T.

    This paper reviews the rich corpus of observational evidence for tidal effects, mostly based on photometric and radial-velocity measurements. This is done in a period when the study of binaries is being revolutionized by large-scaled photometric surveys that are detecting many thousands of new binaries and tens of extrasolar planets. We begin by examining the short-term effects, such as ellipsoidal variability and apsidal motion. We next turn to the long-term effects, of which circularization was studied the most: a transition period between circular and eccentric orbits has been derived for eight coeval samples of binaries. The study of synchronization and spin-orbit alignment is less advanced. As binaries are supposed to reach synchronization before circularization, one can expect finding eccentric binaries in pseudo-synchronization state, the evidence for which is reviewed. We also discuss synchronization in PMS and young stars, and compare the emerging timescale with the circularization timescale. We next examine the tidal interaction in close binaries that are orbited by a third distant companion, and review the effect of pumping the binary eccentricity by the third star. We elaborate on the impact of the pumped eccentricity on the tidal evolution of close binaries residing in triple systems, which may shrink the binary separation. Finally we consider the extrasolar planets and the observational evidence for tidal interaction with their parent stars. This includes a mechanism that can induce radial drift of short-period planets, either inward or outward, depending on the planetary radial position relative to the corotation radius. Another effect is the circularization of planetary orbits, the evidence for which can be found in eccentricity-versus-period plot of the planets already known. Whenever possible, the paper attempts to address the possible confrontation between theory and observations, and to point out noteworthy cases and observations that can be

  5. Massive companions of binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jableka, D.; Zola, S.; Zakrzewski, B.; Kreiner, J. M.; Ogloza, W.

    2018-04-01

    We examined the O-C diagrams of eclipsing binary systems and selected these exhibiting cyclic shape, either sinusoidal or quasi sinusoidal. Assuming these variations being due to the Light Time Travel effect (LTE), we estimated the parameters of companions with the Monte Carlo method. As a result, we identified nearly two dozen of eclipsing systems that might have companions with a minimum mass larger than that of a neutron star. Their masses fall into the range between 1.7 and 34 solar masses. This sample of triples with high mass companions can be confirmed with the help of observations gathered by Gaia: parallaxes and astrometric measurements.

  6. Revealing two radio-active galactic nuclei extremely near PSR J0437-4715

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zhixuan; Yang, Jun; An, Tao; Paragi, Zsolt; Deller, Adam; Reynolds, Cormac; Hong, Xiaoyu; Wang, Jiancheng; Ding, Hao; Xia, Bo; Yan, Zhen; Guo, Li

    2018-05-01

    Newton's gravitational constant G may vary with time at an extremely low level. The time variability of G will affect the orbital motion of a millisecond pulsar in a binary system and cause a tiny difference between the orbital period-dependent measurement of the kinematic distance and the direct measurement of the annual parallax distance. PSR J0437-4715 is the nearest millisecond pulsar and the brightest at radio wavelengths. To explore the feasibility of achieving a parallax distance accuracy of one light-year, comparable to the recent timing result, with the technique of differential astrometry, we searched for compact radio sources quite close to PSR J0437-4715. Using existing data from the Very Large Array and the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we detected two sources with flat spectra, relatively stable flux densities of 0.9 and 1.0 mJy at 8.4 GHz and separations of 13 and 45 arcsec. With a network consisting of the Long Baseline Array and the Kunming 40-m radio telescope, we found that both sources have a point-like structure and a brightness temperature of ≥107 K. According to these radio inputs and the absence of counterparts in other bands, we argue that they are most likely the compact radio cores of extragalactic active galactic nuclei, rather than Galactic radio stars. The finding of these two radio active galactic nuclei will enable us to achieve a sub-pc distance accuracy with in-beam phase-referencing very-long-baseline interferometric observations and provide one of the most stringent constraints on the time variability of G in the near future.

  7. Physical Identification of Binary System of Gliclazide-Hydrophilic Polymers Using X-Ray Diffraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rachmawati, H.; Yatinasari, Faizatun, Syarie, S. A.

    2008-03-01

    The formation of binary system in pharmaceutical solid state is aimed to improve the physicochemical characteristics of active compound, such as its solubility. To identify the physical change of the binary system including crystallinity or particle morphology, there are many methods can be applied. In present report, we study the physical interaction of the binary system of gliclazide and hydrophilic polymers. In this binary system, gliclazide was either dispersed or mixed with polyvinyl pirrolidone (PVP K30) or polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000). The dispersion system of gliclazide in the polymeric carriers was prepared by solvation-evaporation method, using dichloromethane/methylene chloride as an organic solvent. The physical characterization of both dispersed and mixed of gliclazide was studied using X-ray diffraction at interval 6-50 °/2θ. As a comparison, the same procedure was performed for pure gliclazide. To confirm the diffractogram of this binary system, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was carried out as well. Both diffarctogram and FT-IR spectra revealed that there was no new compound formed in the solid dispersion system of gliclazide:PEG 6000 and gliclazide:PVP K30. In contrast, the solubility as well as the dissolution rate of gliclazide in the presence of both hydrophilic polymers was increased as compared to pure gliclazide. We conclude therefore that solvatation followed by evaporation of gliclazide in the presence of either PEG 6000 or PVP K30 did not alter its crystalline characteristic. The improved of gliclazide solubility in the binary system might due to other mechanism such as increased in the wettability and the hydrophylicity effect of the polymers.

  8. Constraining f(R) gravity in solar system, cosmology and binary pulsar systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Tan; Zhang, Xing; Zhao, Wen

    2018-02-01

    The f (R) gravity can be cast into the form of a scalar-tensor theory, and scalar degree of freedom can be suppressed in high-density regions by the chameleon mechanism. In this article, for the general f (R) gravity, using a scalar-tensor representation with the chameleon mechanism, we calculate the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters γ and β, the effective gravitational constant Geff, and the effective cosmological constant Λeff. In addition, for the general f (R) gravity, we also calculate the rate of orbital period decay of the binary system due to gravitational radiation. Then we apply these results to specific f (R) models (Hu-Sawicki model, Tsujikawa model and Starobinsky model) and derive the constraints on the model parameters by combining the observations in solar system, cosmological scales and the binary systems.

  9. Transient Events in Archival Very Large Array Observations of the Galactic Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiti, Anirudh; Chatterjee, Shami; Wharton, Robert; Cordes, James; Lazio, T. Joseph W.; Kaplan, David L.; Bower, Geoffrey C.; Croft, Steve

    2016-12-01

    The Galactic center has some of the highest stellar densities in the Galaxy and a range of interstellar scattering properties, which may aid in the detection of new radio-selected transient events. Here, we describe a search for radio transients in the Galactic center, using over 200 hr of archival data from the Very Large Array at 5 and 8.4 GHz. Every observation of Sgr A* from 1985 to 2005 has been searched using an automated processing and detection pipeline sensitive to transients with timescales between 30 s and 5 minutes with a typical detection threshold of ˜100 mJy. Eight possible candidates pass tests to filter false-positives from radio-frequency interference, calibration errors, and imaging artifacts. Two events are identified as promising candidates based on the smoothness of their light curves. Despite the high quality of their light curves, these detections remain suspect due to evidence of incomplete subtraction of the complex structure in the Galactic center, and apparent contingency of one detection on reduction routines. Events of this intensity (˜100 mJy) and duration (˜100 s) are not obviously associated with known astrophysical sources, and no counterparts are found in data at other wavelengths. We consider potential sources, including Galactic center pulsars, dwarf stars, sources like GCRT J1745-3009, and bursts from X-ray binaries. None can fully explain the observed transients, suggesting either a new astrophysical source or a subtle imaging artifact. More sensitive multiwavelength studies are necessary to characterize these events, which, if real, occur with a rate of {14}-12+32 {{hr}}-1 {\\deg }-2 in the Galactic center.

  10. Detection of the Velocity Shear Effect on the Spatial Distributions of the Galactic Satellites in Isolated Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Jounghun; Choi, Yun-Young

    2015-02-01

    We report a detection of the effect of the large-scale velocity shear on the spatial distributions of the galactic satellites around the isolated hosts. Identifying the isolated galactic systems, each of which consists of a single host galaxy and its satellites, from the Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and reconstructing linearly the velocity shear field in the local universe, we measure the alignments between the relative positions of the satellites from their isolated hosts and the principal axes of the local velocity shear tensors projected onto the plane of sky. We find a clear signal that the galactic satellites in isolated systems are located preferentially along the directions of the minor principal axes of the large-scale velocity shear field. Those galactic satellites that are spirals, are brighter, are located at distances larger than the projected virial radii of the hosts, and belong to the spiral hosts yield stronger alignment signals, which implies that the alignment strength depends on the formation and accretion epochs of the galactic satellites. It is also shown that the alignment strength is quite insensitive to the cosmic web environment, as well as the size and luminosity of the isolated hosts. Although this result is consistent with the numerical finding of Libeskind et al. based on an N-body experiment, owing to the very low significance of the observed signals, it remains inconclusive whether or not the velocity shear effect on the satellite distribution is truly universal.

  11. Galactic gamma-ray observations and galactic structure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stecker, F. W.

    1975-01-01

    Recent observations of gamma-rays originating in the galactic disk together with radio observations, support an emerging picture of the overall structure of our galaxy with higher interstellar gas densities and star formation rates in a region which corresponds to that of the inner arms. The emerging picture is one where molecular clouds make up the dominant constituent of the interstellar gas in the inner galaxy and play a key role in accounting for the gamma-rays and phenomena associated with the production of young stars and other population 1 objects. In this picture, cosmic rays are associated with supernovae and are primarily of galactic origin. These newly observed phenomena can be understood as consequences of the density wave theories of spiral structure. Based on these new developments, the suggestion is made that a new galactic population class, Population O, be added to the standard Populations 1 and 2 in order to recognize important differences in dynamics and distribution between diffuse galactic H1 and interstellar molecular clouds.

  12. Period change of a contact binary system RW Comae Berenices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maithong, Wiraporn; Phao-ai, Parinda

    2017-08-01

    In this work, we studied about the period change of a contact binary system RW Comae Berenices. The binary system was observed on March 9th, 2016 by the 105 mm diameter of a refraction telescope with the DSLR digital camera at the Regional Observatory for the Public Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The photometry used the IRIS program. The period change was analyzed by used the O-C diagram. The result shows that the period of the RW Comae Berenices is increasing with 1.89×10-3 seconds/year.

  13. Physical Parameters of Components in Close Binary Systems. V

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zola, S.; Kreiner, J. M.; Zakrzewski, B.; Kjurkchieva, D. P.; Marchev, D. V.; Baran, A.; Rucinski, S. M.; Ogloza, W.; Siwak, M.; Koziel, D.; Drozdz, M.; Pokrzywka, B.

    2005-12-01

    The paper presents combined spectroscopic and photometric orbital solutions for ten close binary systems: CN And, V776 Cas, FU Dra, UV Lyn, BB Peg, V592 Per, OU Ser, EQ Tau, HN UMa and HT Vir. The photometric data consist of new multicolor light curves, while the spectroscopy has been recently obtained within the radial velocity program at the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO). Absolute parameters of the components for these binary systems are derived. Our results confirm that CN And is not a contact system. Its configuration is semi-detached with the secondary component filling its Roche lobe. The configuration of nine other systems is contact. Three systems (V776 Cas, V592 Per and OU Ser) have high (44-77%) and six (FU Dra, UV Lyn, BB Peg, EQ Tau, HN UMa and HT Vir) low or intermediate (8-32%) fill-out factors. The absolute physical parameters are derived.

  14. Stellivore extraterrestrials? Binary stars as living systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vidal, Clément

    2016-11-01

    We lack signs of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) despite decades of observation in the whole electromagnetic spectrum. Could evidence be buried in existing data? To recognize ETI, we first propose criteria discerning life from non-life based on thermodynamics and living systems theory. Then we extrapolate civilizational development to both external and internal growth. Taken together, these two trends lead to an argument that some existing binary stars might actually be ETI. Since these hypothetical beings feed actively on stars, we call them "stellivores". I present an independent thermodynamic argument for their existence, with a metabolic interpretation of interacting binary stars. The jury is still out, but the hypothesis is empirically testable with existing astrophysical data.

  15. THE EVOLUTION OF PRIMORDIAL BINARY OPEN STAR CLUSTERS: MERGERS, SHREDDED SECONDARIES, AND SEPARATED TWINS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    De la Fuente Marcos, R.; De la Fuente Marcos, C., E-mail: raul@galaxy.suffolk.e

    2010-08-10

    The properties of the candidate binary star cluster population in the Magellanic Clouds and Milky Way are similar. The fraction of candidate binaries is {approx}10% and the pair separation histogram exhibits a bimodal distribution commonly attributed to their transient nature. However, if primordial pairs cannot survive for long as recognizable bound systems, how are they ending up? Here, we use simulations to confirm that merging, extreme tidal distortion, and ionization are possible depending on the initial orbital elements and mass ratio of the cluster pair. Merging is observed for initially close pairs but also for wider systems in nearly parabolicmore » orbits. Its characteristic timescale depends on the initial orbital semi-major axis, eccentricity, and cluster pair mass ratio, becoming shorter for closer, more eccentric equal mass pairs. Shredding of the less massive cluster and subsequent separation is observed in all pairs with appreciably different masses. Wide pairs evolve into separated twins characterized by the presence of tidal bridges and separations of 200-500 pc after one Galactic orbit. Most observed binary candidates appear to be following this evolutionary path which translates into the dominant peak (25-30 pc) in the observed pair separation distribution. The secondary peak at smaller separations (10-15 pc) can be explained as due to close pairs in almost circular orbits and/or undergoing merging. Merged clusters exhibit both peculiar radial density and velocity dispersion profiles shaped by synchronization and gravogyro instabilities. Simulations and observations show that long-term binary open cluster stability is unlikely.« less

  16. MONTE CARLO POPULATION SYNTHESIS OF POST-COMMON-ENVELOPE WHITE DWARF BINARIES AND TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA RATE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ablimit, Iminhaji; Maeda, Keiichi; Li, Xiang-Dong

    Binary population synthesis (BPS) studies provide a comprehensive way to understand the evolution of binaries and their end products. Close white dwarf (WD) binaries have crucial characteristics for examining the influence of unresolved physical parameters on binary evolution. In this paper, we perform Monte Carlo BPS simulations, investigating the population of WD/main-sequence (WD/MS) binaries and double WD binaries using a publicly available binary star evolution code under 37 different assumptions for key physical processes and binary initial conditions. We considered different combinations of the binding energy parameter ( λ {sub g}: considering gravitational energy only; λ {sub b}: considering bothmore » gravitational energy and internal energy; and λ {sub e}: considering gravitational energy, internal energy, and entropy of the envelope, with values derived from the MESA code), CE efficiency, critical mass ratio, initial primary mass function, and metallicity. We find that a larger number of post-CE WD/MS binaries in tight orbits are formed when the binding energy parameters are set by λ {sub e} than in those cases where other prescriptions are adopted. We also determine the effects of the other input parameters on the orbital periods and mass distributions of post-CE WD/MS binaries. As they contain at least one CO WD, double WD systems that evolved from WD/MS binaries may explode as type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) via merging. In this work, we also investigate the frequency of two WD mergers and compare it to the SNe Ia rate. The calculated Galactic SNe Ia rate with λ = λ {sub e} is comparable to the observed SNe Ia rate, ∼8.2 × 10{sup 5} yr{sup 1} – ∼4 × 10{sup 3} yr{sup 1} depending on the other BPS parameters, if a DD system does not require a mass ratio higher than ∼0.8 to become an SNe Ia. On the other hand, a violent merger scenario, which requires the combined mass of two CO WDs ≥ 1.6 M {sub ⊙} and a mass ratio >0.8, results in a

  17. Numerical Simulations of Close and Contact Binary Systems Having Bipolytropic Equation of State

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadam, Kundan; Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Motl, Patrick M.; Marcello, Dominic; Frank, Juhan

    2017-01-01

    I present the results of the numerical simulations of the mass transfer in close and contact binary systems with both stars having a bipolytropic (composite polytropic) equation of state. The initial binary systems are obtained by a modifying Hachisu’s self-consistent field technique. Both the stars have fully resolved cores with a molecular weight jump at the core-envelope interface. The initial properties of these simulations are chosen such that they satisfy the mass-radius relation, composition and period of a late W-type contact binary system. The simulations are carried out using two different Eulerian hydrocodes, Flow-ER with a fixed cylindrical grid, and Octo-tiger with an AMR capable cartesian grid. The detailed comparison of the simulations suggests an agreement between the results obtained from the two codes at different resolutions. The set of simulations can be treated as a benchmark, enabling us to reliably simulate mass transfer and merger scenarios of binary systems involving bipolytropic components.

  18. The Late-type Eclipsing Binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud: Catalog of Fundamental Physical Parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Graczyk, Dariusz; Pietrzyński, Grzegorz; Thompson, Ian B.; Gieren, Wolfgang; Pilecki, Bogumił; Konorski, Piotr; Villanova, Sandro; Górski, Marek; Suchomska, Ksenia; Karczmarek, Paulina; Stepień, Kazimierz; Storm, Jesper; Taormina, Mónica; Kołaczkowski, Zbigniew; Wielgórski, Piotr; Narloch, Weronika; Zgirski, Bartłomiej; Gallenne, Alexandre; Ostrowski, Jakub; Smolec, Radosław; Udalski, Andrzej; Soszyński, Igor; Kervella, Pierre; Nardetto, Nicolas; Szymański, Michał K.; Wyrzykowski, Łukasz; Ulaczyk, Krzysztof; Poleski, Radosław; Pietrukowicz, Paweł; Kozłowski, Szymon; Skowron, Jan; Mróz, Przemysław

    2018-06-01

    We present a determination of the precise fundamental physical parameters of 20 detached, double-lined, eclipsing binary stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) containing G- or early K-type giant stars. Eleven are new systems; the remaining nine are systems already analyzed by our team for which we present updated parameters. The catalog results from our long-term survey of eclipsing binaries in the Magellanic Clouds suitable for high-precision determination of distances (the Araucaria Project). The V-band brightnesses of the systems range from 15.4 to 17.7 mag, and their orbital periods range from 49 to 773 days. Six systems have favorable geometry showing total eclipses. The absolute dimensions of all eclipsing binary components are calculated with a precision of better than 3%, and all systems are suitable for a precise distance determination. The measured stellar masses are in the range 1.4 to 4.6 M ⊙, and comparison with the MESA isochrones gives ages between 0.1 and 2.1 Gyr. The systems show an age–metallicity relation with no evolution of metallicity for systems older than 0.6 Gyr, followed by a rise to a metallicity maximum at age 0.5 Gyr and then a slow metallicity decrease until 0.1 Gyr. Two systems have components with very different masses: OGLE LMC-ECL-05430 and OGLE LMC-ECL-18365. Neither system can be fitted by a single stellar evolution isochrone, explained by a past mass transfer scenario in the case of ECL-18365 and a gravitational capture or hierarchical binary merger scenario in the case of ECL-05430. The longest-period system, OGLE LMC SC9_230659, shows a surprising apsidal motion that shifts the apparent position of the eclipses. This is a clear sign of a physical companion to the system; however, neither investigation of the spectra nor light-curve analysis indicates a third-light contribution larger than 2%–3%. In one spectrum of OGLE LMC-ECL-12669, we noted a peculiar dimming of one of the components by 65% well outside of the

  19. Gravitational radiation from compact binary systems in screened modified gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xing; Liu, Tan; Zhao, Wen

    2017-05-01

    Screened modified gravity (SMG) is a kind of scalar-tensor theory with screening mechanisms, which can suppress the fifth force in dense regions and allow theories to evade the solar system and laboratory tests. In this paper, we investigate how the screening mechanisms in SMG affect the gravitational radiation damping effects, calculate in detail the rate of the energy loss due to the emission of tensor and scalar gravitational radiations, and derive their contributions to the change in the orbital period of the binary system. We find that the scalar radiation depends on the screened parameters and the propagation speed of scalar waves, and the scalar dipole radiation dominates the orbital decay of the binary system. For strongly self-gravitating bodies, all effects of scalar sector are strongly suppressed by the screening mechanisms in SMG. By comparing our results to observations of binary system PSR J 1738 +0333 , we place the stringent constraints on the screening mechanisms in SMG. As an application of these results, we focus on three specific models of SMG (chameleon, symmetron, and dilaton), and derive the constraints on the model parameters, respectively.

  20. The Binary System Laboratory Activities Based on Students Mental Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albaiti, A.; Liliasari, S.; Sumarna, O.; Martoprawiro, M. A.

    2017-09-01

    Generic science skills (GSS) are required to develop student conception in learning binary system. The aim of this research was to know the improvement of students GSS through the binary system labotoratory activities based on their mental model using hypothetical-deductive learning cycle. It was a mixed methods embedded experimental model research design. This research involved 15 students of a university in Papua, Indonesia. Essay test of 7 items was used to analyze the improvement of students GSS. Each items was designed to interconnect macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic levels. Students worksheet was used to explore students mental model during investigation in laboratory. The increase of students GSS could be seen in their N-Gain of each GSS indicators. The results were then analyzed descriptively. Students mental model and GSS have been improved from this study. They were interconnect macroscopic and symbolic levels to explain binary systems phenomena. Furthermore, they reconstructed their mental model with interconnecting the three levels of representation in Physical Chemistry. It necessary to integrate the Physical Chemistry Laboratory into a Physical Chemistry course for effectiveness and efficiency.

  1. Evolution of the Oort Cloud under Galactic Perturbations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higuchi, A.; Kokubo, E.; Mukai, T.

    2005-08-01

    The Oort cloud is a spherical comet reservoir surrounding the solar system. There is general agreement that the Oort cloud comets are the residual planetesimals of planet formation. The standard scenario of the Oort cloud formation consists of two dynamical stages: (1) giant planets raise the aphelia of planetesimals to the outer region of the solar system and (2) the galactic tide, passing stars, and giant molecular clouds pull up their perihelia out of the planetary region and randomize their inclinations. Here we show the orbital evolution of planetesimals due to the galactic tide. Planetesimals with large aphelion distances change their perihelion distances toward the outside of the planetary region by the galactic tide and become members of the Oort cloud. We consider only the vertical component of the galactic tide because it is dominant compared to other components. Then, under such an axi-symmetric assumption, some planetesimals may show the librations around ω (argument of perihelion)=π /2 or 3π /2 (the Kozai mechanism). The alternate increases of eccentricity and inclination of the Kozai mechanism are effective to form the Oort cloud. Using the secular perturbation theory, we can understand the motion of the planetesimals analytically. We applied the Kozai mechanism to the galactic tide and found that the galactic tide raise perihelia and randomize inclinations of planetesimals with semimajor axes larger than ˜ 103 AU in 5Gyr. We take into account time evolution of the local galactic density, which is thought to be denser in the early stage of the sun than the current one. This work was supported by the 21st Century COE Program Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan, and JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists.

  2. VizieR Online Data Catalog: WATCHDOG: an all-sky database of Galactic BHXBs (Tetarenko+, 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tetarenko, B. E.; Sivakoff, G. R.; Heinke, C. O.; Gladstone, J. C.

    2016-03-01

    With the advent of more sensitive all-sky instruments, the transient universe is being probed in greater depth than ever before. Taking advantage of available resources, we have established a comprehensive database of black hole (and black hole candidate) X-ray binary (BHXB) activity between 1996 and 2015 as revealed by all-sky instruments, scanning surveys, and select narrow-field X-ray instruments on board the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), Monitor of All-Sky X-ray Image (MAXI), Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), and Swift telescopes; the Whole-sky Alberta Time-resolved Comprehensive black-Hole Database Of the Galaxy or WATCHDOG. Over the past two decades, we have detected 132 transient outbursts, tracked and classified behavior occurring in 47 transient and 10 persistently accreting BHs, and performed a statistical study on a number of outburst properties across the Galactic population. We find that outbursts undergone by BHXBs that do not reach the thermally dominant accretion state make up a substantial fraction (~40%) of the Galactic transient BHXB outburst sample over the past ~20 years. Our findings suggest that this "hard-only" behavior, observed in transient and persistently accreting BHXBs, is neither a rare nor recent phenomenon and may be indicative of an underlying physical process, relatively common among binary BHs, involving the mass-transfer rate onto the BH remaining at a low level rather than increasing as the outburst evolves. We discuss how the larger number of these "hard-only" outbursts and detected outbursts in general have significant implications for both the luminosity function and mass-transfer history of the Galactic BHXB population. (9 data files).

  3. Pneumatic binary encoder replaces multiple solenoid system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1966-01-01

    Pneumatic binary encoder replaces solenoid system in the pilot stage of a digital actuator. The encoder operates in flip-flop manner to valve gas at either high or low pressures. By rotating the disk in a pinion-to-encoding gear ratio, six to eight adder circuits may be operated from single encoder.

  4. Identification of binary and multiple systems in TGAS using the Virtual Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiménez-Esteban, F.; Solano, E.

    2018-04-01

    Binary and multiple stars have long provided an effective method of testing stellar formation and evolution theories. In particular, wide binary systems with separations > 20,000 au are particularly challenging as their physical separations are beyond the typical size of a collapsing cloud core (5,000 - 10,000 au). We present here a preliminary work in which we make use of the TGAS catalogue and Virtual Observatory tools and services (Aladin, TOPCAT, STILTS, VOSA, VizieR) to identify binary and multiple star candidate systems. The catalogue will be available from the Spanish VO portal (http://svo.cab.inta-csic.es) in the coming months.

  5. Habitability in Binary Systems: The Role of UV Reduction and Magnetic Protection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Joni; Mason, P. A.; Zuluaga, J. I.; Cuartas, P. A.; Bustamonte, S.

    2013-06-01

    The number of planets found in binary systems is growing rapidly and the discovery of many more planets in binary systems appears inevitable. We use the newly refined and more restrictive, single star habitable zone (HZ) models of Kopparapu et al. (2013) and include planetary magnetic protection calculations in order to investigate binary star habitability. Here we present results on circumstellar or S-type planets, which are planets orbiting a single star member of a binary. P-type planets, on the other hand, orbit the center of mass of the binary. Stable planetary orbits exist in HZs for both types of binaries as long as the semi-major axis of the planet is either greater than (P-type) or less than (S-type) a few times the semi-major axis of the binary. We define two types of S-type binaries for this investigation. The SA-type is a circumstellar planet orbiting the binary’s primary star. In this case, the limits of habitability are dominated by the primary being only slightly affected by the presence of the lower mass companion. Thus, the SA-type planets have habitability characteristics, including magnetic protection, similar to single stars of the same type. The SB-type is a circumstellar planet orbiting the secondary star in a wide binary. An SB-type planet needs to orbit slightly outside the secondary’s single star HZ and remain within the primary’s single star HZ at all times. We explore the parameter space for which this is possible. We have found that planets lying in the combined HZ of SB binaries can be magnetically protected against the effects of stellar winds from both primary and secondary stars in a limited number of cases. We conclude that habitable conditions exist for a subset of SA-type, and a smaller subset of SB-type binaries. However, circumbinary planets (P-types) provide the most intriguing possibilities for the existence of complex life due to the effect of synchronization of binaries with periods in the 20-30 day range which allows

  6. High Fill-out, Extreme Mass Ratio Overcontact Binary Systems. X. The Newly Discovered Binary XY Leonis Minoris

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qian, S.-B.; Liu, L.; Zhu, L.-Y.; He, J.-J.; Yang, Y.-G.; Bernasconi, L.

    2011-05-01

    The newly discovered short-period close binary star, XY LMi, has been monitored photometrically since 2006. Its light curves are typical EW-type light curves and show complete eclipses with durations of about 80 minutes. Photometric solutions were determined through an analysis of the complete B, V, R, and I light curves using the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney code. XY LMi is a high fill-out, extreme mass ratio overcontact binary system with a mass ratio of q = 0.148 and a fill-out factor of f = 74.1%, suggesting that it is in the late evolutionary stage of late-type tidal-locked binary stars. As observed in other overcontact binary stars, evidence for the presence of two dark spots on both components is given. Based on our 19 epochs of eclipse times, we found that the orbital period of the overcontact binary is decreasing continuously at a rate of dP/dt = -1.67 × 10-7 days yr-1, which may be caused by mass transfer from the primary to the secondary and/or angular momentum loss via magnetic stellar wind. The decrease of the orbital period may result in the increase of the fill-out, and finally, it will evolve into a single rapid-rotation star when the fluid surface reaches the outer critical Roche lobe.

  7. Gas flows in S-E binary systems of galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sotnikova, N. YA.

    1990-01-01

    Tidal interaction between the galaxies in binary systems leads to important consequences. Some peculiarities in galactic morphology as well as the transfer of matter from one galaxy to another may be due to this factor. In particular, gas flows in intergalactic space may be formed. Such flows enriching one component with gas from the other may play a substantial role in the evolution of mixed (S-E) pairs. One can mention several facts corroborating the possibility of the gas transfer from the spiral to the elliptical galaxy. High HI content (10(exp 7) to 10(exp 9) solar mass) is detected in nearly 40 E galaxies (Bottinelli and Gougenheim, 1979; Knapp et al., 1985). Such galaxies are often members of pairs or of multiple systems including an S galaxy, which may be the source of gas (Smirnov and Komberg, 1980). Moreover, the gas kinematics and its distribution also indicate an external origin for this gas (Knapp et al., 1985). In many cases there is an outer gaseous disk. The directions of the disk and of stellar rotation don't always coincide (van Gorkom et al., 1985; Varnas et al., 1987). The galaxy colors in S-E pairs are correlated (the Holmberg effect): bluer ellipticals have spiral components that are usually bluer (Demin et al., 1984). The fraction of E galaxies with emission lines (N sub em) in S-E pairs showing traces of tidal interaction is twice as large (N sub em approx. equals 0.24) as in pairs without interaction (N sub em approx. equals 0.12) (Sotnikova, 1988b). Since the presence of emission lines in a galaxy spectrum strongly depends on gas content, this fact also leads to the conclusion that ellipticals in interacting S-E pairs are enriched with gas. These facts may be considered as a serious indication of the existence of gas transfer. Hence, investigation of this process is of interest.

  8. Relativistically Skewed Iron Emission and Disk Reflection in Galactic Microquasar XTE J1748-288

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, J. M.; Fox, D. W.; DiMatteo, T.; Wijnands, R.; Belloni, T.; Kouveliotou, C.; Lewin, W. H. G.

    2000-01-01

    We report evidence for an Fe K-alpha fluorescence line feature in the Very High, High, and Low state X-ray spectra of the galactic microquasar XTE JI748-288 during its June 1998 outburst. Spectral analyses were made on observations spread across the outburst, gathered with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. Gaussian line. disk emission line, relativistic disk emission line, and disk reflection models are fit to the data. In the Very High State, the line profile is strongly redshifted and consistent with emission from the innermost radius of a maximally rotating Kerr black hole, 1.235 R(sub g). The line profile is less redshifted in the High State, but increasingly prominent. In the Low State, the line profile is very strong and centered af approx. 6.7 keV; disk line emission models constrain the inner edge of the disk to fluctuate between approx.20 and approx.59 R(sub g). We trace the disk reflection fraction across the full outburst of this source, and find well-constrained fractions below those observed in AGN in the Very High and High States, but consistent with other galactic sources in the Low State. We discuss the possible implications for black hole X-ray binary system dynamics and accretion flow geometry.

  9. ζ1 + ζ2 Reticuli binary system: a puzzling chromospheric activity pattern

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flores, M.; Saffe, C.; Buccino, A.; Jaque Arancibia, M.; González, J. F.; Nuñez, N. E.; Jofré, E.

    2018-05-01

    We perform, for the first time, a detailed long-term activity study of the binary system ζ Ret. We use all available HARPS spectra obtained between the years 2003 and 2016. We build a time series of the Mount Wilson S index for both stars, then we analyse these series by using Lomb-Scargle periodograms. The components ζ1 Ret and ζ2 Ret that belong to this binary system are physically very similar to each other and also similar to our Sun, which makes it a remarkable system. We detect in the solar-analogue star ζ2 Ret a long-term activity cycle with a period of ˜10 yr, similar to the solar one (˜11 yr). It is worthwhile to mention that this object satisfies previous criteria for a flat star and for a cycling star simultaneously. Another interesting feature of this binary system is a high ˜0.220 dex difference between the average log (R^' }_HK) activity levels of both stars. Our study clearly shows that ζ1 Ret is significantly more active than ζ2 Ret. In addition, ζ1 Ret shows an erratic variability in its stellar activity. In this work, we explore different scenarios trying to explain this rare behaviour in a pair of coeval stars, which could help to explain the difference in this and other binary systems. From these results, we also warn that for the development of activity-age calibrations (which commonly use binary systems and/or stellar clusters as calibrators) the whole history of activity available for the stars involved should be taken into account.

  10. Ffuzz: Towards full system high coverage fuzz testing on binary executables

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Bugs and vulnerabilities in binary executables threaten cyber security. Current discovery methods, like fuzz testing, symbolic execution and manual analysis, both have advantages and disadvantages when exercising the deeper code area in binary executables to find more bugs. In this paper, we designed and implemented a hybrid automatic bug finding tool—Ffuzz—on top of fuzz testing and selective symbolic execution. It targets full system software stack testing including both the user space and kernel space. Combining these two mainstream techniques enables us to achieve higher coverage and avoid getting stuck both in fuzz testing and symbolic execution. We also proposed two key optimizations to improve the efficiency of full system testing. We evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of our method on real-world binary software and 844 memory corruption vulnerable programs in the Juliet test suite. The results show that Ffuzz can discover software bugs in the full system software stack effectively and efficiently. PMID:29791469

  11. Ffuzz: Towards full system high coverage fuzz testing on binary executables.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Bin; Ye, Jiaxi; Bi, Xing; Feng, Chao; Tang, Chaojing

    2018-01-01

    Bugs and vulnerabilities in binary executables threaten cyber security. Current discovery methods, like fuzz testing, symbolic execution and manual analysis, both have advantages and disadvantages when exercising the deeper code area in binary executables to find more bugs. In this paper, we designed and implemented a hybrid automatic bug finding tool-Ffuzz-on top of fuzz testing and selective symbolic execution. It targets full system software stack testing including both the user space and kernel space. Combining these two mainstream techniques enables us to achieve higher coverage and avoid getting stuck both in fuzz testing and symbolic execution. We also proposed two key optimizations to improve the efficiency of full system testing. We evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of our method on real-world binary software and 844 memory corruption vulnerable programs in the Juliet test suite. The results show that Ffuzz can discover software bugs in the full system software stack effectively and efficiently.

  12. Thermodynamic modelling of the C-U and B-U binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chevalier, P. Y.; Fischer, E.

    2001-02-01

    The thermodynamic modelling of the carbon-uranium (C-U) and boron-uranium (B-U) binary systems is being performed in the framework of the development of a thermodynamic database for nuclear materials, for increasing the basic knowledge of key phenomena which may occur in the event of a severe accident in a nuclear power plant. Applications are foreseen in the nuclear safety field to the physico-chemical interaction modelling, on the one hand the in-vessel core degradation producing the corium (fuel, zircaloy, steel, control rods) and on the other hand the ex-vessel molten corium-concrete interaction (MCCI). The key O-U-Zr ternary system, previously modelled, allows us to describe the first interaction of the fuel with zircaloy cladding. Then, the three binary systems Fe-U, Cr-U and Ni-U were modelled as a preliminary work for modelling the O-U-Zr-Fe-Cr-Ni multicomponent system, allowing us to introduce the steel components in the corium. In the existing database (TDBCR, thermodynamic data base for corium), Ag and In were introduced for modelling AIC (silver-indium-cadmium) control rods which are used in French pressurized water reactors (PWR). Elsewhere, B 4C is also used for control rods. That is why it was agreed to extend in the next years the database with two new components, B and C. Such a work needs the thermodynamic modelling of all the binary and pseudo-binary sub-systems resulting from the combination of B, B 2O 3 and C with the major components of TDBCR, O-U-Zr-Fe-Cr-Ni-Ag-In-Ba-La-Ru-Sr-Al-Ca-Mg-Si + Ar-H. The critical assessment of the very numerous experimental information available for the C-U and B-U binary systems was performed by using a classical optimization procedure and the Scientific Group Thermodata Europe (SGTE). New optimized Gibbs energy parameters are given, and comparisons between calculated and experimental equilibrium phase diagrams or thermodynamic properties are presented. The self-consistency obtained is quite satisfactory.

  13. Generalized Roche potential for misaligned binary systems - Properties of the critical lobe

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Avni, Y.; Schiller, N.

    1982-01-01

    The paper considers the Roche potential for binary systems where the stellar rotation axis is not aligned with the orbital revolution axis. It is shown that, as the degree of misalignment varies, internal Lagrangian points and external Lagrangian points may switch their roles. A systematic method to identify the internal Lagrangian point and to calculate the volume of the critical lobe is developed, and numerical results for a wide range of parameters of binary systems with circular orbits are presented. For binary systems with large enough misalignment, discrete changes occur in the topological structure of the equipotential surfaces as the orbital phase varies. The volume of the critical lobe has minima, as a function of orbital phase, at the two instances when the secondary crosses the equatorial plane of the primary. In semidetached systems, mass transfer may be confined to the vicinity of these two instances.

  14. Dynamics of supernova remnants in the Galactic centre.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bortolas, E.; Mapelli, M.; Spera, M.

    The Galactic centre (GC) is a unique place to study the extreme dynamical processes occurring near a super-massive black hole (SMBH). Here we simulate a large set of binaries orbiting the SMBH while the primary member undergoes a supernova (SN) explosion, in order to study the impact of SN kicks on the orbits of stars and dark remnants in the GC. We find that SN explosions are efficient in scattering neutron stars and other light stars on new (mostly eccentric) orbits, while black holes (BHs) tend to retain memory of the orbit of their progenitor star. SN kicks are thus unable to eject BHs from the GC: a cusp of dark remnants may be lurking in the central parsec of our Galaxy.

  15. Colliding winds from early-type stars in binary systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stevens, Ian R.; Blondin, John M.; Pollock, A. M. T.

    1992-01-01

    The dynamics of the wind and shock structure formed by the wind collision in early-type binary systems is examined by means of a 2D hydrodynamics code, which self-consistently accounts for radiative cooling, and represents a significant improvement over previous attempts to model these systems. The X-ray luminosity and spectra of the shock-heated region, accounting for wind attenuation and the influence of different abundances on the resultant level and spectra of X-ray emission are calculated. A variety of dynamical instabilities that are found to dominate the intershock region is examined. These instabilities are found to be particularly important when postshock material is able to cool. These instabilities disrupt the postshock flow and add a time variability of order 10 percent to the X-ray luminosity. The X-ray spectrum of these systems is found to vary with the nuclear abundances of winds. These theoretical models are used to study several massive binary systems, in particular V444 Cyg and HD 193793.

  16. On the frequency of close binary systems among very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maxted, P. F. L.; Jeffries, R. D.

    2005-09-01

    We have used Monte Carlo simulation techniques and published radial velocity surveys to constrain the frequency of very low-mass star (VLMS) and brown dwarf (BD) binary systems and their separation (a) distribution. Gaussian models for the separation distribution with a peak at a= 4au and 0.6 <=σlog(a/au)<= 1.0, correctly predict the number of observed binaries, yielding a close (a < 2.6au) binary frequency of 17-30 per cent and an overall VLMS/BD binary frequency of 32-45 per cent. We find that the available N-body models of VLMS/BD formation from dynamically decaying protostellar multiple systems are excluded at >99 per cent confidence because they predict too few close binary VLMS/BDs. The large number of close binaries and high overall binary frequency are also very inconsistent with recent smoothed particle hydrodynamical modelling and argue against a dynamical origin for VLMS/BDs.

  17. Cosmological variation of the MOND constant: Secular effects on galactic systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milgrom, Mordehai

    2015-02-01

    The proximity of the MOND acceleration constant with cosmological accelerations—for example, a0≈c H0/2 π —points to its possibly decreasing with cosmic time. I begin to consider the secular changes induced in galactic systems by such presumed variations, which are assumed to be adiabatic. It is important to understand these effects, in isolation from other evolutionary influences, in order to identify or constrain a0 variations by detection of induced effects, or lack thereof. I find that as long as the system is fully in the deep-MOND regime—as applies to many galactic systems—the adiabatic response of the system obeys simple scaling laws. For example, in a system that would be stationary for fixed a0, the system expands homologously as a0-1 /4, while internal velocities decrease uniformly as a01 /4. If a0∝c H at all relevant times, this change amounts to a factor of ˜2.5 since redshift 10. For rotating systems, the angular frequency Ω ∝a01 /2. The accelerations increase relative to a0 as a0-1 /4, pushing the system towards the Newtonian regime. All this follows from the appearance of a0 in MOND and the scale invariance of the deep-MOND limit—two basic tenets of MOND. More complicated evolution ensues when parts of the system become Newtonian, or are so from inception. For example, these parts may become unstable since they are not protected by MOND's stabilizing effects. The existence of such regions also modifies the MONDian regime since they affect the potential everywhere, and constituents might migrate between the Newtonian and MONDian regimes. Studying these last effects would require detailed numerical calculations.

  18. A comparative study using WHO and binary oral epithelial dysplasia grading systems in actinic cheilitis.

    PubMed

    Câmara, P R; Dutra, S N; Takahama Júnior, A; Fontes, Kbfc; Azevedo, R S

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate comparatively the influence of histopathological features on epithelial dysplasia (ED) and the effectiveness in usage of WHO and binary grading systems in actinic cheilitis (AC). Cytological and architectural alterations established by WHO for ED were evaluated in 107 cases of AC. Epithelial dysplasia was graded using WHO and binary systems. The comparisons were performed using kappa, chi-square, and phi coefficient tests (P < 0.05). Most cases were classified as mild ED (44.5%) in the WHO system and as low risk for malignant transformation (64.5%) in the binary system. There was a positive correlation between WHO and binary systems (k = 0.33; P < 0.0002). Loss of basal cell polarity (P < 0.001) was associated with severity of ED grade in the WHO system. Anisonucleosis (P < 0.0001), nuclear pleomorphism (P < 0.0001), anisocytosis (P = 0.03), cell pleomorphism (P = 0.002) increased nuclear/cytoplasm ratio (P < 0.0001), increased nuclear size (P < 0.0001), increased number of mitotic figures (P = 0.0006), and dyskeratosis (P = 0.008) were associated with severity of ED grade in the binary system. It seems that usage of binary ED grading system in AC may be more precise because there is correlation between many of cytological and some of architectural microscopic alterations with increased grade of ED. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. New variable stars discovered in the fields of three Galactic open clusters using the VVV survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palma, T.; Minniti, D.; Dékány, I.; Clariá, J. J.; Alonso-García, J.; Gramajo, L. V.; Ramírez Alegría, S.; Bonatto, C.

    2016-11-01

    This project is a massive near-infrared (NIR) search for variable stars in highly reddened and obscured open cluster (OC) fields projected on regions of the Galactic bulge and disk. The search is performed using photometric NIR data in the J-, H- and Ks- bands obtained from the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey. We performed in each cluster field a variability search using Stetson's variability statistics to select the variable candidates. Later, those candidates were subjected to a frequency analysis using the Generalized Lomb-Scargle and the Phase Dispersion Minimization algorithms. The number of independent observations range between 63 and 73. The newly discovered variables in this study, 157 in total in three different known OCs, are classified based on their light curve shapes, periods, amplitudes and their location in the corresponding color-magnitude (J -Ks ,Ks) and color-color (H -Ks , J - H) diagrams. We found 5 possible Cepheid stars which, based on the period-luminosity relation, are very likely type II Cepheids located behind the bulge. Among the newly discovered variables, there are eclipsing binaries, δ Scuti, as well as background RR Lyrae stars. Using the new version of the Wilson & Devinney code as well as the "Physics Of Eclipsing Binaries" (PHOEBE) code, we analyzed some of the best eclipsing binaries we discovered. Our results show that these studied systems turn out to be ranging from detached to double-contact binaries, with low eccentricities and high inclinations of approximately 80°. Their surface temperatures range between 3500 K and 8000 K.

  20. Orbital Evolution of Planetesimals by the Galactic Tide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higuchi, A.; Kokubo, E.; Mukai, T.

    2005-05-01

    The Oort cloud is a spherical comet reservoir surrounding the solar system. There is general agreement that the Oort cloud comets are the residual planetesimals of planet formation. The standard scenario of the Oort cloud formation consists of two dynamical stages: (1) giant planets raise the aphelia of planetesimals to the outer region of the solar system and (2) the galactic tide, passing stars, and giant molecular clouds pull up their perihelia out of the planetary region. Here we show the orbital evolution of planetesimals by the galactic tide. Planetesimals with large aphelion distances change their perihelion distances toward the outside of the planetary region by the galactic tide and become members of the Oort cloud. The effect of the galactic tide on the planetesimals with semimajor axes of ˜ 104AU is about 10-3 of the solar gravity. The timescale of the orbital evolution is ˜ 108 years. We consider only the vertical component of the galactic tide. Under the axisymmetric potential, some planetesimals may show the librations around ω (argument of perihelion)=π /2 and 3π /2 (the Kozai mechanism). The alternate increases of eccentricity and inclination of the Kozai mechanism are effective to form the Oort cloud. The secular perturbation theory demonstrates the Kozai mechanism and we can understand the motion of the planetesimals analytically. We apply the Kozai mechanism to the galactic tide and discuss the property of the Oort cloud formed by the Kozai mechanizm. This work was supported by the 21st Century COE Program Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan, and JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists.

  1. Wind accretion and formation of disk structures in symbiotic binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Val-Borro, M.; Karovska, M.; Sasselov, D. D.; Stone, J. M.

    2015-05-01

    We investigate gravitationally focused wind accretion in binary systems consisting of an evolved star with a gaseous envelope and a compact accreting companion. We study the mass accretion and formation of an accretion disk around the secondary caused by the strong wind from the primary late-type component using global 2D and 3D hydrodynamic numerical simulations. In particular, the dependence of the mass accretion rate on the mass loss rate, wind temperature and orbital parameters of the system is considered. For a typical slow and massive wind from an evolved star the mass transfer through a focused wind results in rapid infall onto the secondary. A stream flow is created between the stars with accretion rates of a 2--10% percent of the mass loss from the primary. This mechanism could be an important method for explaining periodic modulations in the accretion rates for a broad range of interacting binary systems and fueling of a large population of X-ray binary systems. We test the plausibility of these accretion flows indicated by the simulations by comparing with observations of the symbiotic variable system CH Cyg.

  2. Reevaluation of the Åkermanite-Gehlenite Binary System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mendybaev, R. A.; Richter, F. M.; Davis, A. M.

    2006-03-01

    Experiments were conducted to reevaluate 65+ years old data for the Åk-Ge binary system. The liquidus position from our experiments is consistent with the previous results, while the solidus is shifted by up to 20ºC to lower temperatures for gehlenitic compositions.

  3. Prospects for Observing Ultracompact Binaries with Space-Based Gravitational Wave Interferometers and Optical Telescopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Littenberg, T. B.; Larson, S. L.; Nelemans, G.; Cornish, N. J.

    2012-01-01

    Space-based gravitational wave interferometers are sensitive to the galactic population of ultracompact binaries. An important subset of the ultracompact binary population are those stars that can be individually resolved by both gravitational wave interferometers and electromagnetic telescopes. The aim of this paper is to quantify the multimessenger potential of space-based interferometers with arm-lengths between 1 and 5 Gm. The Fisher information matrix is used to estimate the number of binaries from a model of the Milky Way which are localized on the sky by the gravitational wave detector to within 1 and 10 deg(exp 2) and bright enough to be detected by a magnitude-limited survey.We find, depending on the choice ofGW detector characteristics, limiting magnitude and observing strategy, that up to several hundred gravitational wave sources could be detected in electromagnetic follow-up observations.

  4. Using Kepler K2 to Measure the Binary Fraction of PN Central Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacoby, George H.; Hillwig, Todd; De Marco, Orsola; Hurowitz, Jonathan; Jones, David; Kronberger, Matthias; Harmer, Dianne

    2018-01-01

    During the initial Kepler mission, 5 Planetary Nebula (PN) central stars were observed. The light curves for 4 of these central stars indicated a history of close binary interactions. That large fraction was suggestive that the actual fraction of PN harboring close binaries is much larger than the known lower limit of 20%, but that sample is far too small to be compelling. We have since acquired Kepler K2 data for Campaigns 0, 2, 7, and 11, hosting PN samples of 3, 4, 8, and 185 targets, respectively. We will provide an update on the number of binary candidates found in each field, and in particular, the Galactic Bulge field of Campaign 11. We also will discuss the challenges of working with Kepler observations in the crowded Campaign 11 field and the impact of those challenges on our ability to estimate the fraction of PN central stars that are binaries. This study was supported in part by NASA grants NNX17AE64G and NNX17AF80G.

  5. TESTING THE ASTEROSEISMIC SCALING RELATIONS FOR RED GIANTS WITH ECLIPSING BINARIES OBSERVED BY KEPLER

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gaulme, P.; McKeever, J.; Jackiewicz, J.

    2016-12-01

    Given the potential of ensemble asteroseismology for understanding fundamental properties of large numbers of stars, it is critical to determine the accuracy of the scaling relations on which these measurements are based. From several powerful validation techniques, all indications so far show that stellar radius estimates from the asteroseismic scaling relations are accurate to within a few percent. Eclipsing binary systems hosting at least one star with detectable solar-like oscillations constitute the ideal test objects for validating asteroseismic radius and mass inferences. By combining radial velocity (RV) measurements and photometric time series of eclipses, it is possible to determine themore » masses and radii of each component of a double-lined spectroscopic binary. We report the results of a four-year RV survey performed with the échelle spectrometer of the Astrophysical Research Consortium’s 3.5 m telescope and the APOGEE spectrometer at Apache Point Observatory. We compare the masses and radii of 10 red giants (RGs) obtained by combining radial velocities and eclipse photometry with the estimates from the asteroseismic scaling relations. We find that the asteroseismic scaling relations overestimate RG radii by about 5% on average and masses by about 15% for stars at various stages of RG evolution. Systematic overestimation of mass leads to underestimation of stellar age, which can have important implications for ensemble asteroseismology used for Galactic studies. As part of a second objective, where asteroseismology is used for understanding binary systems, we confirm that oscillations of RGs in close binaries can be suppressed enough to be undetectable, a hypothesis that was proposed in a previous work.« less

  6. The journey of Typhon-Echidna as a binary system through the planetary region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Araujo, R. A. N.; Galiazzo, M. A.; Winter, O. C.; Sfair, R.

    2018-06-01

    Among the current population of the 81 known trans-Neptunian binaries (TNBs), only two are in orbits that cross the orbit of Neptune. These are (42355) Typhon-Echidna and (65489) Ceto-Phorcys. In this work, we focused our analyses on the temporal evolution of the Typhon-Echidna binary system through the outer and inner planetary systems. Using numerical integrations of the N-body gravitational problem, we explored the orbital evolutions of 500 clones of Typhon, recording the close encounters of those clones with planets. We then analysed the effects of those encounters on the binary system. It was found that only {≈ }22 per cent of the encounters with the giant planets were strong enough to disrupt the binary. This binary system has an ≈ 3.6 per cent probability of reaching the terrestrial planetary region over a time-scale of approximately 5.4 Myr. Close encounters of Typhon-Echidna with Earth and Venus were also registered, but the probabilities of such events occurring are low ({≈}0.4 per cent). The orbital evolution of the system in the past was also investigated. It was found that in the last 100 Myr, Typhon might have spent most of its time as a TNB crossing the orbit of Neptune. Therefore, our study of the Typhon-Echidna orbital evolution illustrates the possibility of large cometary bodies (radii of 76 km for Typhon and 42 km for Echidna) coming from a remote region of the outer Solar system and that might enter the terrestrial planetary region preserving its binarity throughout the journey.

  7. The evolution of eccentricity in the eclipsing binary system AS Camelopardalis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozyreva, Valentina; Kusakin, Anatoly; Bogomazov, Alexey

    2018-01-01

    In 2002, 2004 and 2017 we conducted high precision CCD photometry observations of the eclipsing binary system AS Cam. By analysis of the light curves from1967 to 2017 (our data + data from the literature) we obtained photometric elements of the system and found a change in the system’s orbital eccentricity of Δe = 0.03±0.01. This change can indicate that there is a third companion in the system in a highly inclined orbit with respect to the orbital plane of the central binary, and its gravitational influence may cause the discrepancy between observed and theoretical apsidal motion rates of AS Cam.

  8. Photometric binary stars in Praesepe and the search for globular cluster binaries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bolte, Michael

    1991-01-01

    A radial velocity study of the stars which are located on a second sequence above the single-star zero-age main sequence at a given color in the color-magnitude diagram of the open cluster Praesepe, (NGC 2632) shows that 10, and possibly 11, of 17 are binary systems. Of the binary systems, five have full amplitudes for their velocity variations that are greater than 50 km/s. To the extent that they can be applied to globular clusters, these results suggests that (1) observations of 'second-sequence' stars in globular clusters would be an efficient way of finding main-sequence binary systems in globulars, and (2) current instrumentation on large telescopes is sufficient for establishing unambiguously the existence of main-sequence binary systems in nearby globular clusters.

  9. Galactic plane gamma-radiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartman, R. C.; Kniffen, D. A.; Thompson, D. J.; Fichtel, C. E.; Ogelman, H. B.; Tumer, T.; Ozel, M. E.

    1979-01-01

    Analysis of the SAS 2 data together with the COS B results shows that the distribution of galactic gamma-radiation has several similarities to that of other large-scale tracers of galactic structure. The radiation is primarily confined to a thin disc which exhibits offsets from b = 0 degrees similar to warping at radio frequencies. The principal distinction of the gamma-radiation is a stronger contrast in intensity between the region from 310 to 45 degrees in longitude and the regions away from the center that can be attributed to a variation in cosmic-ray density as a function of position in Galaxy. The diffuse galactic gamma-ray energy spectrum shows no significant variation in direction, and the spectrum seen along the plane is the same as that for the galactic component of the gamma-radiation at high altitudes. The uniformity of the galactic gamma-ray spectrum, the smooth decrease in intensity as a function of altitude, and the absence of any galactic gamma-ray sources at high altitudes indicate a diffuse origin for bulk of the galactic gamma-radiation rather than a collection of localized sources.

  10. Galactic Distribution of Planets from Spitzer Microlens Parallaxes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gould, Andrew; Carey, Sean; Yee, Jennifer

    2014-12-01

    We will measure the 'microlens parallaxes' of about 120 microlensing events that peak during Spitzer's 'bulge window' (2015 Jun 09 - Jul 19), by comparing simultaneous Spitzer and ground-based microlensing lightcurves, making use of Spitzer's location about 1 AU from Earth. These measurements will enable mass and distance measurements of about 4 microlensing planets. The ensemble of planet and non-planet distance measurements will yield the first probe of the Galactic distribution of planets Microlens planet mass measurements are very rare and have proved extremely interesting in every case. Microlensing identifies planets at and beyond the snowline, probing unique parameter space and providing vital information to constrain planet formation and migration theories. But the sample of ground-based microlens-parallax measurements is highly biased toward special systems. Spitzer would provide the first unbiased study. The same survey would provide a unique probe of brown dwarf binaries, and yield the first mass-based (not light-based) measurement of the stellar mass function (i.e., including dark objects such as black holes). A very successful 2014 'Pilot Program' demonstrates that this project is technically and scientifically viable. (As in the previous 'Pilot Program', we request zero day proprietary period.)

  11. White dwarfs in the building blocks of the Galactic spheroid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Oirschot, Pim; Nelemans, Gijs; Starkenburg, Else; Toonen, Silvia; Helmi, Amina; Zwart, Simon Portegies

    2017-11-01

    Aims: The Galactic halo likely grew over time in part by assembling smaller galaxies, the so-called building blocks (BBs). We investigate if the properties of these BBs are reflected in the halo white dwarf (WD) population in the solar neighbourhood. Furthermore, we compute the halo WD luminosity functions (WDLFs for four major BBs of five cosmologically motivated stellar haloes). We compare the sum of these to the observed WDLF of the Galactic halo, derived from selected halo WDs in the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey, aiming to investigate if they match better than the WDLFs predicted by simpler models. Methods: We couple the SeBa binary population synthesis model to the Munich-Groningen semi-analytic galaxy formation model applied to the high-resolution Aquarius dark matter simulations. Although the semi-analytic model assumes an instantaneous recycling approximation, we model the evolution of zero-age main sequence stars to WDs, taking age and metallicity variations of the population into account. To be consistent with the observed stellar halo mass density in the solar neighbourhood (ρ0), we simulate the mass in WDs corresponding to this density, assuming a Chabrier initial mass function (IMF) and a binary fraction of 50%. We also normalize our WDLFs to ρ0. Results: Although the majority of halo stars are old and metal-poor and therefore the WDs in the different BBs have similar properties (including present-day luminosity), we find in our models that the WDs originating from BBs that have young and/or metal-rich stars can be distinguished from WDs that were born in other BBs. In practice, however, it will be hard to prove that these WDs really originate from different BBs, as the variations in the halo WD population due to binary WD mergers result in similar effects. The five joined stellar halo WD populations that we modelled result in WDLFs that are very similar to each other. We find that simple models with a Kroupa or Salpeter IMF fit the observed luminosity

  12. 100y DASCH Search for historical outbursts of Black Hole Low Mass X-ray Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grindlay, Jonathan E.; Miller, George; Gomez, Sebastian

    2018-01-01

    Black Hole Low mass X-ray binaries (BH-LMXBs) are all transients, although several (e.g. GRS1915+109 and GX339-4) are quasi-persistent. All of the now 22 dynamically confirmed BH-LMXBs were discovered by their luminous outbursts, reaching Lx ~10^37 ergs/s, with outburst durations of typically ~1-3 months. These systems then (with few exceptions) return to a deep quiescent state, with Lx reduced by factors ~10^5-6 and hard X-ray spectra. The X-ray outbursts are accompanied by optical outbursts (if not absorbed by Galactic extinction) with ~6-9 magnitude increases and similar lightcurve shapes and durations as the X-ray (discovery) outburst. Prior to this work, only 3 BH-LMXBs have had historical (before the X-ray discovery) outbursts found in the archival data: A0620-00, the first BH-LMXB to be so identified, V404 Cyg (discoverd as "Nova Cyg" in 1938 and regarded as a classical nova), and V4641-Sgr which was given its variable star name when first noted in 1975. We report on the historical outbursts now discovered from the DASCH (Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard) data from scanning and digitizing the now ~210,000 glass plates in the northern Galactic Hemisphere. This was one of the primary motivations for the DASCH project: to use the detection (or lack threof) of historic outbursts to measure or constrain the Duty Cycle of the accreting black holes in these systems. This, in turn, allows the total population of BH-LMXBs to be estimated and compared with that for the very similar systems containing neutron stars as the accretor (NS-LMXBs). Whereas the ratio of BHs/NSs from stellar evolution and IMFs is expected to be <<1, the DASCH results on half the sky point to an excess of BH-LMXBs. This must constrain the formation process for these systems, of importance for understanding both BH formation and compact binary evolution.

  13. Adsorption of Cr(VI) on cerium immobilized cross-linked chitosan composite in single system and coexisted with Orange II in binary system.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Tianyi; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Lingfan; Gao, Jie; Zhang, Wenqing

    2017-10-01

    In this work, cerium immobilized cross-linked chitosan (CTS-Ce) composite, employed as an efficient adsorbent for Cr(VI) in single system and coexisted with Orange II (OII) in binary system, was prepared by co-precipitation method. The as-obtained adsorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDS and XPS before and after adsorption. The adsorption behaviors of Cr(VI) in single and binary system were systematically studied. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) on CTS-Ce (202.8mg/g) was calculated by Langmuir equation in single metal system, but it decreased to 112.9mg/g with initial concentration of 100mg/L OII in binary system at pH 2 and 293K. The adsorption data for Cr(VI) followed the Langmuir model in single system, while fitted Temkin model well in binary system. In both single and binary system, the kinetics of adsorption exhibited pseudo-second order behavior and adsorption capacity increased with increasing temperature. Moreover, the data of thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°<0, ΔH°>0) indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process. Besides, |ΔG Cr |>|ΔG Cr-OII | at the same temperature further suggested that Cr(VI) was adsorbed on the CTS-Ce composite faster in binary system than in single system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. The galactic reddening law - The evidence from uvby-beta photometry of B stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tobin, W.

    1985-01-01

    Values of interstellar reddening derived from uvby photometry of intermediate and high latitude B stars are used to test between the conflicting ideas of total galactic reddening expounded by Burstein and Heiles (1982) and de Vaucouleurs and Buta (1983). B stars are useful tracers of the galactic reddening because of their empirically and theoretically well-defined colours, and their large distances, but peculiar colours can result in an overestimate of the interstellar reddening, and Nicolet's (1982) B-star estimates of the polar reddening are too high because of this. Selection criteria are developed to exclude B stars with peculiar colours, and 72 selected B stars more than 250 pc from the galactic plane support the Burstein and Heiles zero-point of galactic reddening. The evidence of a few stars supports Burstein and Heiles' use of deep galaxy counts to provide a first-order correction for variations in the dust-to-gas ratio, but for corrections E (b - y) > 0.03 the accuracy may be less than their claimed 10%. However, the comparison of photometrically-derived values of interstellar reddening with values predicted by some model is inevitably partly subjective unless an extensive study is made of every individual star because otherwise any insufficiently red star can always plausibly be discounted as not outside all of the galactic dust, and any star that is too red can always plausibly be discounted as e.g. an undetected binary or emission-line star. The Burstein and Heiles maps are used to determine the intrinsic colours of some slightly-reddened B stars. B stars with projected rotational velocities of 250-300 km s-1 do not appear to be significantly redder than the Crawford (1978) standard relation.

  15. Spatial distribution of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars and implications for the global population

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosslowe, C. K.; Crowther, P. A.

    2015-03-01

    We construct revised near-infrared absolute magnitude calibrations for 126 Galactic Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars at known distances, based in part upon recent large-scale spectroscopic surveys. Application to 246 WR stars located in the field permits us to map their Galactic distribution. As anticipated, WR stars generally lie in the thin disc (˜40 pc half-width at half-maximum) between Galactocentric radii 3.5-10 kpc, in accordance with other star formation tracers. We highlight 12 WR stars located at vertical distances of ≥300 pc from the mid-plane. Analysis of the radial variation in WR subtypes exposes a ubiquitously higher NWC/NWN ratio than predicted by stellar evolutionary models accounting for stellar rotation. Models for non-rotating stars or accounting for close binary evolution are more consistent with observations. We consolidate information acquired about the known WR content of the Milky Way to build a simple model of the complete population. We derive observable quantities over a range of wavelengths, allowing us to estimate a total number of 1900 ± 250 Galactic WR stars, implying an average duration of ˜ 0.4 Myr for the WR phase at the current Milky Way star formation rate. Of relevance to future spectroscopic surveys, we use this model WR population to predict follow-up spectroscopy to KS ≃ 17.5 mag will be necessary to identify 95 per cent of Galactic WR stars. We anticipate that ESA's Gaia mission will make few additional WR star discoveries via low-resolution spectroscopy, though will significantly refine existing distance determinations. Appendix A provides a complete inventory of 322 Galactic WR stars discovered since the VIIth catalogue (313 including Annex), including a revised nomenclature scheme.

  16. Binary Model for the Heartbeat Star System KIC 4142768

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manuel, Joseph; Hambleton, Kelly

    2018-01-01

    Heartbeat stars are a class of eccentric (e > 0.2) binary systems that undergo strong tidal forces. These tidal forces cause the shape of each star and the temperature across the stellar surfaces to change. This effect also generates variations in the light curve in the form of tidally-induced pulsations, which are theorized to have a significant effect on the circularization of eccentric orbits (Zahn, 1975). Using the binary modeling software PHOEBE (Prša & Zwitter 2005) on the Kepler photometric data and Keck radial velocity data for the eclipsing, heartbeat star KIC 4142768, we have determined the fundamental parameters including masses and radii. The frequency analysis of the residual data has surprisingly revealed approximately 29 pulsations with 8 being Delta Scuti pulsations, 10 being Gamma Doradus pulsations, and 11 being tidally-induced pulsations. After subtracting an initial binary model from the original, detrended photometric data, we analyzed the pulsation frequencies in the residual data. We then were able to disentangle the identified pulsations from the original data in order to conduct subsequent binary modeling. We plan to continue this study by applying asteroseismology to KIC 4142768. Through our continued investigation, we hope to extract information about the star’s internal structure and expect this will yield additional, interesting results.

  17. Full Ionisation In Binary-Binary Encounters With Small Positive Energies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sweatman, W. L.

    2006-08-01

    Interactions between binary stars and single stars and binary stars and other binary stars play a key role in the dynamics of a dense stellar system. Energy can be transferred between the internal dynamics of a binary and the larger scale dynamics of the interacting objects. Binaries can be destroyed and created by the interaction. In a binary-binary encounter, full ionisation occurs when both of the binary stars are destroyed in the interaction to create four single stars. This is only possible when the total energy of the system is positive. For very small energies the probability of this occurring is very low and it tends towards zero as the total energy tends towards zero. Here the case is considered for which all the stars have equal masses. An asymptotic power law is predicted relating the probability of full ionisation with the total energy when this latter quantity is small. The exponent, which is approximately 2.31, is compared with the results from numerical scattering experiments. The theoretical approach taken is similar to one used previously in the three-body problem. It makes use of the fact that the most dramatic changes in scale and energies of a few-body system occur when its components pass near to a central configuration. The position, and number, of these configurations is not known for the general four-body problem, however, with equal masses there are known to be exactly five different cases. Separate consideration and comparison of the properties of orbits close to each of these five central configurations enables the prediction of the form of the cross-section for full ionisation for the case of small positive total energy. This is the relation between total energy and the probability of total ionisation described above.

  18. On the Progenitor of Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Afrough, M.; Agarwal, B.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Amato, A.; Ananyeva, A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Angelova, S. V.; Antier, S.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Atallah, D. V.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; AultONeal, K.; Austin, C.; Avila-Alvarez, A.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Bae, S.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Banagiri, S.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barkett, K.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Bawaj, M.; Bayley, J. C.; Bazzan, M.; Bécsy, B.; Beer, C.; Bejger, M.; Belahcene, I.; Bell, A. S.; Berger, B. K.; Bergmann, G.; Bero, J. J.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Billman, C. R.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Birnholtz, O.; Biscans, S.; Biscoveanu, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackman, J.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Bode, N.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bohe, A.; Bondu, F.; Bonilla, E.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bossie, K.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Broida, J. E.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. D.; Brunett, S.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cabero, M.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Canepa, M.; Canizares, P.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, H.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Carney, M. F.; Casanueva Diaz, J.; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Cerdá-Durán, P.; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chase, E.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chatterjee, D.; Cheeseboro, B. D.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H.-P.; Chia, H.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Chmiel, T.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, A. J. K.; Chua, S.; Chung, A. K. W.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Ciolfi, R.; Cirelli, C. E.; Cirone, A.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Clearwater, P.; Cleva, F.; Cocchieri, C.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Cohen, D.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L. R.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conti, L.; Cooper, S. J.; Corban, P.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cordero-Carrión, I.; Corley, K. R.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Covas, P. B.; Cowan, E. E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cullen, T. J.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Dálya, G.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dasgupta, A.; Da Silva Costa, C. F.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Davier, M.; Davis, D.; Daw, E. J.; Day, B.; De, S.; DeBra, D.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deléglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Demos, N.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; De Pietri, R.; Dergachev, V.; De Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; De Rossi, C.; DeSalvo, R.; de Varona, O.; Devenson, J.; Dhurandhar, S.; Díaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Renzo, F.; Doctor, Z.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Dorrington, I.; Douglas, R.; Dovale Álvarez, M.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Dreissigacker, C.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dupej, P.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H.-B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Eisenstein, R. A.; Essick, R. C.; Estevez, D.; Etienne, Z. B.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Fauchon-Jones, E. J.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fee, C.; Fehrmann, H.; Feicht, J.; Fejer, M. M.; Fernandez-Galiana, A.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Finstad, D.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fishbach, M.; Fisher, R. P.; Fitz-Axen, M.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fong, H.; Font, J. A.; Forsyth, P. W. F.; Forsyth, S. S.; Fournier, J.-D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fries, E. M.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H.; Gadre, B. U.; Gaebel, S. M.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Ganija, M. R.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garcia-Quiros, C.; Garufi, F.; Gateley, B.; Gaudio, S.; Gaur, G.; Gayathri, V.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, D.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghonge, S.; Ghosh, Abhirup; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glover, L.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gomes, S.; Goncharov, B.; Gonzalez Castro, J. M.; Gopakumar, A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Gretarsson, E. M.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Gruning, P.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Halim, O.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hamilton, E. Z.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hannuksela, O. A.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hinderer, T.; Hoak, D.; Hofman, D.; Holgado, A. M.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Horst, C.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hreibi, A.; Hu, Y. M.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Indik, N.; Inta, R.; Intini, G.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Junker, J.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kamai, B.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Kapadia, S. J.; Karki, S.; Karvinen, K. S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katolik, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kawabe, K.; Kéfélian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kemball, A. J.; Kennedy, R.; Kent, C.; Key, J. S.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J. C.; Kim, K.; Kim, W.; Kim, W. S.; Kim, Y.-M.; Kimball, C.; Kimbrell, S. J.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinley-Hanlon, M.; Kirchhoff, R.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Knowles, T. D.; Koch, P.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Krämer, C.; Kringel, V.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, S.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Kwang, S.; Lackey, B. D.; Lai, K. H.; Landry, M.; Lang, R. N.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lanza, R. K.; Larson, S. L.; Lartaux-Vollard, A.; Lasky, P. D.; Laxen, M.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, H. W.; Lee, K.; Lehmann, J.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Li, T. G. F.; Linker, S. D.; Littenberg, T. B.; Liu, J.; Lo, R. K. L.; Lockerbie, N. A.; London, L. T.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lousto, C. O.; Lovelace, G.; Lück, H.; Lumaca, D.; Lundgren, A. P.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; Macas, R.; Macfoy, S.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña Hernandez, I.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Magaña Zertuche, L.; Magee, R. M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markakis, C.; Markosyan, A. S.; Markowitz, A.; Maros, E.; Marquina, A.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Massera, E.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matas, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McCuller, L.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McNeill, L.; McRae, T.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Mehmet, M.; Meidam, J.; Mejuto-Villa, E.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, B. B.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Milovich-Goff, M. C.; Minazzoli, O.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moffa, D.; Moggi, A.; Mogushi, K.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Muñiz, E. A.; Muratore, M.; Murray, P. G.; Napier, K.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Neilson, J.; Nelemans, G.; Nelson, T. J. N.; Nery, M.; Neunzert, A.; Nevin, L.; Newport, J. M.; Newton, G.; Ng, K. K. Y.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nichols, D.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Noack, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; North, C.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; O'Dea, G. D.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Okada, M. A.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; Ormiston, R.; Ortega, L. F.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ossokine, S.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pace, A. E.; Page, J.; Page, M. A.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, Howard; Pan, Huang-Wei; Pang, B.; Pang, P. T. H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Parida, A.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patil, M.; Patricelli, B.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perez, C. J.; Perreca, A.; Perri, L. M.; Pfeiffer, H. P.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pirello, M.; Pitkin, M.; Poe, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Porter, E. K.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Pratt, J. W. W.; Pratten, G.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rajan, C.; Rajbhandari, B.; Rakhmanov, M.; Ramirez, K. E.; Ramos-Buades, A.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Read, J.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Ren, W.; Reyes, S. D.; Ricci, F.; Ricker, P. M.; Rieger, S.; Riles, K.; Rizzo, M.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, R.; Romel, C. L.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Ross, M. P.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Rutins, G.; Ryan, K.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Sakellariadou, M.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sampson, L. M.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sanchez, L. E.; Sanchis-Gual, N.; Sandberg, V.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Scheel, M.; Scheuer, J.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schönbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schulte, B. W.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwalbe, S. G.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Seidel, E.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaffer, T. J.; Shah, A. A.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shaner, M. B.; Shao, L.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, B.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, R. J. E.; Somala, S.; Son, E. J.; Sonnenberg, J. A.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Spencer, A. P.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staats, K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stevenson, S. P.; Stone, R.; Stops, D. J.; Strain, K. A.; Stratta, G.; Strigin, S. E.; Strunk, A.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sunil, S.; Suresh, J.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepańczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Tait, S. C.; Talbot, C.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tápai, M.; Taracchini, A.; Tasson, J. D.; Taylor, J. A.; Taylor, R.; Tewari, S. V.; Theeg, T.; Thies, F.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toland, K.; Tonelli, M.; Tornasi, Z.; Torres-Forné, A.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trinastic, J.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tsang, K. W.; Tse, M.; Tso, R.; Tsukada, L.; Tsuna, D.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ueno, K.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Varma, V.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Venugopalan, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Viets, A. D.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walet, R.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, J. Z.; Wang, W. H.; Wang, Y. F.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Watchi, J.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wessel, E. K.; Weßels, P.; Westerweck, J.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whiting, B. F.; Whittle, C.; Wilken, D.; Williams, D.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Woehler, J.; Wofford, J.; Wong, K. W. K.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, D. S.; Wysocki, D. M.; Xiao, S.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yang, L.; Yap, M. J.; Yazback, M.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M.; Zadrożny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zelenova, T.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.-H.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, S. J.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; (LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

    2017-12-01

    On 2017 August 17 the merger of two compact objects with masses consistent with two neutron stars was discovered through gravitational-wave (GW170817), gamma-ray (GRB 170817A), and optical (SSS17a/AT 2017gfo) observations. The optical source was associated with the early-type galaxy NGC 4993 at a distance of just ˜40 Mpc, consistent with the gravitational-wave measurement, and the merger was localized to be at a projected distance of ˜2 kpc away from the galaxy’s center. We use this minimal set of facts and the mass posteriors of the two neutron stars to derive the first constraints on the progenitor of GW170817 at the time of the second supernova (SN). We generate simulated progenitor populations and follow the three-dimensional kinematic evolution from binary neutron star (BNS) birth to the merger time, accounting for pre-SN galactic motion, for considerably different input distributions of the progenitor mass, pre-SN semimajor axis, and SN-kick velocity. Though not considerably tight, we find these constraints to be comparable to those for Galactic BNS progenitors. The derived constraints are very strongly influenced by the requirement of keeping the binary bound after the second SN and having the merger occur relatively close to the center of the galaxy. These constraints are insensitive to the galaxy’s star formation history, provided the stellar populations are older than 1 Gyr.

  19. Doubled-lined eclipsing binary system KIC~2306740 with pulsating component discovered from Kepler space photometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yakut, Kadri

    2015-08-01

    We present a detailed study of KIC 2306740, an eccentric double-lined eclipsing binary system with a pulsating component.Archive Kepler satellite data were combined with newly obtained spectroscopic data with 4.2\\,m William Herschel Telescope(WHT). This allowed us to determine rather precise orbital and physical parameters of this long period, slightly eccentric, pulsating binary system. Duplicity effects are extracted from the light curve in order to estimate pulsation frequencies from the residuals.We modelled the detached binary system assuming non-conservative evolution models with the Cambridge STARS(TWIN) code.

  20. Galactic bulge preferred over dark matter for the Galactic centre gamma-ray excess

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macias, Oscar; Gordon, Chris; Crocker, Roland M.; Coleman, Brendan; Paterson, Dylan; Horiuchi, Shunsaku; Pohl, Martin

    2018-05-01

    An anomalous gamma-ray excess emission has been found in the Fermi Large Area Telescope data1 covering the centre of the Galaxy2,3. Several theories have been proposed for this `Galactic centre excess'. They include self-annihilation of dark-matter particles4, an unresolved population of millisecond pulsars5, an unresolved population of young pulsars6, or a series of burst events7. Here, we report on an analysis that exploits hydrodynamical modelling to register the position of interstellar gas associated with diffuse Galactic gamma-ray emission. We find evidence that the Galactic centre excess gamma rays are statistically better described by the stellar over-density in the Galactic bulge and the nuclear stellar bulge, rather than a spherical excess. Given its non-spherical nature, we argue that the Galactic centre excess is not a dark-matter phenomenon but rather associated with the stellar population of the Galactic bulge and the nuclear bulge.

  1. Tidal breakup of quadruple stars in the Galactic Centre

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fragione, Giacomo

    2018-06-01

    The most likely origin of hypervelocity stars (HVSs) is the tidal disruption of a binary star by the supermassive black hole (MBH) in the Galactic Centre (GC). However, HE0437-5439, a 9 M_⊙ B-type main-sequence star moving with a heliocentric radial velocity of about 720 km s^{-1} at a distance of ˜ 60{ kpc}, and the recent discovered hypervelocity binary candidate (HVB), traveling at ˜ 570 km s^{-1}, challenge this standard scenario. Recently, Fragione & Gualandris (2018) have demonstrated that the tidal breakup of a triple star leads to an insufficient rate. Observations show that quadruple stars made up of two binaries orbiting their common center of mass (the so-called 2+2 quadruples) are ≈4% of the stars in the solar neighborhood. Although rarer than triples, 2+2 quadruple stars may have a role in ejecting HVBs as due to their larger energy reservoir. We present a numerical study of 2+2 quadruple disruptions by the MBH in the GC and find that the production of HVBs has a probability ≲ 2 - 4%, which translates into an ejection rate of ≲ 1{ Gyr}^{-1}, comparable to the triple disruption scenario. Given the low ejection rate, we suggest that alternative mechanisms are responsible for the origin of HVBs, as the ejection from the interaction of a young star cluster with the MBH in the GC and the origin in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

  2. Testing Models of Stellar Structure and Evolution I. Comparison with Detached Eclipsing Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    del Burgo, C.; Allende Prieto, C.

    2018-05-01

    We present the results of an analysis aimed at testing the accuracy and precision of the PARSEC v1.2S library of stellar evolution models, combined with a Bayesian approach, to infer stellar parameters. We mainly employ the online DEBCat catalogue by Southworth, a compilation of detached eclipsing binary systems with published measurements of masses and radii to ˜ 2 per cent precision. We select a sample of 318 binary components, with masses between 0.10 and 14.5 solar units, and distances between 1.3 pc and ˜ 8 kpc for Galactic objects and ˜ 44-68 kpc for the extragalactic ones. The Bayesian analysis applied takes on input effective temperature, radius, and [Fe/H], and their uncertainties, returning theoretical predictions for other stellar parameters. From the comparison with dynamical masses, we conclude inferred masses are precisely derived for stars on the main-sequence and in the core-helium-burning phase, with respective uncertainties of 4 per cent and 7 per cent, on average. Subgiants and red giants masses are predicted within 14 per cent, and early asymptotic giant branch stars within 24 per cent. These results are helpful to further improve the models, in particular for advanced evolutionary stages for which our understanding is limited. We obtain distances and ages for the binary systems and compare them, whenever possible, with precise literature estimates, finding excellent agreement. We discuss evolutionary effects and the challenges associated with the inference of stellar ages from evolutionary models. We also provide useful polynomial fittings to theoretical zero-age main-sequence relations.

  3. The formation of planetary systems during the evolution of close binary stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tutukov, A. V.

    1991-08-01

    Modern scenarios of the formation of planetary systems around single stars and products of merging close binaries are described. The frequencies of the realization of different scenarios in the Galaxy are estimated. It is concluded that the modern theory of the early stages of the evolution of single stars and the theory of the evolution of close binaries offer several possible versions for the origin of planetary systems, while the scenario dating back to Kant and Laplace remains the likeliest.

  4. On the Possibility of Habitable Trojan Planets in Binary Star Systems.

    PubMed

    Schwarz, Richard; Funk, Barbara; Bazsó, Ákos

    2015-12-01

    Approximately 60% of all stars in the solar neighbourhood (up to 80% in our Milky Way) are members of binary or multiple star systems. This fact led to the speculations that many more planets may exist in binary systems than are currently known. To estimate the habitability of exoplanetary systems, we have to define the so-called habitable zone (HZ). The HZ is defined as a region around a star where a planet would receive enough radiation to maintain liquid water on its surface and to be able to build a stable atmosphere. We search for new dynamical configurations-where planets may stay in stable orbits-to increase the probability to find a planet like the Earth.

  5. Evolution of Binary Supermassive Black Holes in Rotating Nuclei

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rasskazov, Alexander; Merritt, David

    The interaction of a binary supermassive black hole with stars in a galactic nucleus can result in changes to all the elements of the binary’s orbit, including the angles that define its orientation. If the nucleus is rotating, the orientation changes can be large, causing large changes in the binary’s orbital eccentricity as well. We present a general treatment of this problem based on the Fokker–Planck equation for f , defined as the probability distribution for the binary’s orbital elements. First- and second-order diffusion coefficients are derived for the orbital elements of the binary using numerical scattering experiments, and analyticmore » approximations are presented for some of these coefficients. Solutions of the Fokker–Planck equation are then derived under various assumptions about the initial rotational state of the nucleus and the binary hardening rate. We find that the evolution of the orbital elements can become qualitatively different when we introduce nuclear rotation: (1) the orientation of the binary’s orbit evolves toward alignment with the plane of rotation of the nucleus and (2) binary orbital eccentricity decreases for aligned binaries and increases for counteraligned ones. We find that the diffusive (random-walk) component of a binary’s evolution is small in nuclei with non-negligible rotation, and we derive the time-evolution equations for the semimajor axis, eccentricity, and inclination in that approximation. The aforementioned effects could influence gravitational wave production as well as the relative orientation of host galaxies and radio jets.« less

  6. Neutron-Star-Black-Hole Binaries Produced by Binary-Driven Hypernovae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fryer, Chris L.; Oliveira, F. G.; Rueda, J. A.; Ruffini, R.

    2015-12-01

    Binary-driven hypernovae (BdHNe) within the induced gravitational collapse paradigm have been introduced to explain energetic (Eiso≳1052 erg ), long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) associated with type Ic supernovae (SNe). The progenitor is a tight binary composed of a carbon-oxygen (CO) core and a neutron-star (NS) companion, a subclass of the newly proposed "ultrastripped" binaries. The CO-NS short-period orbit causes the NS to accrete appreciable matter from the SN ejecta when the CO core collapses, ultimately causing it to collapse to a black hole (BH) and producing a GRB. These tight binaries evolve through the SN explosion very differently than compact binaries studied in population synthesis calculations. First, the hypercritical accretion onto the NS companion alters both the mass and the momentum of the binary. Second, because the explosion time scale is on par with the orbital period, the mass ejection cannot be assumed to be instantaneous. This dramatically affects the post-SN fate of the binary. Finally, the bow shock created as the accreting NS plows through the SN ejecta transfers angular momentum, braking the orbit. These systems remain bound even if a large fraction of the binary mass is lost in the explosion (well above the canonical 50% limit), and even large kicks are unlikely to unbind the system. Indeed, BdHNe produce a new family of NS-BH binaries unaccounted for in current population synthesis analyses and, although they may be rare, the fact that nearly 100% remain bound implies that they may play an important role in the compact merger rate, important for gravitational waves that, in turn, can produce a new class of ultrashort GRBs.

  7. A and F stars as probes of outer Galactic disc kinematics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harris, A.; Drew, J. E.; Farnhill, H. J.; Monguió, M.; Gebran, M.; Wright, N. J.; Drake, J. J.; Sale, S. E.

    2018-04-01

    Previous studies of the rotation law in the outer Galactic disc have mainly used gas tracers or clump giants. Here, we explore A and F stars as alternatives: these provide a much denser sampling in the outer disc than gas tracers and have experienced significantly less velocity scattering than older clump giants. This first investigation confirms the suitability of A stars in this role. Our work is based on spectroscopy of ˜1300 photometrically selected stars in the red calcium-triplet region, chosen to mitigate against the effects of interstellar extinction. The stars are located in two low Galactic latitude sightlines, at longitudes ℓ = 118°, sampling strong Galactic rotation shear, and ℓ = 178°, near the anticentre. With the use of Markov Chain Monte Carlo parameter fitting, stellar parameters and radial velocities are measured, and distances computed. The obtained trend of radial velocity with distance is inconsistent with existing flat or slowly rising rotation laws from gas tracers (Brand & Blitz 1993; Reid et al. 2014). Instead, our results fit in with those obtained by Huang et al. (2016) from disc clump giants that favoured rising circular speeds. An alternative interpretation in terms of spiral arm perturbation is not straight forward. We assess the role that undetected binaries in the sample and distance error may have in introducing bias, and show that the former is a minor factor. The random errors in our trend of circular velocity are within ±5 km s-1.

  8. Dynamical Mass Segregation Versus Disruption of Binary Stars in Dense Stellar Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Grijs, Richard; Li, C.; Deng, L.

    2013-01-01

    Upon their formation, dynamically cool (collapsing) star clusters will, within only a few million years, achieve stellar mass segregation for stars down to a few solar masses due to gravitational two-body encounters. Since binary systems are, on average, more massive than single stars, one would expect them to also rapidly mass segregate dynamically. Contrary to these expectations and based on high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope observations, we show that the compact, 15-30 Myr-old Large Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 1818 is characterized by an increasing fraction of F-star binary systems (with combined masses of 1.3-1.6 solar masses) with increasing distance from the cluster center. This offers unprecedented support of the theoretically predicted but thus far unobserved dynamical disruption processes of the significant population of "soft" binary systems (with relatively low binding energies compared to the kinetic energy of their stellar members) in star clusters, which we could unravel by virtue of the cluster's unique combination of youth and high stellar density.

  9. Nonergodicity of microfine binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Son, L. D.; Sidorov, V. E.; Popel', P. S.; Shul'gin, D. B.

    2016-02-01

    The correction to the equation of state that is related to the nonergodicity of diffusion dynamics is discussed for a binary solid solution with a limited solubility. It is asserted that, apart from standard thermodynamic variables (temperature, volume, concentration), this correction should be taken into account in the form of the average local chemical potential fluctuations associated with microheterogeneity in order to plot a phase diagram. It is shown that a low value of this correction lowers the miscibility gap and that this gap splits when this correction increases. This situation is discussed for eutectic systems and Ga-Pb, Fe-Cu, and Cu-Zr alloys.

  10. OGLE-2016-BLG-1266: A Probable Brown Dwarf/Planet Binary at the Deuterium Fusion Limit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albrow, M. D.; Yee, J. C.; Udalski, A.; Calchi Novati, S.; Carey, S.; Henderson, C. B.; Beichman, C.; Bryden, G.; Gaudi, B. S.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Spitzer team; Szymański, M. K.; Mróz, P.; Skowron, J.; Poleski, R.; Soszyński, I.; Kozłowski, S.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M.; OGLE Collaboration; Chung, S.-J.; Gould, A.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Jung, Y. K.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Zhu, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; KMTNet Collaboration

    2018-05-01

    We report the discovery, via the microlensing method, of a new very low mass binary system. By combining measurements from Earth and from the Spitzer telescope in Earth-trailing orbit, we are able to measure the microlensing parallax of the event, and we find that the lens likely consists of a (12.0 ± 0.6)M J + (15.7 ± 1.5)M J super-Jupiter/brown dwarf pair. The binary is located at a distance of 3.08 ± 0.18 kpc in the Galactic plane, and the components have a projected separation of 0.43 ± 0.03 au. Two alternative solutions with much lower likelihoods are also discussed, an 8M J and 6M J model and a 90M J and 70M J model. If all photometric measurements were independent and Gaussian distributed with known variances, these alternative solutions would be formally disfavored at the 3σ and 5σ levels. We show how the more massive of these models could be tested with future direct imaging.

  11. The critical binary star separation for a planetary system origin of white dwarf pollution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veras, Dimitri; Xu, Siyi; Rebassa-Mansergas, Alberto

    2018-01-01

    The atmospheres of between one quarter and one half of observed single white dwarfs in the Milky Way contain heavy element pollution from planetary debris. The pollution observed in white dwarfs in binary star systems is, however, less clear, because companion star winds can generate a stream of matter which is accreted by the white dwarf. Here, we (i) discuss the necessity or lack thereof of a major planet in order to pollute a white dwarf with orbiting minor planets in both single and binary systems, and (ii) determine the critical binary separation beyond which the accretion source is from a planetary system. We hence obtain user-friendly functions relating this distance to the masses and radii of both stars, the companion wind, and the accretion rate on to the white dwarf, for a wide variety of published accretion prescriptions. We find that for the majority of white dwarfs in known binaries, if pollution is detected, then that pollution should originate from planetary material.

  12. Galactic fly-bys: New source of lithium production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prodanović, Tijana; Bogdanović, Tamara; Urošević, Dejan

    2013-05-01

    Observations of low-metallicity halo stars have revealed a puzzling result: the abundance of Li7 in these stars is at least three times lower than their predicted primordial abundance. It is unclear whether the cause of this disagreement is a lack of understanding of lithium destruction mechanisms in stars or the non-standard physics behind the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Uncertainties related to the destruction of lithium in stars can be circumvented if lithium abundance is measured in the “pristine” gas of the low metallicity systems. The first measurement in one such system, the small magellanic cloud (SMC), was found to be at the level of the pure expected primordial value, but is on the other hand, just barely consistent with the expected galactic abundance for the system at the SMC metallicity, where important lithium quantity was also produced in interactions of galactic cosmic rays and presents an addition to the already present primordial abundance. Because of the importance of the SMC lithium measurement for the resolution of the lithium problem, we here draw attention to the possibility of another post-BBN production channel of lithium, which could present an important addition to the observed SMC lithium abundance. Besides standard galactic cosmic rays, additional post-BBN production of lithium might come from cosmic rays accelerated in galaxy-galaxy interactions. This might be important for a system such is the SMC, which has experienced galaxy harassment in its history. Within a simplified but illustrative framework we demonstrate that large-scale tidal shocks from a few galactic fly-bys can possibly produce lithium in amounts comparable to those expected from the interactions of galactic cosmic-rays produced in supernovae over the entire history of a system. In case of the SMC, we find that only two such fly-bys could possibly account for as much lithium as the standard, galactic cosmic ray production channel. However, adding any a new

  13. GRB070610: A Curious Galactic Transient

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kasliwal, M. M.; Kulkrarni. S. R.; Cameron, P. B.; Nakar, E.; Ofek, E. O.; Rau, A.; Soderberg, A. M.; Campana, S.; Bloom, J. S.; Perley, D. A.; hide

    2007-01-01

    GRB 070610 is a typical high-energy event with a duration of 5s.Yet within the burst localization we detect a highly unusual X-ray and optical transient, SwiftJ195509.6+261406. We see high amplitude X-ray and optical variability on very short time scares even at late times. Using near-infrared imaging assisted by a laser guide star and adaptive optics, we identified the counterpart of SwiftJl95509.6+261406. Late-time optical and near-infrared imaging constrain the spectral type of the counterpart to be fainter than a K-dwarf assuming it is of Galactic origin. It is possible that GRB 070610 and Swift J195509.6+261406 are unrelated sources. However, the absence of a typical X-ray afterglow from GRB 070610 in conjunction with the spatial and temporal coincidence of the two motivate us to suggest that the sources are related. The closest (imperfect) analog to Swift J195509.6+261406 is V4641 Sgr, an unusual black hole binary. We suggest that Swift J195509.6+261406 along with V4641 Sgr define a sub-class of stellar black hole binaries -- the fast X-ray novae. We further suggest that fast X-ray novae are associated with bursts of gamma-rays. If so, GRB 070610 defines a new class of celestial gamma-ray bursts and these bursts dominate the long-duration GRB demographics

  14. Binary nanoparticle superlattices of soft-particle systems

    DOE PAGES

    Travesset, Alex

    2015-08-04

    The solid-phase diagram of binary systems consisting of particles of diameter σ A=σ and σ B=γσ (γ≤1) interacting with an inverse p = 12 power law is investigated as a paradigm of a soft potential. In addition to the diameter ratio γ that characterizes hard-sphere models, the phase diagram is a function of an additional parameter that controls the relative interaction strength between the different particle types. Phase diagrams are determined from extremes of thermodynamic functions by considering 15 candidate lattices. In general, it is shown that the phase diagram of a soft repulsive potential leads to the morphological diversitymore » observed in experiments with binary nanoparticles, thus providing a general framework to understand their phase diagrams. In addition, particular emphasis is shown to the two most successful crystallization strategies so far: evaporation of solvent from nanoparticles with grafted hydrocarbon ligands and DNA programmable self-assembly.« less

  15. Aspects of Supermassive Black Hole Growth in Nearby Active Galactic Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lena, Davide

    Super-massive black holes (SBHs) have long been identified as the engines of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and are now considered to play a key role in galaxy evolution. In this dissertation I present results from two observational studies conducted on nearby AGNs with the aim of furthering our understanding of SBH growth and their interplay with the host galaxies. The first study is an observational search for SBHs spatially offset from the center of their host galaxies. Such offsets can be considered signatures of gravitational recoil following the coalescence of an SBH binary system (formed in the aftermath of a galaxy merger) due to emission of gravitational waves. The study is based on a photometric analysis of fourteen nearby elliptical galaxies observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. I find that parsec-scale offsets are common. However, while these are individually consistent with residual gravitational recoil oscillations, there is a high probability that larger offsets than those actually observed should have been found in the sample as a whole. There are a number of possible explanations for this result: the galaxy merger rate may be lower than current estimates; SBH-binaries may reach the merger stage with a configuration which minimizes recoil velocities; or the SBH oscillations are more quickly damped than predicted. In the second study I use integral field spectroscopy obtained with the Gemini South telescope to investigate the kinematics of the circum-nuclear ionized gas in two active galaxies: NGC 1386, a Seyfert 2, and NGC 1365, a Seyfert 1. The goal of the study is to investigate outflows in low-luminosity AGNs, and the mechanisms channeling gas (the SBH fuel) from the inner kiloparsec down to a few tens of parsecs from the SBH. I find that the dominant kinematic components can be explained as a combination of rotation in the large-scale galactic disk and compact outflows along the axis of the AGN "radiation cone". However, in the case of NGC

  16. Galactic Winds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veilleux, Sylvain

    Galactic winds have become arguably one of the hottest topics in extragalactic astronomy. This enthusiasm for galactic winds is due in part to the detection of winds in many, if not most, high-redshift galaxies. Galactic winds have also been invoked by theorists to (1) suppress the number of visible dwarf galaxies and avoid the "cooling catastrophe" at high redshift that results in the overproduction of massive luminous galaxies, (2) remove material with low specific angular momentum early on and help enlarge gas disks in CDM + baryons simulations, (3) reduce the dark mass concentrations in galaxies, (4) explain the mass-metallicity relation of galaxies from selective loss of metal-enriched gas from smaller galaxies, (5) enrich and "preheat" the ICM, (6) enrich the IGM without disturbing the Lyαforest significantly, and (7) inhibit cooling flows in galaxy clusters with active cD galaxies. The present paper highlights a few key aspects of galactic winds taken from a recent ARAA review by Veilleux, Cecil, &Bland-Hawthorn (2005; herafter VCBH). Readers interested in a more detailed discussion of this topic are encouraged to refer to the original ARAA article.

  17. Galactic-scale civilization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuiper, T. B. H.

    1980-01-01

    Evolutionary arguments are presented in favor of the existence of civilization on a galactic scale. Patterns of physical, chemical, biological, social and cultural evolution leading to increasing levels of complexity are pointed out and explained thermodynamically in terms of the maximization of free energy dissipation in the environment of the organized system. The possibility of the evolution of a global and then a galactic human civilization is considered, and probabilities that the galaxy is presently in its colonization state and that life could have evolved to its present state on earth are discussed. Fermi's paradox of the absence of extraterrestrials in light of the probability of their existence is noted, and a variety of possible explanations is indicated. Finally, it is argued that although mankind may be the first occurrence of intelligence in the galaxy, it is unjustified to presume that this is so.

  18. Social stars: Modeling the interactive lives of stars in dense clusters and binary systems in the era of time domain astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacLeod, Morgan Elowe

    This thesis uses computational modeling to study of phases of dramatic interaction that intersperse stellar lifetimes. In galactic centers stars trace dangerously wandering orbits dictated by the combined gravitational force of a central, supermassive black hole and all of the surrounding stars. In binary systems, stars' evolution -- which causes their radii to increase substantially -- can bring initially non-interacting systems into contact. Moments of strong stellar interaction transform stars, their subsequent evolution, and the stellar environments they inhabit. In tidal disruption events, a star is partially or completely destroyed as tidal forces from a supermassive black hole overwhelm the star's self gravity. A portion of the stellar debris falls back to the black hole powering a luminous flare as it accretes. This thesis studies the relative event rates and properties of tidal disruption events for stars across the stellar evolutionary spectrum. Tidal disruptions of giant stars occur with high specific frequency; these objects' extended envelopes make them vulnerable to disruption. More-compact white dwarf stars are tidally disrupted relatively rarely. Their transients are also of very different duration and luminosity. Giant star disruptions power accretion flares with timescales of tens to hundreds of years; white dwarf disruption flares take hours to days. White dwarf tidal interactions can additionally trigger thermonuclear burning and lead to transients with signatures similar to type I supernovae. In binary star systems, a phase of hydrodynamic interaction called a common envelope episode occurs when one star evolves to swallow its companion. Dragged by the surrounding gas, the companion star spirals through the envelope to tighter orbits. This thesis studies accretion and flow morphologies during this phase. Density gradients across the gravitationally-focussed material lead to a strong angular momentum barrier to accretion during common envelope

  19. What and Whence 1I/`Oumuamua: A Contact Binary from the Debris of a Young Planetary System?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaidos, E.

    2018-04-01

    The first confirmed interstellar interloper in our Solar System, 1I/`Oumuamua, is likely to be a minor body ejected from another star, but its brief flyby and faintness made it difficult to study. Two remarkable properties are its large (up to 2.5 mag) rotational variability and its motion relative to the Sun before encounter. The former suggests an extremely elongated shape (aspect ratio ≥10) and the latter an origin from the protoplanetary disk of a young star in a nearby association. Against expectations, it is also not comet-like. 1I/`Oumuamua's variability can also be explained if it is a contact binary composed of near-equilibrium ellipsoidal components and heterogeneous surfaces, i.e. brighter, dust-mantled inner-facing hemispheres and darker, dust-free outer-facing poles. Such shapes are a plausible outcome of radiation, tides and collisions in systems where planets are clearing planetesimal disks. The probability that 1I/'Oumuamua has the same motion as a young (≲ 100 Myr) stellar association by coincidence is <1%. If it is young, its detection vs. more numerous, older counterparts could be explained as a selection effect due to darkening of surfaces by Galactic cosmic rays and loss of dust. 1I/`Oumuamua's apparent lack of ices can be explained if ejected rocky planetesimals are characteristically smaller and thus far more numerous than their icy counterparts: the Solar System may currently host several such objects captured by the combined gravity of Jupiter and the Sun.

  20. Searching Planets Around Some Selected Eclipsing Close Binary Stars Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nasiroglu, Ilham; Slowikowska, Agnieszka; Krzeszowski, Krzysztof; Zejmo, M. Michal; Er, Hüseyin; Goździewski, Krzysztof; Zola, Stanislaw; Koziel-Wierzbowska, Dorota; Debski, Bartholomew; Ogloza, Waldemar; Drozdz, Marek

    2016-07-01

    We present updated O-C diagrams of selected short period eclipsing binaries observed since 2009 with the T100 Telescope at the TUBITAK National Observatory (Antalya, Turkey), the T60 Telescope at the Adiyaman University Observatory (Adiyaman, Turkey), the 60cm at the Mt. Suhora Observatory of the Pedagogical University (Poland) and the 50cm Cassegrain telescope at the Fort Skala Astronomical Observatory of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. All four telescopes are equipped with sensitive, back-illuminated CCD cameras and sets of wide band filters. One of the targets in our sample is a post-common envelope eclipsing binary NSVS 14256825. We collected more than 50 new eclipses for this system that together with the literature data gives more than 120 eclipse timings over the time span of 8.5 years. The obtained O-C diagram shows quasi-periodic variations that can be well explained by the existence of the third body on Jupiter-like orbit. We also present new results indicating a possible light time travel effect inferred from the O-C diagrams of two other binary systems: HU Aqr and V470 Cam.

  1. A Search for Binary Systems among the Nearest L Dwarfs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reid, I. Neill; Lewitus, E.; Allen, P. R.; Cruz, Kelle L.; Burgasser, Adam J.

    2006-08-01

    We have used the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer NIC1 camera on the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain high angular resolution images of 52 ultracool dwarfs in the immediate solar neighborhood. Nine systems are resolved as binary, with component separations from 1.5 to 15 AU. Based on current theoretical models and empirical bolometric corrections, all systems have components with similar luminosities and, consequently, high mass ratios, q>0.8. Limiting analysis to L dwarfs within 20 pc, the observed binary fraction is 12%+7-3. Applying Bayesian analysis to our data set, we derive a mass-ratio distribution that peaks strongly at unity. Modeling the semimajor axis distribution as a logarithmic Gaussian, the best fit is centered at loga0=0.8 AU (~6.3 AU), with a (logarithmic) width of +/-0.3. The current data are consistent with an overall binary frequency of ~24%. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.

  2. Supernovae in Binary Systems: An Application of Classical Mechanics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitalas, R.

    1980-01-01

    Presents the supernova explosion in a binary system as an application of classical mechanics. This presentation is intended to illustrate the power of the equivalent one-body problem and provide undergraduate students with a variety of insights into elementary classical mechanics. (HM)

  3. Gravitational radiation from binary systems in alternative metric theories of gravity - Dipole radiation and the binary pulsar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Will, C. M.

    1977-01-01

    The generation of gravitational radiation in several currently viable metric theories of gravitation (Brans-Dicke, Rosen, Ni, and Lightman-Lee) is analyzed, and it is shown that these theories predict the emission of dipole gravitational radiation from systems containing gravitationally bound objects. In the binary system PSR 1913 + 16, this radiation results in a secular change in the orbital period of the system with a nominal magnitude of 3 parts in 100,000 per year. The size of the effect is proportional to the reduced mass of the system, to the square of the difference in (self-gravitational energy)/(mass) between the two components of the system, and to a parameter, xi, whose value varies from theory to theory. In general relativity xi equals 0, in Rosen's (1973) theory xi equals -20/3, and in Ni's (1973) theory xi equals -400/3. The current upper limit on such a secular period change is one part in 1 million per year. It is shown that further observations of the binary system that tighten this limit and that establish the masses of the components and the identity of the companion may provide a crucial test of otherwise viable alternatives to general relativity.

  4. The High Time Resolution Universe Pulsar Survey - XII. Galactic plane acceleration search and the discovery of 60 pulsars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ng, C.; Champion, D. J.; Bailes, M.; Barr, E. D.; Bates, S. D.; Bhat, N. D. R.; Burgay, M.; Burke-Spolaor, S.; Flynn, C. M. L.; Jameson, A.; Johnston, S.; Keith, M. J.; Kramer, M.; Levin, L.; Petroff, E.; Possenti, A.; Stappers, B. W.; van Straten, W.; Tiburzi, C.; Eatough, R. P.; Lyne, A. G.

    2015-07-01

    We present initial results from the low-latitude Galactic plane region of the High Time Resolution Universe pulsar survey conducted at the Parkes 64-m radio telescope. We discuss the computational challenges arising from the processing of the terabyte-sized survey data. Two new radio interference mitigation techniques are introduced, as well as a partially coherent segmented acceleration search algorithm which aims to increase our chances of discovering highly relativistic short-orbit binary systems, covering a parameter space including potential pulsar-black hole binaries. We show that under a constant acceleration approximation, a ratio of data length over orbital period of ≈0.1 results in the highest effectiveness for this search algorithm. From the 50 per cent of data processed thus far, we have redetected 435 previously known pulsars and discovered a further 60 pulsars, two of which are fast-spinning pulsars with periods less than 30 ms. PSR J1101-6424 is a millisecond pulsar whose heavy white dwarf (WD) companion and short spin period of 5.1 ms indicate a rare example of full-recycling via Case A Roche lobe overflow. PSR J1757-27 appears to be an isolated recycled pulsar with a relatively long spin period of 17 ms. In addition, PSR J1244-6359 is a mildly recycled binary system with a heavy WD companion, PSR J1755-25 has a significant orbital eccentricity of 0.09 and PSR J1759-24 is likely to be a long-orbit eclipsing binary with orbital period of the order of tens of years. Comparison of our newly discovered pulsar sample to the known population suggests that they belong to an older population. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our current pulsar detection yield is as expected from population synthesis.

  5. Probing the Galactic Binary Black Hole Spin with Photon Timing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kazanas, Demos

    2007-01-01

    It is generally considered that the X-ray emission in AGN and Galactic Black Hole Candidates is produced by flares above the surface of a geometrically thin optically thick accretion disk, which extends down to the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO) of the black hole. We consider the influence of the black hole geometry on the light curves of these flares. To this end we follow a large number of photon orbits emitted impulsively in a locally isotropic fashion, at any phase of the disk orbit and examine their arrival times at infinity by an observer near the plane of the disk. We find out that the presence of the black hole spin induces a certain delay in the photon arrivals, as prograde photon orbits reach the observer on shorter (on the average) times than the retrograde ones. We form a histogram of the differences in photon time arrivals and we find that it exhibits several well defined peaks depending on the flare position and the black hole spin separated by $\\Delta t\\slmeq 30 M$, where M is the black hole mass. The peaks disappear as the spin parameter goes to zero, implying that one could in principle measure the value of the black hole spin with timing measurements of sufficiently high signal to noise ratio.

  6. Probing the Galactic Binary Black Hole Spin with Photon Timing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kazanas, Demosthenes

    2007-01-01

    It is generally considered that the X-ray emission in AGN and Galactic Black Hole Candidates is produced by flares above the surface of a geometrically thin optically thick accretion disk, which extends down to the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO) of the black hole. We consider the influence of the black hole geometry on the light curves of these flares. To this end we follow a large number of photon orbits emitted impulsively in a locally isotropic fashion, at any phase of the disk orbit and examine their arrival times at infinity by an observer near the plane of the disk. We find out that the presence of the black hole spin induces a certain delay in the photon arrivals, as prograde photon orbits reach the observer on shorter (on the average) times than the retrograde ones. We form a histogram of the differences in photon time arrivals and we find that it exhibits several well defined peaks depending on the flare position and the black hole spin separated by $\\Delta t \\simeq 30 M$, where M is the black hole mass. The peaks disappear as the spin parameter goes to zero, implying that one could in principle measure the value of the black hole spin with timing measurements of sufficiently high signal to noise ratio.

  7. Neutron-star–black-hole binaries produced by binary-driven hypernovae

    DOE PAGES

    Fryer, Chris L.; Oliveira, F. G.; Rueda, Jorge A.; ...

    2015-12-04

    Here, binary-driven hypernovae (BdHNe) within the induced gravitational collapse paradigm have been introduced to explain energetic (E iso ≳10 52 erg), long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) associated with type Ic supernovae (SNe). The progenitor is a tight binary composed of a carbon-oxygen (CO) core and a neutron-star (NS) companion, a subclass of the newly proposed “ultrastripped” binaries. The CO-NS short-period orbit causes the NS to accrete appreciable matter from the SN ejecta when the CO core collapses, ultimately causing it to collapse to a black hole (BH) and producing a GRB. These tight binaries evolve through the SN explosion very differentlymore » than compact binaries studied in population synthesis calculations. First, the hypercritical accretion onto the NS companion alters both the mass and the momentum of the binary. Second, because the explosion time scale is on par with the orbital period, the mass ejection cannot be assumed to be instantaneous. This dramatically affects the post-SN fate of the binary. Finally, the bow shock created as the accreting NS plows through the SN ejecta transfers angular momentum, braking the orbit. These systems remain bound even if a large fraction of the binary mass is lost in the explosion (well above the canonical 50% limit), and even large kicks are unlikely to unbind the system. Indeed, BdHNe produce a new family of NS-BH binaries unaccounted for in current population synthesis analyses and, although they may be rare, the fact that nearly 100% remain bound implies that they may play an important role in the compact merger rate, important for gravitational waves that, in turn, can produce a new class of ultrashort GRBs.« less

  8. Neutron-Star-Black-Hole Binaries Produced by Binary-Driven Hypernovae.

    PubMed

    Fryer, Chris L; Oliveira, F G; Rueda, J A; Ruffini, R

    2015-12-04

    Binary-driven hypernovae (BdHNe) within the induced gravitational collapse paradigm have been introduced to explain energetic (E_{iso}≳10^{52}  erg), long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) associated with type Ic supernovae (SNe). The progenitor is a tight binary composed of a carbon-oxygen (CO) core and a neutron-star (NS) companion, a subclass of the newly proposed "ultrastripped" binaries. The CO-NS short-period orbit causes the NS to accrete appreciable matter from the SN ejecta when the CO core collapses, ultimately causing it to collapse to a black hole (BH) and producing a GRB. These tight binaries evolve through the SN explosion very differently than compact binaries studied in population synthesis calculations. First, the hypercritical accretion onto the NS companion alters both the mass and the momentum of the binary. Second, because the explosion time scale is on par with the orbital period, the mass ejection cannot be assumed to be instantaneous. This dramatically affects the post-SN fate of the binary. Finally, the bow shock created as the accreting NS plows through the SN ejecta transfers angular momentum, braking the orbit. These systems remain bound even if a large fraction of the binary mass is lost in the explosion (well above the canonical 50% limit), and even large kicks are unlikely to unbind the system. Indeed, BdHNe produce a new family of NS-BH binaries unaccounted for in current population synthesis analyses and, although they may be rare, the fact that nearly 100% remain bound implies that they may play an important role in the compact merger rate, important for gravitational waves that, in turn, can produce a new class of ultrashort GRBs.

  9. A massive binary black-hole system in OJ 287 and a test of general relativity.

    PubMed

    Valtonen, M J; Lehto, H J; Nilsson, K; Heidt, J; Takalo, L O; Sillanpää, A; Villforth, C; Kidger, M; Poyner, G; Pursimo, T; Zola, S; Wu, J-H; Zhou, X; Sadakane, K; Drozdz, M; Koziel, D; Marchev, D; Ogloza, W; Porowski, C; Siwak, M; Stachowski, G; Winiarski, M; Hentunen, V-P; Nissinen, M; Liakos, A; Dogru, S

    2008-04-17

    Tests of Einstein's general theory of relativity have mostly been carried out in weak gravitational fields where the space-time curvature effects are first-order deviations from Newton's theory. Binary pulsars provide a means of probing the strong gravitational field around a neutron star, but strong-field effects may be best tested in systems containing black holes. Here we report such a test in a close binary system of two candidate black holes in the quasar OJ 287. This quasar shows quasi-periodic optical outbursts at 12-year intervals, with two outburst peaks per interval. The latest outburst occurred in September 2007, within a day of the time predicted by the binary black-hole model and general relativity. The observations confirm the binary nature of the system and also provide evidence for the loss of orbital energy in agreement (within 10 per cent) with the emission of gravitational waves from the system. In the absence of gravitational wave emission the outburst would have happened 20 days later.

  10. The Galactic Magnetic Field and its lensing of Ultrahigh Energy and Galactic Cosmic Rays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farrar, Glennys

    2015-08-01

    It has long been recognized that magnetic fields play an important role in many astrophysical environments, but the magnetic field strength and structure has only been quantitatively determined for relatively few systems beyond our solar system.Our understanding of the Galactic magnetic field (GMF) has improved tremendously in recent years. The Jansson-Farrar (2012) (JF12) GMF model is the most realistic and comprehensive model available. It was constrained by fitting all-sky Faraday Rotation Measures of ~40k extragalactic sources, simultaneously with WMAP polarized (Q,U) and total synchrotron emission maps - together providing a total of more than 10,000 independent datapoints, each with measured astrophysical variance. In addition to disk and toroidal halo components, a previously overlooked coherent poloidal halo field proves to be necessary to account for the RM, Q and U data. Moreover a “striated” random component is needed in addition to a fully random component, in both disk and halo.The talk will give a concise review of the JF12 model and its derivation, with emphasis on which features of the GMF are well or poorly established. I will show that the data unambiguously demand a large scale coherent component to the halo field which is a diverging-spiral centered on the Galactic center, with field lines running from Southern to Northern hemispheres. The puzzles posed by the large scale coherent halo and disk magnetic fields, and their possible origins, will be discussed.Having a good model of the Galactic magnetic field is crucial for determining the sources of UHECRs, for modeling the transport of Galactic CRs (the halo field provides a heretofore-overlooked escape route for by diffusion along its field lines), and for calculating the background to dark matter and CMB-cosmology studies. I will present new results on the lensing effect of the GMF on UHECRs, which produces multiple images and dramatic magnification and demagnification that varies with

  11. A Discovery of a Compact High Velocity Cloud-Galactic Supershell System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Geumsook; Koo, Bon-Chul; Kang, Ji-hyun; Gibson, Steven J.; Peek, Joshua Eli Goldston; Douglas, Kevin A.; Korpela, Eric J.; Heiles, Carl E.

    2017-01-01

    High velocity clouds (HVCs) are neutral hydrogen (HI) gas clouds having very different radial velocities from those of the Galactic disk material. While some large HVC complexes are known to be gas streams tidally stripped from satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, there are relatively isolated and small angular-sized HVCs, so called “compact HVCs (CHVCs)”, the origin of which remains controversial. There are about 300 known CHVCs in the Milky Way, and many of them show a head-tail structure, implying a ram pressure interaction with the diffuse Galactic halo gas. It is, however, not clear whether CHVCs are completely dissipated in the Galactic halo to feed the multi-phase circumgalactic medium or they can survive their trip through the halo and collide with the Galactic disk. The colliding CHVCs may leave a gigantic trail in the disk, and it had been suggested that some of HI supershells that require ≧ 3 x 1052 erg may be produced by the collision of such HVCs.Here we report the detection of a kiloparsec (kpc)-size supershell in the outskirts of the Milky Way with the compact HVC 040+01-282 (hereafter, CHVC040) at its geometrical center using the “Inner-Galaxy Arecibo L-band Feed Array” HI 21 cm survey data. The morphological and physical properties of both objects suggest that CHVC040, which is either a fragment of a nearby disrupted galaxy or a cloud that originated from an intergalactic accreting flow, collided with the disk ˜5 Myr ago to form the supershell. Our results show that some compact HVCs can survive their trip through the Galactic halo and inject energy and momentum into the Milky Way disk.

  12. Formation and Evolution of X-ray Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shao, Y.

    2017-07-01

    X-ray binaries are a class of binary systems, in which the accretor is a compact star (i.e., black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf). They are one of the most important objects in the universe, which can be used to study not only binary evolution but also accretion disks and compact stars. Statistical investigations of these binaries help to understand the formation and evolution of galaxies, and sometimes provide useful constraints on the cosmological models. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the formation and evolution processes of X-ray binaries including Be/X-ray binaries, low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), and cataclysmic variables. In Chapter 1 we give a brief review on the basic knowledge of the binary evolution. In Chapter 2 we discuss the formation of Be stars through binary interaction. In this chapter we investigate the formation of Be stars resulting from mass transfer in binaries in the Galaxy. Using binary evolution and population synthesis calculations, we find that in Be/neutron star binaries the Be stars have a lower limit of mass ˜ 8 M⊙ if they are formed by a stable (i.e., without the occurrence of common envelope evolution) and nonconservative mass transfer. We demonstrate that the isolated Be stars may originate from both mergers of two main-sequence stars and disrupted Be binaries during the supernova explosions of the primary stars, but mergers seem to play a much more important role. Finally the fraction of Be stars produced by binary interactions in all B type stars can be as high as ˜ 13%-30% , implying that most of Be stars may result from binary interaction. In Chapter 3 we show the evolution of intermediate- and low-mass X-ray binaries (I/LMXBs) and the formation of millisecond pulsars. Comparing the calculated results with the observations of binary radio pulsars, we report the following results: (1) The allowed parameter space for forming binary pulsars in the initial orbital period

  13. The onset of galactic winds in early-type galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, Christine

    1992-01-01

    We completed the spectral analysis of 31 early-type galaxies to investigate whether their x-ray emission was predominantly due to thermal bremsstrahlung from a hot gaseous corona or emission from discrete, galactic sources such as x-ray binaries. If a corona dominates the x-ray emission, its spectra is expected to be relatively cool (0.5 - 1 keV) compared to the harder emission associated with x-ray binaries in our galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds and M31. While it is generally accepted that the x-ray emission in luminous E and S0 galaxies arises from hot coronae, the status of hot gas in lower luminosity (and hence lower mass) galaxies is less clear. Calculations show that, for a given supernova rate, a critical galaxy luminosity (mass) exists below which the gas cannot be gravitationally confined and a galactic wind is predicted to be effective in expelling gas from the galaxy. Since significant mass (a dark halo) is required to hold a hot, gaseous corona around a galaxy, we expect that the faintest, smallest galaxies will not have a hot corona, but their x-ray emission will be dominated by galactic sources or by an active galactic nuclei. In the sample we tested which spanned the absolute magnitude range from -21.5 to -19.5, we found that except for two galaxies whose x-ray emission was dominated by an active nucleus, that the others were consistent with emission from hot gas. We also found that there is a correlation between gas temperature and galaxy magnitude (mass), such that the brighter, more luminous galaxies have hotter gas temperatures. Thus even at relatively faint magnitudes, the dominant emission from early-type galaxies appears to be hot gas. We also carried out an investigation of the x-ray surface brightness distribution of the x-ray emission for about 100 early type galaxies to determine whether the x-ray emission from galaxies are extended. Extended x-ray emission is expected if the emission is due to a hot gaseous corona. We determined the ratio

  14. Gaia eclipsing binary and multiple systems. Supervised classification and self-organizing maps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Süveges, M.; Barblan, F.; Lecoeur-Taïbi, I.; Prša, A.; Holl, B.; Eyer, L.; Kochoska, A.; Mowlavi, N.; Rimoldini, L.

    2017-07-01

    Context. Large surveys producing tera- and petabyte-scale databases require machine-learning and knowledge discovery methods to deal with the overwhelming quantity of data and the difficulties of extracting concise, meaningful information with reliable assessment of its uncertainty. This study investigates the potential of a few machine-learning methods for the automated analysis of eclipsing binaries in the data of such surveys. Aims: We aim to aid the extraction of samples of eclipsing binaries from such databases and to provide basic information about the objects. We intend to estimate class labels according to two different, well-known classification systems, one based on the light curve morphology (EA/EB/EW classes) and the other based on the physical characteristics of the binary system (system morphology classes; detached through overcontact systems). Furthermore, we explore low-dimensional surfaces along which the light curves of eclipsing binaries are concentrated, and consider their use in the characterization of the binary systems and in the exploration of biases of the full unknown Gaia data with respect to the training sets. Methods: We have explored the performance of principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), Random Forest classification and self-organizing maps (SOM) for the above aims. We pre-processed the photometric time series by combining a double Gaussian profile fit and a constrained smoothing spline, in order to de-noise and interpolate the observed light curves. We achieved further denoising, and selected the most important variability elements from the light curves using PCA. Supervised classification was performed using Random Forest and LDA based on the PC decomposition, while SOM gives a continuous 2-dimensional manifold of the light curves arranged by a few important features. We estimated the uncertainty of the supervised methods due to the specific finite training set using ensembles of models constructed

  15. Radiation-induced polymerization of glass-forming systems. V. Initial polymerization rate in binary glass-forming systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kaetsu, Isao; Okubo, Hiroshi; Ito, Akihiko

    1973-06-01

    The radiation-induced polymerization of binary systems consisting of glass-forming monomer and glass-forming solvent in supercooled phase was studied. The initial polymerization rates were markedly affected by T/sub g/ (glass transition temperature) and T/sub v/ of the system (30-50 deg C higher than T/sub g/), which are functions of the composition. The composition and temperature dependence of initial polymerization rate in binary glass-forming systems were much affected by homogeneity of the polymerization system and the T of the glass- forming solvent. The composition and temperature dependences in the glycidyl methacrylate --triacetin system as a typical homogeneous polymerization system were studied inmore » detail, and the polymerizations of hydroxyethyl methacrylate triacetln and hydroxyethyl methacrylate --isoamyl acetate systems were studied for the heterogeneous polymerization systems; the former illustrates the combination of lower T/sub g/ monomer and higher T/sub g/ solvent and the latter typifies a system consisting of higher T/sub g/ monomer and lower T/sub g/ solvent. All experimental results for the composition and temperature dependence of initial polymerization rate in binary glass-forming systems could be explained by considering the product of the effect of the physical effect relating to T/sub v/ and T/sub g/ of the system and the effect of composition in normal solution polymerization at higher temperature, which was also the product of a dilution effect and a chemical or physical acceleration effect. (auth)« less

  16. New inclination changing eclipsing binaries in the Magellanic Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juryšek, J.; Zasche, P.; Wolf, M.; Vraštil, J.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Skarka, M.; Liška, J.; Janík, J.; Zejda, M.; Kurfürst, P.; Paunzen, E.

    2018-01-01

    Context. Multiple stellar systems are unique laboratories for astrophysics. Analysis of their orbital dynamics, if well characterized from their observations, may reveal invaluable information about the physical properties of the participating stars. Unfortunately, there are only a few known and well described multiple systems, this is even more so for systems located outside the Milky Way galaxy. A particularly interesting situation occurs when the inner binary in a compact triple system is eclipsing. This is because the stellar interaction, typically resulting in precession of orbital planes, may be observable as a variation of depth of the eclipses on a long timescale. Aims: We aim to present a novel method to determine compact triples using publicly available photometric data from large surveys. Here we apply it to eclipsing binaries (EBs) in Magellanic Clouds from OGLE III database. Our tool consists of identifying the cases where the orbital plane of EB evolves in accord with expectations from the interaction with a third star. Methods: We analyzed light curves (LCs) of 26121 LMC and 6138 SMC EBs with the goal to identify those for which the orbital inclination varies in time. Archival LCs of the selected systems, when complemented by our own observations with Danish 1.54-m telescope, were thoroughly analyzed using the PHOEBE program. This provided physical parameters of components of each system. Time dependence of the EB's inclination was described using the theory of orbital-plane precession. By observing the parameter-dependence of the precession rate, we were able to constrain the third companion mass and its orbital period around EB. Results: We identified 58 candidates of new compact triples in Magellanic Clouds. This is the largest published sample of such systems so far. Eight of them were analyzed thoroughly and physical parameters of inner binary were determined together with an estimation of basic characteristics of the third star. Prior to our

  17. The physics of galactic winds driven by active galactic nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Quataert, Eliot

    2012-09-01

    Active galactic nuclei (AGN) drive fast winds in the interstellar medium of their host galaxies. It is commonly assumed that the high ambient densities and intense radiation fields in galactic nuclei imply short cooling times, thus making the outflows momentum conserving. We show that cooling of high-velocity shocked winds in AGN is in fact inefficient in a wide range of circumstances, including conditions relevant to ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), resulting in energy-conserving outflows. We further show that fast energy-conserving outflows can tolerate a large amount of mixing with cooler gas before radiative losses become important. For winds with initial velocity vin ≳ 10 000 km s-1, as observed in ultraviolet and X-ray absorption, the shocked wind develops a two-temperature structure. While most of the thermal pressure support is provided by the protons, the cooling processes operate directly only on the electrons. This significantly slows down inverse Compton cooling, while free-free cooling is negligible. Slower winds with vin ˜ 1000 km s-1, such as may be driven by radiation pressure on dust, can also experience energy-conserving phases but under more restrictive conditions. During the energy-conserving phase, the momentum flux of an outflow is boosted by a factor ˜vin/2vs by work done by the hot post-shock gas, where vs is the velocity of the swept-up material. Energy-conserving outflows driven by fast AGN winds (vin ˜ 0.1c) may therefore explain the momentum fluxes Ṗ≫LAGN/c of galaxy-scale outflows recently measured in luminous quasars and ULIRGs. Shocked wind bubbles expanding normal to galactic discs may also explain the large-scale bipolar structures observed in some systems, including around the Galactic Centre, and can produce significant radio, X-ray and γ-ray emission. The analytic solutions presented here will inform implementations of AGN feedback in numerical simulations, which typically do not include all the important

  18. Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haggard, Daryl; Heinke, Craig; Hooper, Dan

    2017-05-01

    If millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are responsible for the excess gamma-ray emission observed from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, the same region should also contain a large population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In this study, we compile and utilize a sizable catalog of LMXBs observed in the the Milky Way's globular cluster system and in the Inner Galaxy, as well as the gamma-ray emission observed from globular clusters, to estimate the flux of gamma rays predicted from MSPs in the Inner Galaxy. From this comparison, we conclude that only up to ∼ 4-23% of the observed gamma-ray excess ismore » likely to originate from MSPs. This result is consistent with, and more robust than, previous estimates which utilized smaller samples of both globular clusters and LMXBs. If MSPs had been responsible for the entirety of the observed excess, INTEGRAL should have detected ∼ 10{sup 3} LMXBs from within a 10{sup o} radius around the Galactic Center, whereas only 42 LMXBs (and 46 additional LMXB candidates) have been observed.« less

  19. Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haggard, Daryl; Heinke, Craig; Hooper, Dan

    2017-05-01

    If millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are responsible for the excess gamma-ray emission observed from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, the same region should also contain a large population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In this study, we compile and utilize a sizable catalog of LMXBs observed in the the Milky Way's globular cluster system and in the Inner Galaxy, as well as the gamma-ray emission observed from globular clusters, to estimate the flux of gamma rays predicted from MSPs in the Inner Galaxy. From this comparison, we conclude that only up tomore » $$\\sim$$4-23% of the observed gamma-ray excess is likely to originate from MSPs. This result is consistent with, and more robust than, previous estimates which utilized smaller samples of both globular clusters and LMXBs. If MSPs had been responsible for the entirety of the observed excess, INTEGRAL should have detected $$\\sim$$10^3$ LMXBs from within a $$10^{\\circ}$$ radius around the Galactic Center, whereas only 42 LMXBs (and 46 additional LMXB candidates) have been observed.« less

  20. Exploring X-ray Emission from Winds in Two Early B-type Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rotter, John P.; Hole, Tabetha; Ignace, Richard; Oskinova, Lida

    2017-01-01

    The winds of the most massive (O-type) stars have been well studied, but less is known about the winds of early-type B stars, especially in binaries. Extending O-star wind theory to these smaller stars, we would expect them to emit X-rays, and when in a B-star binary system, the wind collision should emit additional X-rays. This combined X-ray flux from nearby B-star binary systems should be detectable with current telescopes. Yet X-ray observations of two such systems with the Chandra Observatory not only show far less emission than predicted, but also vary significantly from each other despite having very similar observed characteristics. We will present these observations, and our work applying the classic Castor, Abbott, and Klein (CAK) wind theory, combined with more recent analytical wind-shock models, attempting to reproduce this unexpected range of observations.

  1. A 3D dynamical model of the colliding winds in binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parkin, E. R.; Pittard, J. M.

    2008-08-01

    We present a three-dimensional (3D) dynamical model of the orbital-induced curvature of the wind-wind collision region in binary star systems. Momentum balance equations are used to determine the position and shape of the contact discontinuity between the stars, while further downstream the gas is assumed to behave ballistically. An Archimedean spiral structure is formed by the motion of the stars, with clear resemblance to high-resolution images of the so-called `pinwheel nebulae'. A key advantage of this approach over grid or smoothed particle hydrodynamic models is its significantly reduced computational cost, while it also allows the study of the structure obtained in an eccentric orbit. The model is relevant to symbiotic systems and γ-ray binaries, as well as systems with O-type and Wolf-Rayet stars. As an example application, we simulate the X-ray emission from hypothetical O+O and WR+O star binaries, and describe a method of ray tracing through the 3D spiral structure to account for absorption by the circumstellar material in the system. Such calculations may be easily adapted to study observations at wavelengths ranging from the radio to γ-ray.

  2. Colliding stellar winds in O-type close binary systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gies, Douglas R.

    1991-01-01

    A study of the stellar wind properties of O-type close binary systems is presented. The main objective of this program was to search for colliding winds in four systems, AO Cas, iota Ori, Plaskett's star, and 29 UW CMa, through an examination of high dispersion UV spectra from IUE and optical spectra of the H alpha and He I lambda 6678 emission lines.

  3. Equilibrium points and associated periodic orbits in the gravity of binary asteroid systems: (66391) 1999 KW4 as an example

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Yu; Wang, Yue; Xu, Shijie

    2018-04-01

    The motion of a massless particle in the gravity of a binary asteroid system, referred as the restricted full three-body problem (RF3BP), is fundamental, not only for the evolution of the binary system, but also for the design of relevant space missions. In this paper, equilibrium points and associated periodic orbit families in the gravity of a binary system are investigated, with the binary (66391) 1999 KW4 as an example. The polyhedron shape model is used to describe irregular shapes and corresponding gravity fields of the primary and secondary of (66391) 1999 KW4, which is more accurate than the ellipsoid shape model in previous studies and provides a high-fidelity representation of the gravitational environment. Both of the synchronous and non-synchronous states of the binary system are considered. For the synchronous binary system, the equilibrium points and their stability are determined, and periodic orbit families emanating from each equilibrium point are generated by using the shooting (multiple shooting) method and the homotopy method, where the homotopy function connects the circular restricted three-body problem and RF3BP. In the non-synchronous binary system, trajectories of equivalent equilibrium points are calculated, and the associated periodic orbits are obtained by using the homotopy method, where the homotopy function connects the synchronous and non-synchronous systems. Although only the binary (66391) 1999 KW4 is considered, our methods will also be well applicable to other binary systems with polyhedron shape data. Our results on equilibrium points and associated periodic orbits provide general insights into the dynamical environment and orbital behaviors in proximity of small binary asteroids and enable the trajectory design and mission operations in future binary system explorations.

  4. Contact Binaries on Their Way Towards Merging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gazeas, K.

    2015-07-01

    Contact binaries are the most frequently observed type of eclipsing star system. They are small, cool, low-mass binaries belonging to a relatively old stellar population. They follow certain empirical relationships that closely connect a number of physical parameters with each other, largely because of constraints coming from the Roche geometry. As a result, contact binaries provide an excellent test of stellar evolution, specifically for stellar merger scenarios. Observing campaigns by many authors have led to the cataloging of thousands of contact binaries and enabled statistical studies of many of their properties. A large number of contact binaries have been found to exhibit extraordinary behavior, requiring follow-up observations to study their peculiarities in detail. For example, a doubly-eclipsing quadruple system consisting of a contact binary and a detached binary is a highly constrained system offering an excellent laboratory to test evolutionary theories for binaries. A new observing project was initiated at the University of Athens in 2012 in order to investigate the possible lower limit for the orbital period of binary systems before coalescence, prior to merging.

  5. The Chandra Dust-scattering Halo of Galactic Center Transient Swift J174540.7–290015

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Corrales, L. R.; Mon, B.; Haggard, D.

    We report the detection of a dust-scattering halo around a recently discovered X-ray transient, Swift J174540.7–290015, which in early 2016 February underwent one of the brightest outbursts ( F {sub X} ≈ 5 × 10{sup −10} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}) observed from a compact object in the Galactic Center field. We analyze four Chandra images that were taken as follow-up observations to Swift discoveries of new Galactic Center transients. After adjusting our spectral extraction for the effects of detector pile-up, we construct a point-spread function for each observation and compare it to the GC field before the outburst. Wemore » find residual surface brightness around Swift J174540.7–290015, which has a shape and temporal evolution consistent with the behavior expected from X-rays scattered by foreground dust. We examine the spectral properties of the source, which shows evidence that the object transitioned from a soft to hard spectral state as it faded below L {sub X} ∼ 10{sup 36} erg s{sup −1}. This behavior is consistent with the hypothesis that the object is a low-mass X-ray binary in the Galactic Center.« less

  6. Measuring the spin of black holes in binary systems using gravitational waves.

    PubMed

    Vitale, Salvatore; Lynch, Ryan; Veitch, John; Raymond, Vivien; Sturani, Riccardo

    2014-06-27

    Compact binary coalescences are the most promising sources of gravitational waves (GWs) for ground-based detectors. Binary systems containing one or two spinning black holes are particularly interesting due to spin-orbit (and eventual spin-spin) interactions and the opportunity of measuring spins directly through GW observations. In this Letter, we analyze simulated signals emitted by spinning binaries with several values of masses, spins, orientations, and signal-to-noise ratios, as detected by an advanced LIGO-Virgo network. We find that for moderate or high signal-to-noise ratio the spin magnitudes can be estimated with errors of a few percent (5%-30%) for neutron star-black hole (black hole-black hole) systems. Spins' tilt angle can be estimated with errors of 0.04 rad in the best cases, but typical values will be above 0.1 rad. Errors will be larger for signals barely above the threshold for detection. The difference in the azimuth angles of the spins, which may be used to check if spins are locked into resonant configurations, cannot be constrained. We observe that the best performances are obtained when the line of sight is perpendicular to the system's total angular momentum and that a sudden change of behavior occurs when a system is observed from angles such that the plane of the orbit can be seen both from above and below during the time the signal is in band. This study suggests that direct measurement of black hole spin by means of GWs can be as precise as what can be obtained from x-ray binaries.

  7. An Overabundance of Black Hole X-Ray Binaries in the Galactic Center from Tidal Captures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Generozov, A.; Stone, N. C.; Metzger, B. D.; Ostriker, J. P.

    2018-05-01

    A large population of X-ray binaries (XRBs) was recently discovered within the central parsec of the Galaxy by Hailey et al. (2018). While the presence of compact objects on this scale due to radial mass segregation is, in itself, unsurprising, the fraction of binaries would naively be expected to be small because of how easily primordial binaries are dissociated in the dynamically hot environment of the nuclear star cluster (NSC). We propose that the formation of XRBs in the central parsec is dominated by the tidal capture of stars by black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs). We model the time-dependent radial density profiles of stars and compact objects in the NSC with a Fokker-Planck approach, using the present-day stellar population and rate of in situ massive star (and thus compact object) formation as observational constraints. Of the ˜1 - 4 × 104 BHs that accumulate in the central parsec over the age of the Galaxy, we predict that ˜60 - 200 currently exist as BH-XRBs formed from tidal capture, consistent with the population seen by Hailey et al. (2018). A somewhat lower number of tidal capture NS-XRBs is also predicted. We also use our observationally calibrated models for the NSC to predict rates of other exotic dynamical processes, such as the tidal disruption of stars by the central supermassive black hole (˜10-4 per year at z=0).

  8. SEARCHING FOR BINARY Y DWARFS WITH THE GEMINI MULTI-CONJUGATE ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEM (GeMS)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Opitz, Daniela; Tinney, C. G.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.

    The NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has discovered almost all the known members of the new class of Y-type brown dwarfs. Most of these Y dwarfs have been identified as isolated objects in the field. It is known that binaries with L- and T-type brown dwarf primaries are less prevalent than either M-dwarf or solar-type primaries, they tend to have smaller separations and are more frequently detected in near-equal mass configurations. The binary statistics for Y-type brown dwarfs, however, are sparse, and so it is unclear if the same trends that hold for L- and T-type brown dwarfs alsomore » hold for Y-type ones. In addition, the detection of binary companions to very cool Y dwarfs may well be the best means available for discovering even colder objects. We present results for binary properties of a sample of five WISE Y dwarfs with the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System. We find no evidence for binary companions in these data, which suggests these systems are not equal-luminosity (or equal-mass) binaries with separations larger than ∼0.5–1.9 AU. For equal-mass binaries at an age of 5 Gyr, we find that the binary binding energies ruled out by our observations (i.e., 10{sup 42} erg) are consistent with those observed in previous studies of hotter ultra-cool dwarfs.« less

  9. Westerlund 1 is a Galactic Treasure Chest: The Wolf-Rayet Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosslowe, C. K.; Crowther, P. A.

    2015-01-01

    The Westerlund 1 Galactic cluster hosts an eclectic mix of coeval massive stars. At a modest distance of 4-5 kpc, it offers a unique opportunity to study the resolved stellar content of a young (~5 Myr) high mass (5.104 M ⊙) star cluster. With the aim of testing single-star evolutionary predictions, and revealing any signatures of binary evolution, we discuss on-going analyses of NTT/SOFI near-IR spectroscopy of Wolf-Rayet stars in Westerlund 1. We find that late WN stars are H-poor compared to their counterparts in the Milky Way field, and nearly all are less luminous than predicted by single-star Geneva isochrones at the age of Westerlund 1.

  10. The Formation of Galactic Bulges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carollo, C. Marcella; Ferguson, Henry C.; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.

    2000-03-01

    Part I. Introduction: What are galactic bulges?; Part II. The Epoch of Bulge Formation: Origin of bulges; Deep sub-mm surveys: High-z ULIRGs and the formation of spheroids; Ages and metallicities for stars in the galactic bulge; Integrated stellar populations of bulges: First results; HST-NICMOS observations of galactic bulges: Ages and dust; Inside-out bulge formation and the origin of the Hubble sequence; Part III. The Timescales of Bulge Formation: Constraints on the bulge formation timescale from stellar populations; Bulge building with mergers and winds; Role of winds, starbursts, and activity in bulge formation; Dynamical timescales of bulge formation; Part IV. Physical Processes in Bulge Formation: the role of bars for secular bulge formation; Bars and boxy/peanut-shaped bulges: an observational point of view; Boxy- and peanut-shaped bulges; A new class of bulges; The role of secondary bars in bulge formation; Radial transport of molecular gas to the nuclei of spiral galaxies; Dynamical evolution of bulge shapes; Two-component stellar systems: Phase-space constraints; Central NGC 2146 - a firehose-type bending instability?; Bulge formation: the role of the multi-phase ISM; Global evolution of a self-gravitating multi-phase ISM in the central kpc region of galaxies; Part V. Bulge Phenomenology: Bulge-disk decomposition of spiral galaxies in the near-infrared; The triaxial bulge of NGC 1371; The bulge-disk orthogonal decoupling in galaxies: NGC 4698 and NGC 4672; The kinematics and the origin of the ionized gas in NGC 4036; Optically thin thermal plasma in the galactic bulge; X-ray properties of bulges; The host galaxies of radio-loud AGN; The centers of radio-loud early-type galaxies with HST; Central UV spikes in two galactic spheroids; Conference summary: where do we stand?

  11. A Chandra X-ray census of the interacting binaries in old open clusters - NGC 188

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vats, Smriti; Van Den Berg, Maureen

    2017-01-01

    We present a new X-ray study of NGC 188, one of the oldest open clusters known in the Milky Way (7 Gyr). Our X-ray observation using the Chandra X-ray Observatory is aimed at uncovering the population of close interacting binaries in the cluster. We detect 84 X-ray sources with a limiting X-ray luminosity, LX ~ 4×1029 erg s-1 (0.3-7 keV), of which 28 are within the half-mass radius. Of these, 13 are proper-motion or radial-velocity cluster members, wherein we identify a mix of active binaries (ABs) and blue straggler stars (BSSs). We also identify one tentative cataclysmic variable (CV) candidate which is a known short-period photometric variable, but whose membership to NGC 188 is unknown. We have compared the X-ray luminosity per unit of cluster mass (i.e. the X-ray emissivity) of NGC 188 with those of other old Galactic open clusters and dense globular clusters (47 Tuc, NGC 6397). Our findings confirm the earlier result that old open clusters have higher X-ray emissivities than the globular clusters (LX ≥1×1030 erg s-1). This may be explained by dynamical encounters in globulars, which could have a net effect of destroying binaries, or the typically higher metallicities of open clusters. We find one intriguing X-ray source in NGC 188 that is a BSS and cluster member, whose X-ray luminosity cannot be explained by its currently understood binary configuration. Its X-ray detection invokes the need for a third companion in the system.

  12. A possible additional body in eclipsing binary system HS 2231+2441

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vidmachenko, A. P.; Shliakhetska, Ya. O.; Romanyuk, Ya. O.

    2016-12-01

    Analysis of the light curves of eclipsing binary systems HS 2231+2441, obtained with the 36-cm telescope, is made. In processing the photometric data on eclipses by method of timing, obtained evidence for the existence of a third body in the system.

  13. SPITZER MICROLENS MEASUREMENT OF A MASSIVE REMNANT IN A WELL-SEPARATED BINARY

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shvartzvald, Y.; Bryden, G.; Henderson, C. B.

    2015-12-01

    We report the detection and mass measurement of a binary lens OGLE-2015-BLG-1285La,b, with the more massive component having M{sub 1} > 1.35 M{sub ⊙} (80% probability). A main-sequence star in this mass range is ruled out by limits on blue light, meaning that a primary in this mass range must be a neutron star (NS) or black hole (BH). The system has a projected separation r{sub ⊥} = 6.1 ± 0.4 AU and lies in the Galactic bulge. These measurements are based on the “microlens parallax” effect, i.e., comparing the microlensing light curve as seen from Spitzer, which lay atmore » 1.25 AU projected from Earth, to the light curves from four ground-based surveys, three in the optical and one in the near-infrared. Future adaptive optics imaging of the companion by 30 m class telescopes will yield a much more accurate measurement of the primary mass. This discovery both opens the path and defines the challenges to detecting and characterizing BHs and NSs in wide binaries, with either dark or luminous companions. In particular, we discuss lessons that can be applied to future Spitzer and Kepler K2 microlensing parallax observations.« less

  14. Spitzer Microlens Measurement of a Massive Remnant in a Well-separated Binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shvartzvald, Y.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Han, C.; Bozza, V.; Friedmann, M.; Hundertmark, M.; and; Beichman, C.; Bryden, G.; Calchi Novati, S.; Carey, S.; Fausnaugh, M.; Gaudi, B. S.; Henderson, C. B.; Kerr, T.; Pogge, R. W.; Varricatt, W.; Wibking, B.; Yee, J. C.; Zhu, W.; Spitzer Team; Poleski, R.; Pawlak, M.; Szymański, M. K.; Skowron, J.; Mróz, P.; Kozłowski, S.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Pietrzyński, G.; Soszyński, I.; Ulaczyk, K.; OGLE Group; Choi, J.-Y.; Park, H.; Jung, Y. K.; Shin, I.-G.; Albrow, M. D.; Park, B.-G.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; KMTNet Group; Maoz, D.; Kaspi, S.; Wise Group; Street, R. A.; Tsapras, Y.; Bachelet, E.; Dominik, M.; Bramich, D. M.; Horne, Keith; Snodgrass, C.; Steele, I. A.; Menzies, J.; Figuera Jaimes, R.; Wambsganss, J.; Schmidt, R.; Cassan, A.; Ranc, C.; Mao, S.; Dong, Subo; RoboNet; D'Ago, G.; Scarpetta, G.; Verma, P.; Jørgensen, U. G.; Kerins, E.; Skottfelt, J.; MiNDSTEp

    2015-12-01

    We report the detection and mass measurement of a binary lens OGLE-2015-BLG-1285La,b, with the more massive component having M1 > 1.35 M⊙ (80% probability). A main-sequence star in this mass range is ruled out by limits on blue light, meaning that a primary in this mass range must be a neutron star (NS) or black hole (BH). The system has a projected separation r⊥ = 6.1 ± 0.4 AU and lies in the Galactic bulge. These measurements are based on the “microlens parallax” effect, i.e., comparing the microlensing light curve as seen from Spitzer, which lay at 1.25 AU projected from Earth, to the light curves from four ground-based surveys, three in the optical and one in the near-infrared. Future adaptive optics imaging of the companion by 30 m class telescopes will yield a much more accurate measurement of the primary mass. This discovery both opens the path and defines the challenges to detecting and characterizing BHs and NSs in wide binaries, with either dark or luminous companions. In particular, we discuss lessons that can be applied to future Spitzer and Kepler K2 microlensing parallax observations.

  15. Thermodynamic modeling of the Ge-La binary system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Miao; Li, Chang-rong; Du, Zhen-min; Guo, Cui-ping; Niu, Chun-ju

    2012-08-01

    The Ge-La binary system was critically assessed by means of the calculation of phase diagram (CALPHAD) technique. The associate model was used for the liquid phase containing the constituent species Ge, La, Ge3La5, and Ge1.7La. The terminal solid solution diamond-(Ge) with a small solubility of La was described using the substitutional model, in which the excess Gibbs energy was formulated with the Redlich-Kister equation. The compounds with homogeneity ranges, α(Ge1.7La), β(Ge1.7La), and (GeLa), were modeled using two sublattices as α(Ge,La)1.7La, β(Ge,La)1.7La, and (Ge,La)(Ge,La), respectively. The intermediate phases with no solubility ranges, Ge4La5, Ge3La4, Ge3La5, and GeLa3, were treated as stoichiometric compounds. The three allotropic modifications of La, dhcp-La, fcc-La, and bcc-La, were kept as pure element phases since no solubility of Ge in La was reported. A set of self-consistent thermodynamic parameters of the Ge-La binary system was obtained. The calculation results agree well with the available experimental data from literatures.

  16. From wide to close binaries?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eggleton, Peter P.

    The mechanisms by which the periods of wide binaries (mass 8 solar mass or less and period 10-3000 d) are lengthened or shortened are discussed, synthesizing the results of recent theoretical investigations. A system of nomenclature involving seven evolutionary states, three geometrical states, and 10 types of orbital-period evolution is developed and applied; classifications of 71 binaries are presented in a table along with the basic observational parameters. Evolutionary processes in wide binaries (single-star-type winds, magnetic braking with tidal friction, and companion-reinforced attrition), late case B systems, low-mass X-ray binaries, and triple systems are examined in detail, and possible evolutionary paths are shown in diagrams.

  17. HEARTBEAT STARS: SPECTROSCOPIC ORBITAL SOLUTIONS FOR SIX ECCENTRIC BINARY SYSTEMS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smullen, Rachel A.; Kobulnicky, Henry A., E-mail: rsmullen@email.arizona.edu

    2015-08-01

    We present multi-epoch spectroscopy of “heartbeat stars,” eccentric binaries with dynamic tidal distortions and tidally induced pulsations originally discovered with the Kepler satellite. Optical spectra of six known heartbeat stars using the Wyoming Infrared Observatory 2.3 m telescope allow measurement of stellar effective temperatures and radial velocities from which we determine orbital parameters including the periods, eccentricities, approximate mass ratios, and component masses. These spectroscopic solutions confirm that the stars are members of eccentric binary systems with eccentricities e > 0.34 and periods P = 7–20 days, strengthening conclusions from prior works that utilized purely photometric methods. Heartbeat stars inmore » this sample have A- or F-type primary components. Constraints on orbital inclinations indicate that four of the six systems have minimum mass ratios q = 0.3–0.5, implying that most secondaries are probable M dwarfs or earlier. One system is an eclipsing, double-lined spectroscopic binary with roughly equal-mass mid-A components (q = 0.95), while another shows double-lined behavior only near periastron, indicating that the F0V primary has a G1V secondary (q = 0.65). This work constitutes the first measurements of the masses of secondaries in a statistical sample of heartbeat stars. The good agreement between our spectroscopic orbital elements and those derived using a photometric model support the idea that photometric data are sufficient to derive reliable orbital parameters for heartbeat stars.« less

  18. Infrared studies of galactic center x-ray sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeWitt, Curtis

    In this dissertation I use a variety of approaches to discover the nature of a subset of the nearly 10,000 X-ray point sources in the 2° x 0.8° region around the Galactic Center. I produced a JHK s source catalog of the 170 x170 region around Sgr A* an area containing 4339 of these X-ray sources, with the ISPI camera on the CTIO 4-m telescope. I cross-correlated the Chandra and ISPI catalogs to find potential near-infrared (NIR) counterparts to the X-ray sources. The extreme NIR source crowding in the field means that it is not possible to establish the authenticity of the matches with astrometry and photometry alone. I found 2137 IR/X-ray astrometrically matched sources; statistically I calculated that my catalog contains 289+/-13 true matches to soft X-ray sources and 154 +/- 39 matches to hard X-ray sources. However, the fraction of matches to hard sources that are spurious is 90%, compared to 40% for soft source matches, making the hard source NIR matches particularly challenging for spectroscopic follow-up. I statistically investigated the parameter space of matched sources and identified a set of 98 NIR matches to hard X-ray sources with reddenings consistent with the GC distance which have a 45% probability of being true counterparts. I created two additional photometric catalogs of the GC region to investigate the variability of X-ray counterparts over a time baseline of several years. I found 48 variable NIR sources matched to X-ray sources, with 2 spectroscopically confirmed to be true counterparts (1 in previous literature and one in this study). I took spectra of 46 of my best candidates for counterparts to X-ray sources toward the GC, and spectroscopically confirmed 4 sources as the authentic physical counterpart on the basis of emission lines in the H and K band spectra. These sources include a Be high mass X-ray binary located 16 pc in projection away from Sgr A*; a hard X-ray symbiotic binary located 22 pc in projection from Sgr A*; an O

  19. WR 148: identifying the companion of an extreme runaway massive binary*

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Munoz, Melissa; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Hill, Grant M.; Shenar, Tomer; Richardson, Noel D.; Pablo, Herbert; St-Louis, Nicole; Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina

    2017-05-01

    WR 148 (HD 197406) is an extreme runaway system considered to be a potential candidate for a short-period (4.3173 d) rare WR + compact object binary. Provided with new high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra from the Keck observatory, we determine the orbital parameters for both the primary WR and the secondary, yielding respective projected orbital velocity amplitudes of 88.1 ± 3.8 km s-1 and 79.2 ± 3.1 km s-1 and implying a mass ratio of 1.1 ± 0.1. We then apply the shift-and-add technique to disentangle the spectra and obtain spectra compatible with a WN7ha and an O4-6 star. Considering an orbital inclination of ˜67°, derived from previous polarimetry observations, the system's total mass would be a mere 2-3M_{⊙}, an unprecedented result for a putative massive binary system. However, a system comprising a 37 M_{⊙} secondary (typical mass of an O5V star) and a 33 M_{⊙} primary (given the mass ratio) would infer an inclination of ˜18°. We therefore reconsider the previous methods of deriving the orbital inclination based on time-dependent polarimetry and photometry. While the polarimetric results are inconclusive requiring better data, the photometric results favour low inclinations. Finally, we compute WR 148's space velocity and retrace the runaway's trajectory back to the Galactic plane (GP). With an ejection velocity of 198 ± 27 km s-1 and a travel time of 4.7 ± 0.8 Myr to reach its current location, WR 148 was most likely ejected via dynamical interactions in a young cluster.

  20. Recognition of binary x-ray systems utilizing the doppler effect

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Novak, B. L.

    1980-01-01

    The possibility of recognizing the duality of a single class of X-ray systems utilizing the Doppler effect is studied. The procedure is based on the presence of a period which coincides with the orbital period at the intensity of the radiation in a fixed energy interval of the X-ray component of a binary system.

  1. A possible origin of the Galactic Center magnetar SGR 1745-2900

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Quan; Zhang, Shuang-Nan; Zheng, Xiao-Ping

    2017-05-01

    Since there is a large population of massive O/B stars and putative neutron stars (NSs) located in the vicinity of the Galactic Center (GC), intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (IMXBs) constituted by an NS and a B-type star probably exist there. We investigate the evolutions of accreting NSs in IMXBs (similar to M82 X-2) with a ˜ 5.2 {M}⊙ companion and orbital period ≃ 2.53 d. By adopting a mildly super-Eddington rate \\dot{M}=6× {10}-8 {M}⊙ {{yr}}-1 for the early Case B Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) accretion, we find that only in accreting NSs with quite elastic crusts (slippage factor s = 0.05) can the toroidal magnetic fields be amplified within 1 Myr, which is assumed to be the longest duration of the RLOF. These IMXBs will evolve into NS+white dwarf (WD) binaries if they are dynamically stable. However, before the formation of NS+WD binaries, the high stellar density in the GC will probably lead to frequent encounters between the NS+evolved star binaries (in post-early Case B mass transfer phase) and NSs or exchange encounters with other stars, which may produce single NSs. These NSs will evolve into magnetars when the amplified poloidal magnetic fields diffuse out to the NS surfaces. Consequently, our results provide a possible explanation for the origin of the GC magnetar SGR 1745-2900. Moreover, the accreting NSs with s> 0.05 will evolve into millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Therefore, our model reveals that the GC magnetars and MSPs could both originate from a special kind of IMXB.

  2. Spectral properties of binary asteroids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pajuelo, Myriam; Birlan, Mirel; Carry, Benoît; DeMeo, Francesca E.; Binzel, Richard P.; Berthier, Jérôme

    2018-04-01

    We present the first attempt to characterize the distribution of taxonomic class among the population of binary asteroids (15% of all small asteroids). For that, an analysis of 0.8-2.5{μ m} near-infrared spectra obtained with the SpeX instrument on the NASA/IRTF is presented. Taxonomic class and meteorite analog is determined for each target, increasing the sample of binary asteroids with known taxonomy by 21%. Most binary systems are bound in the S-, X-, and C- classes, followed by Q and V-types. The rate of binary systems in each taxonomic class agrees within uncertainty with the background population of small near-Earth objects and inner main belt asteroids, but for the C-types which are under-represented among binaries.

  3. Searching for Binary Systems Among Nearby Dwarfs Based on Pulkovo Observations and SDSS Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khovrichev, M. Yu.; Apetyan, A. A.; Roshchina, E. A.; Izmailov, I. S.; Bikulova, D. A.; Ershova, A. P.; Balyaev, I. A.; Kulikova, A. M.; Petyur, V. V.; Shumilov, A. A.; Os'kina, K. I.; Maksimova, L. A.

    2018-02-01

    Our goal is to find previously unknown binary systems among low-mass dwarfs in the solar neighborhood and to test the search technique. The basic ideas are to reveal the images of stars with significant ellipticities and/or asymmetries compared to the background stars on CCD frames and to subsequently determine the spatial parameters of the binary system and the magnitude difference between its components. For its realization we have developed a method based on an image shapelet decomposition. All of the comparatively faint stars with large proper motions ( V >13 m , μ > 300 mas yr-1) for which the "duplicate source" flag in the Gaia DR1 catalogue is equal to one have been included in the list of objects for our study. As a result, we have selected 702 stars. To verify our results, we have performed additional observations of 65 stars from this list with the Pulkovo 1-m "Saturn" telescope (2016-2017). We have revealed a total of 138 binary candidates (nine of them from the "Saturn" telescope and SDSS data). Six program stars are known binaries. The images of the primaries of the comparatively wide pairs WDS 14519+5147, WDS 11371+6022, and WDS 15404+2500 are shown to be resolved into components; therefore, we can talk about the detection of triple systems. The angular separation ρ, position angle, and component magnitude difference Δ m have been estimated for almost all of the revealed binary systems. For most stars 1.5'' < ρ < 2.5'', while Δ m <1.5m.

  4. Binary Number System Training for Graduate Foreign Students at New York Institute of Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sudsataya, Nuntawun

    This thesis describes the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a training module to instruct graduate foreign students to learn the representation of the binary system and the method of decimal-binary conversion. The designer selected programmed instruction as the method of instruction and used the "lean" approach to…

  5. Performance Enhancement of Radial Distributed System with Distributed Generators by Reconfiguration Using Binary Firefly Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rajalakshmi, N.; Padma Subramanian, D.; Thamizhavel, K.

    2015-03-01

    The extent of real power loss and voltage deviation associated with overloaded feeders in radial distribution system can be reduced by reconfiguration. Reconfiguration is normally achieved by changing the open/closed state of tie/sectionalizing switches. Finding optimal switch combination is a complicated problem as there are many switching combinations possible in a distribution system. Hence optimization techniques are finding greater importance in reducing the complexity of reconfiguration problem. This paper presents the application of firefly algorithm (FA) for optimal reconfiguration of radial distribution system with distributed generators (DG). The algorithm is tested on IEEE 33 bus system installed with DGs and the results are compared with binary genetic algorithm. It is found that binary FA is more effective than binary genetic algorithm in achieving real power loss reduction and improving voltage profile and hence enhancing the performance of radial distribution system. Results are found to be optimum when DGs are added to the test system, which proved the impact of DGs on distribution system.

  6. A State Change In The Missing Link Binary Pulsar System Psr J1023+0038

    DOE PAGES

    Stappers, B. W.; Archibald, A. M.; Hessels, J. W. T.; ...

    2014-07-01

    We present radio, X-ray, and γ-ray observations which reveal that the binary millisecond pulsar / low-mass X-ray binary transition system PSR J1023+0038 has undergone a transformation in state. Whereas until recently the system harbored a bright millisecond radio pulsar, the radio pulsations at frequencies between 300 to 5000MHz have now become undetectable. Concurrent with this radio disappearance, the γ-ray flux of the system has quintupled. We conclude that, though the radio pulsar is currently not detectable, the pulsar mechanism is still active and the pulsar wind, as well as a newly formed accretion disk, are together providing the necessary conditionsmore » to create the γ-ray increase. The system is the first example of a transient, compact, low-mass γ-ray binary and will continue to provide an exceptional test bed for better understanding the formation of millisecond pulsars as well as accretion onto neutron stars in general.« less

  7. Active galactic nuclei

    PubMed Central

    Fabian, Andrew C.

    1999-01-01

    Active galactic nuclei are the most powerful, long-lived objects in the Universe. Recent data confirm the theoretical idea that the power source is accretion into a massive black hole. The common occurrence of obscuration and outflows probably means that the contribution of active galactic nuclei to the power density of the Universe has been generally underestimated. PMID:10220363

  8. Artificial equilibrium points in binary asteroid systems with continuous low-thrust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bu, Shichao; Li, Shuang; Yang, Hongwei

    2017-08-01

    The positions and dynamical characteristics of artificial equilibrium points (AEPs) in the vicinity of a binary asteroid with continuous low-thrust are studied. The restricted ellipsoid-ellipsoid model of binary system is employed for the binary asteroid system. The positions of AEPs are obtained by this model. It is found that the set of the point L1 or L2 forms a shape of an ellipsoid while the set of the point L3 forms a shape like a "banana". The effect of the continuous low-thrust on the feasible region of motion is analyzed by zero velocity curves. Because of using the low-thrust, the unreachable region can become reachable. The linearized equations of motion are derived for stability's analysis. Based on the characteristic equation of the linearized equations, the stability conditions are derived. The stable regions of AEPs are investigated by a parametric analysis. The effect of the mass ratio and ellipsoid parameters on stable region is also discussed. The results show that the influence of the mass ratio on the stable regions is more significant than the parameters of ellipsoid.

  9. 4U 1907+09: an HMXB running away from the Galactic plane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gvaramadze, V. V.; Röser, S.; Scholz, R.-D.; Schilbach, E.

    2011-05-01

    We report the discovery of a bow shock around the high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) 4U 1907+09 using the Spitzer Space Telescope 24 μm data (after Vela X-1 the second example of bow shocks associated with HMXBs). The detection of the bow shock implies that 4U 1907+09 is moving through space with a high (supersonic) peculiar velocity. To confirm the runaway nature of 4U 1907+09, we measured its proper motion, which for an adopted distance to the system of 4 kpc corresponds to a peculiar transverse velocity of ≃ 160 ± 115 km s-1, meaning that 4U 1907+09 is indeed a runaway system. This also supports the general belief that most HMXBs possess high space velocities. The direction of motion of 4U 1907+09 inferred from the proper motion measurement is consistent with the orientation of the symmetry axis of the bow shock, and shows that the HMXB is running away from the Galactic plane. We also present the Spitzer images of the bow shock around Vela X-1 (a system similar to 4U 1907+09) and compare it with the bow shock generated by 4U 1907+09.

  10. What and whence 1I/`Oumuamua: a contact binary from the debris of a young planetary system?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaidos, E.

    2018-07-01

    The first confirmed interstellar interloper in our Solar system, 1I/`Oumuamua, is likely to be a minor body ejected from another star, but its brief flyby and faintness made it difficult to study. Two remarkable properties are its large (up to 2.5 mag) rotational variability and its motion relative to the Sun before encounter. The former suggests an extremely elongated shape (aspect ratio ≥ 10) and the latter an origin from the protoplanetary disc of a young star in a nearby association. Against expectations, it is also not comet-like. 1I/`Oumuamua's variability can also be explained if it is a contact binary composed of near-equilibrium ellipsoidal components and heterogeneous surfaces, i.e. brighter, dust-mantled inner-facing hemispheres and darker, dust-free outer-facing poles. Such shapes are a plausible outcome of radiation, tides, and collisions in systems where planets are clearing planetesimal discs. The probability that 1I/`Oumuamua has the same motion as a young (≲100 Myr) stellar association by coincidence is <1 per cent. If it is young, its detection versus more numerous, older counterparts could be explained as a selection effect due to darkening of surfaces by Galactic cosmic rays and loss of dust. 1I/`Oumuamua's apparent lack of ices can be explained if ejected rocky planetesimals are characteristically smaller and thus far more numerous than their icy counterparts: the Solar system may currently host several such objects captured by the combined gravity of Jupiter and the Sun.

  11. Radial Velocities of 41 Kepler Eclipsing Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matson, Rachel A.; Gies, Douglas R.; Guo, Zhao; Williams, Stephen J.

    2017-12-01

    Eclipsing binaries are vital for directly determining stellar parameters without reliance on models or scaling relations. Spectroscopically derived parameters of detached and semi-detached binaries allow us to determine component masses that can inform theories of stellar and binary evolution. Here we present moderate resolution ground-based spectra of stars in close binary systems with and without (detected) tertiary companions observed by NASA’s Kepler mission and analyzed for eclipse timing variations. We obtain radial velocities and spectroscopic orbits for five single-lined and 35 double-lined systems, and confirm one false positive eclipsing binary. For the double-lined spectroscopic binaries, we also determine individual component masses and examine the mass ratio {M}2/{M}1 distribution, which is dominated by binaries with like-mass pairs and semi-detached classical Algol systems that have undergone mass transfer. Finally, we constrain the mass of the tertiary component for five double-lined binaries with previously detected companions.

  12. HIREGS observations of the Galactic center and Galactic plane: Separation of the diffuse Galactic hard X-ray continuum from the point source spectra

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boggs, S. E.; Lin, R. P.; Coburn, W.; Feffer, P.; Pelling, R. M.; Schroeder, P.; Slassi-Sennou, S.

    1997-01-01

    The balloon-borne high resolution gamma ray and X-ray germanium spectrometer (HIREGS) was used to observe the Galactic center and two positions along the Galactic plane from Antarctica in January 1995. For its flight, the collimators were configured to measure the Galactic diffuse hard X-ray continuum between 20 and 200 keV by directly measuring the point source contributions to the wide field of view flux for subtraction. The hard X-ray spectra of GX 1+4 and GRO J1655-40 were measured with the diffuse continuum subtracted off. The analysis technique for source separation is discussed and the preliminary separated spectra for these point sources and the Galactic diffuse emission are presented.

  13. Wind-driven angular momentum loss in binary systems. I - Ballistic case

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brookshaw, Leigh; Tavani, Marco

    1993-01-01

    We study numerically the average loss of specific angular momentum from binary systems due to mass outflow from one of the two stars for a variety of initial injection geometries and wind velocities. We present results of ballistic calculations in three dimensions for initial mass ratios q of the mass-losing star to primary star in the range q between 10 exp -5 and 10. We consider injection surfaces close to the Roche lobe equipotential surface of the mass-losing star, and also cases with the mass-losing star underfilling its Roche lobe. We obtain that the orbital period is expected to have a negative time derivative for wind-driven secular evolution of binaries with q greater than about 3 and with the mass-losing star near filling its Roche lobe. We also study the effect of the presence of an absorbing surface approximating an accretion disk on the average final value of the specific angular momentum loss. We find that the effect of an accretion disk is to increase the wind-driven angular momentum loss. Our results are relevant for evolutionary models of high-mass binaries and low-mass X-ray binaries.

  14. RED GIANTS IN ECLIPSING BINARY AND MULTIPLE-STAR SYSTEMS: MODELING AND ASTEROSEISMIC ANALYSIS OF 70 CANDIDATES FROM KEPLER DATA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gaulme, P.; McKeever, J.; Rawls, M. L.

    2013-04-10

    Red giant stars are proving to be an incredible source of information for testing models of stellar evolution, as asteroseismology has opened up a window into their interiors. Such insights are a direct result of the unprecedented data from space missions CoRoT and Kepler as well as recent theoretical advances. Eclipsing binaries are also fundamental astrophysical objects, and when coupled with asteroseismology, binaries provide two independent methods to obtain masses and radii and exciting opportunities to develop highly constrained stellar models. The possibility of discovering pulsating red giants in eclipsing binary systems is therefore an important goal that could potentiallymore » offer very robust characterization of these systems. Until recently, only one case has been discovered with Kepler. We cross-correlate the detected red giant and eclipsing-binary catalogs from Kepler data to find possible candidate systems. Light-curve modeling and mean properties measured from asteroseismology are combined to yield specific measurements of periods, masses, radii, temperatures, eclipse timing variations, core rotation rates, and red giant evolutionary state. After using three different techniques to eliminate false positives, out of the 70 systems common to the red giant and eclipsing-binary catalogs we find 13 strong candidates (12 previously unknown) to be eclipsing binaries, one to be a non-eclipsing binary with tidally induced oscillations, and 10 more to be hierarchical triple systems, all of which include a pulsating red giant. The systems span a range of orbital eccentricities, periods, and spectral types F, G, K, and M for the companion of the red giant. One case even suggests an eclipsing binary composed of two red giant stars and another of a red giant with a {delta}-Scuti star. The discovery of multiple pulsating red giants in eclipsing binaries provides an exciting test bed for precise astrophysical modeling, and follow-up spectroscopic observations

  15. Near-infrared variability study of the central 2.3 arcmin × 2.3 arcmin of the Galactic Centre - I. Catalogue of variable sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Hui; Schödel, Rainer; Williams, Benjamin F.; Nogueras-Lara, Francisco; Gallego-Cano, Eulalia; Gallego-Calvente, Teresa; Wang, Q. Daniel; Morris, Mark R.; Do, Tuan; Ghez, Andrea

    2017-09-01

    We used 4-yr baseline Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 IR observations of the Galactic Centre in the F153M band (1.53 μm) to identify variable stars in the central ∼2.3 arcmin × 2.3 arcmin field. We classified 3845 long-term (periods from months to years) and 76 short-term (periods of a few days or less) variables among a total sample of 33 070 stars. For 36 of the latter ones, we also derived their periods (<3 d). Our catalogue not only confirms bright long period variables and massive eclipsing binaries identified in previous works but also contains many newly recognized dim variable stars. For example, we found δ Scuti and RR Lyrae stars towards the Galactic Centre for the first time, as well as one BL Her star (period < 1.3 d). We cross-correlated our catalogue with previous spectroscopic studies and found that 319 variables have well-defined stellar types, such as Wolf-Rayet, OB main sequence, supergiants and asymptotic giant branch stars. We used colours and magnitudes to infer the probable variable types for those stars without accurately measured periods or spectroscopic information. We conclude that the majority of unclassified variables could potentially be eclipsing/ellipsoidal binaries and Type II Cepheids. Our source catalogue will be valuable for future studies aimed at constraining the distance, star formation history and massive binary fraction of the Milky Way nuclear star cluster.

  16. Spectral properties of binary asteroids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pajuelo, Myriam; Birlan, Mirel; Carry, Benoît; DeMeo, Francesca E.; Binzel, Richard P.; Berthier, Jérôme

    2018-07-01

    We present the first attempt to characterize the distribution of taxonomic class among the population of binary asteroids (15 per cent of all small asteroids). For that, an analysis of 0.8-2.5 µm near-infrared spectra obtained with the SpeX instrument on the NASA/IRTF (Infrared Telescope Facility) is presented. Taxonomic class and meteorite analogue is determined for each target, increasing the sample of binary asteroids with known taxonomy by 21 per cent. Most binary systems are bound in the S, X, and C classes, followed by Q and V types. The rate of binary systems in each taxonomic class agrees within uncertainty with the background population of small near-Earth objects and inner main belt asteroids, but for the C types which are under-represented among binaries.

  17. Polar alignment of a protoplanetary disc around an eccentric binary II: Effect of binary and disc parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Rebecca G.; Lubow, Stephen H.

    2018-06-01

    In a recent paper Martin & Lubow showed that a circumbinary disc around an eccentric binary can undergo damped nodal oscillations that lead to the polar (perpendicular) alignment of the disc relative to the binary orbit. The disc angular momentum vector aligns to the eccentricity vector of the binary. We explore the robustness of this mechanism for a low mass disc (0.001 of the binary mass) and its dependence on system parameters by means of hydrodynamic disc simulations. We describe how the evolution depends upon the disc viscosity, temperature, size, binary mass ratio, orbital eccentricity and inclination. We compare results with predictions of linear theory. We show that polar alignment of a low mass disc may occur over a wide range of binary-disc parameters. We discuss the application of our results to the formation of planetary systems around eccentric binary stars.

  18. A New Binary Star System of EW Type in Draco: GSC 03905-01870

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barquin, S.

    2018-05-01

    Discovery of a new binary star system (GSC 03905-01870 = USNO-B1.0 1431-0327922 = UCAC4 716-059522) in the Draco constellation is presented. It was discovered during a search for previously unreported eclipsing binary stars through the ASAS-SN database. The shape of the light curve and its characteristics (period of 0.428988+-0.000001 d, amplitude of 0.34+-0.02 V Mag, primary minimum epoch HJD 2457994.2756+-0.0002) indicates that the new variable star is an eclipsing binary of W Ursae Majoris type. I registered this variable star in The International Variable Star Index (VSX), its AAVSO UID is 000-BMP-891.

  19. X-ray Spectral Formation In High-mass X-ray Binaries: The Case Of Vela X-1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akiyama, Shizuka; Mauche, C. W.; Liedahl, D. A.; Plewa, T.

    2007-05-01

    We are working to develop improved models of radiatively-driven mass flows in the presence of an X-ray source -- such as in X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, and active galactic nuclei -- in order to infer the physical properties that determine the X-ray spectra of such systems. The models integrate a three-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamics capability (FLASH); a comprehensive and uniform set of atomic data, improved calculations of the line force multiplier that account for X-ray photoionization and non-LTE population kinetics, and X-ray emission-line models appropriate to X-ray photoionized plasmas (HULLAC); and a Monte Carlo radiation transport code that simulates Compton scattering and recombination cascades following photoionization. As a test bed, we have simulated a high-mass X-ray binary with parameters appropriate to Vela X-1. While the orbital and stellar parameters of this system are well constrained, the physics of X-ray spectral formation is less well understood because the canonical analytical wind velocity profile of OB stars does not account for the dynamical and radiative feedback effects due to the rotation of the system and to the irradiation of the stellar wind by X-rays from the neutron star. We discuss the dynamical wind structure of Vela X-1 as determined by the FLASH simulation, where in the binary the X-ray emission features originate, and how the spatial and spectral properties of the X-ray emission features are modified by Compton scattering, photoabsorption, and fluorescent emission. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48.

  20. Swift/XRT detects a new accretion outburst of the Galactic center neutron star transient GRS 1741-2853

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Degenaar, N.; Wijnands, R.; Reynolds, M. T.; Miller, J. M.; Kennea, J. A.

    2017-10-01

    Daily Swift/XRT monitoring observations of the Galactic center (Degenaar et al. 2015) have picked up renewed activity of the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary and thermonuclear X-ray burster GRS 1741-2853, which is located 10 arcmin NW of Sgr A*. During a 1 ks PC-mode observation performed on 2017 October 11 the source is detected at a net count rate of 0.015 counts/s and it has been steadily brightening since, indicating the onset of a new accretion outburst.

  1. Properties of six short-period massive binaries: A study of the effects of binarity on surface chemical abundances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martins, F.; Mahy, L.; Hervé, A.

    2017-11-01

    Context. A significant percentage of massive stars are found in multiple systems. The effect of binarity on stellar evolution is poorly constrained. In particular, the role of tides and mass transfer on surface chemical abundances is not constrained observationally. Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of binarity on the stellar properties and surface abundances of massive binaries. Methods: We performed a spectroscopic analysis of six Galactic massive binaries. We obtained the spectra of individual components via a spectral disentangling method and subsequently analyzed these spectra by means of atmosphere models. The stellar parameters and CNO surface abundances were determined. Results: Most of these six systems are comprised of main-sequence stars. Three systems are detached, two are in contact, and no information is available for the sixth system. For 11 out of the 12 stars studied, the surface abundances are only mildly affected by stellar evolution and mixing. The surface abundances are not different from those of single stars within the uncertainties. The secondary of XZ Cep is strongly chemically enriched. Considering previous determinations of surface abundances in massive binary systems suggests that the effect of tides on chemical mixing is limited, whereas the mass transfer and removal of outer layers of the mass donor leads to the appearance of chemically processed material at the surface, although this is not systematic. The evolutionary masses of the components of our six systems are on average 16.5% higher than the dynamical masses. Some systems seem to have reached synchronization, while others may still be in a transitory phase. Based on observations made with the SOPHIE spectrograph on the 1.93 m telescope at Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP, CNRS/AMU), France.

  2. Planetary Nebulae that Cannot Be Explained by Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bear, Ealeal; Soker, Noam

    2017-03-01

    We examine the images of hundreds of planetary nebulae (PNe) and find that for about one in six PNe the morphology is too “messy” to be accounted for by models of stellar binary interaction. We speculate that interacting triple stellar systems shaped these PNe. In this preliminary study, we qualitatively classify PNe by one of four categories. (1) PNe that show no need for a tertiary star to account for their morphology. (2) PNe whose structure possesses a pronounced departure from axial-symmetry and/or mirror-symmetry. We classify these, according to our speculation, as “having a triple stellar progenitor.” (3) PNe whose morphology possesses departure from axial-symmetry and/or mirror-symmetry, but not as pronounced as in the previous class, and are classified as “likely shaped by triple stellar system.” (4) PNe with minor departure from axial-symmetry and/or mirror-symmetry that could have been also caused by an eccentric binary system or the interstellar medium. These are classified as “maybe shaped by a triple stellar system.” Given a weight η t = 1, η l = 0.67, and η m = 0.33 to classes 2, 3, and 4, respectively, we find that according to our assumption about 13%-21% of PNe have been shaped by triple stellar systems. Although in some evolutionary scenarios not all three stars survive the evolution, we encourage the search for a triple stellar systems at the center of some PNe.

  3. Testing the Binary Black Hole Nature of a Compact Binary Coalescence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishnendu, N. V.; Arun, K. G.; Mishra, Chandra Kant

    2017-09-01

    We propose a novel method to test the binary black hole nature of compact binaries detectable by gravitational wave (GW) interferometers and, hence, constrain the parameter space of other exotic compact objects. The spirit of the test lies in the "no-hair" conjecture for black holes where all properties of a Kerr black hole are characterized by its mass and spin. The method relies on observationally measuring the quadrupole moments of the compact binary constituents induced due to their spins. If the compact object is a Kerr black hole (BH), its quadrupole moment is expressible solely in terms of its mass and spin. Otherwise, the quadrupole moment can depend on additional parameters (such as the equation of state of the object). The higher order spin effects in phase and amplitude of a gravitational waveform, which explicitly contains the spin-induced quadrupole moments of compact objects, hence, uniquely encode the nature of the compact binary. Thus, we argue that an independent measurement of the spin-induced quadrupole moment of the compact binaries from GW observations can provide a unique way to distinguish binary BH systems from binaries consisting of exotic compact objects.

  4. Testing the Binary Black Hole Nature of a Compact Binary Coalescence.

    PubMed

    Krishnendu, N V; Arun, K G; Mishra, Chandra Kant

    2017-09-01

    We propose a novel method to test the binary black hole nature of compact binaries detectable by gravitational wave (GW) interferometers and, hence, constrain the parameter space of other exotic compact objects. The spirit of the test lies in the "no-hair" conjecture for black holes where all properties of a Kerr black hole are characterized by its mass and spin. The method relies on observationally measuring the quadrupole moments of the compact binary constituents induced due to their spins. If the compact object is a Kerr black hole (BH), its quadrupole moment is expressible solely in terms of its mass and spin. Otherwise, the quadrupole moment can depend on additional parameters (such as the equation of state of the object). The higher order spin effects in phase and amplitude of a gravitational waveform, which explicitly contains the spin-induced quadrupole moments of compact objects, hence, uniquely encode the nature of the compact binary. Thus, we argue that an independent measurement of the spin-induced quadrupole moment of the compact binaries from GW observations can provide a unique way to distinguish binary BH systems from binaries consisting of exotic compact objects.

  5. New CCD photometric investigation of the early-type overcontact binary BH Cen in the young star-forming Galactic cluster IC 2944

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Er-Gang; Qian, Sheng-Bang; Zejda, Miloslav; Zhang, Bin; Zhang, Jia

    2018-05-01

    BH Cen is a short-period early-type binary with a period of 0.792d in the extremely young star-forming cluster IC 2944. New multi-color CCD photometric light curves in U, B, V, R and I bands are presented and are analyzed by using the Wilson-Devinney code. It is detected that BH Cen is a high-mass-ratio overcontact binary with a fill-out factor of 46.4% and a mass ratio of 0.89. The derived orbital inclination i is 88.9 degrees, indicating that it is a totally eclipsing binary and the photometric parameters can be determined reliably. By adding new eclipse times, the orbital period changes in the binary are analyzed. It is confirmed that the period of BH Cen shows a long-term increase while it undergoes a cyclic oscillation with an amplitude of A 3 = 0.024 d and a period of P 3 = 50.3 yr. The high mass ratio, overcontact configuration and long-term continuous increase in the orbital period all suggest that BH Cen is in the evolutionary state after the shortest-period stage of Case A mass transfer. The continuous increase in period can be explained by mass transfer from the secondary component to the primary one at a rate of Ṁ 2 = 2.8 × 10‑6 M ⊙ per year. The cyclic change can be plausibly explained by the presence of a third body because both components in the BH Cen system are early-type stars. Its mass is determined to be no less than 2.2 M ⊙ at an orbital separation of about 32.5 AU. Since no third light was found during the photometric solution, it is possible that the third body may be a candidate for a compact object.

  6. Hadronic model for the non-thermal radiation from the binary system AR Scorpii

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bednarek, W.

    2018-05-01

    AR Scorpii is a close binary system containing a rotation powered white dwarf and a low-mass M type companion star. This system shows non-thermal emission extending up to the X-ray energy range. We consider hybrid (lepto-hadronic) and pure hadronic models for the high energy non-thermal processes in this binary system. Relativistic electrons and hadrons are assumed to be accelerated in a strongly magnetised, turbulent region formed in collision of a rotating white dwarf magnetosphere and a magnetosphere/dense atmosphere of the M-dwarf star. We propose that the non-thermal X-ray emission is produced either by the primary electrons or the secondary e± pairs from decay of charged pions created in collisions of hadrons with the companion star atmosphere. We show that the accompanying γ-ray emission from decay of neutral pions, which are produced by these same protons, is expected to be on the detectability level of the present and/or the future satellite and Cherenkov telescopes. The γ-ray observations of the binary system AR Sco should allow us to constrain the efficiency of hadron and electron acceleration and also the details of the radiation processes.

  7. Nonlinear Tides in Close Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weinberg, Nevin N.; Arras, Phil; Quataert, Eliot; Burkart, Josh

    2012-06-01

    We study the excitation and damping of tides in close binary systems, accounting for the leading-order nonlinear corrections to linear tidal theory. These nonlinear corrections include two distinct physical effects: three-mode nonlinear interactions, i.e., the redistribution of energy among stellar modes of oscillation, and nonlinear excitation of stellar normal modes by the time-varying gravitational potential of the companion. This paper, the first in a series, presents the formalism for studying nonlinear tides and studies the nonlinear stability of the linear tidal flow. Although the formalism we present is applicable to binaries containing stars, planets, and/or compact objects, we focus on non-rotating solar-type stars with stellar or planetary companions. Our primary results include the following: (1) The linear tidal solution almost universally used in studies of binary evolution is unstable over much of the parameter space in which it is employed. More specifically, resonantly excited internal gravity waves in solar-type stars are nonlinearly unstable to parametric resonance for companion masses M' >~ 10-100 M ⊕ at orbital periods P ≈ 1-10 days. The nearly static "equilibrium" tidal distortion is, however, stable to parametric resonance except for solar binaries with P <~ 2-5 days. (2) For companion masses larger than a few Jupiter masses, the dynamical tide causes short length scale waves to grow so rapidly that they must be treated as traveling waves, rather than standing waves. (3) We show that the global three-wave treatment of parametric instability typically used in the astrophysics literature does not yield the fastest-growing daughter modes or instability threshold in many cases. We find a form of parametric instability in which a single parent wave excites a very large number of daughter waves (N ≈ 103[P/10 days] for a solar-type star) and drives them as a single coherent unit with growth rates that are a factor of ≈N faster than the

  8. High-Mass X-ray Binaries in hard X- rays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lutovinov, Alexander

    We present a review of the latest results of the all-sky survey, performed with the INTEGRAL observatory. The deep exposure spent by INTEGRAL in the Galactic plane region, as well as for nearby galaxies allowed us to obtain a flux limited sample for High Mass X-ray Binaries in the Local Galactic Group and measure their physical properties, like a luminosity function, spatial density distribution, etc. Particularly, it was determined the most accurate up to date spatial density distribution of HMXBs in the Galaxy and its correlation with the star formation rate distribution. Based on the measured value of the vertical distribution of HMXBs (a scale-height h~85 pc) we also estimated a kinematical age of HMXBs. Properties of the population of HMXBs are explained in the framework of the population synthesis model. Based on this model we argue that a flaring activity of so-called supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs), the recently recognized sub-sample of HMXBs, is likely related with the magnetic arrest of their accretion. The resulted global characteristics of the HMXB population are used for predictions of sources number counts in sky surveys of future X-ray missions.

  9. Improving geothermal power plants with a binary cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomarov, G. V.; Shipkov, A. A.; Sorokina, E. V.

    2015-12-01

    The recent development of binary geothermal technology is analyzed. General trends in the introduction of low-temperature geothermal sources are summarized. The use of single-phase low-temperature geothermal fluids in binary power plants proves possible and expedient. The benefits of power plants with a binary cycle in comparison with traditional systems are shown. The selection of the working fluid is considered, and the influence of the fluid's physicochemical properties on the design of the binary power plant is discussed. The design of binary power plants is based on the chemical composition and energy potential of the geothermal fluids and on the landscape and climatic conditions at the intended location. Experience in developing a prototype 2.5 MW Russian binary power unit at Pauzhetka geothermal power plant (Kamchatka) is outlined. Most binary systems are designed individually for a specific location. Means of improving the technology and equipment at binary geothermal power plants are identified. One option is the development of modular systems based on several binary systems that employ the heat from the working fluid at different temperatures.

  10. Relativistic boost as the cause of periodicity in a massive black-hole binary candidate.

    PubMed

    D'Orazio, Daniel J; Haiman, Zoltán; Schiminovich, David

    2015-09-17

    Because most large galaxies contain a central black hole, and galaxies often merge, black-hole binaries are expected to be common in galactic nuclei. Although they cannot be imaged, periodicities in the light curves of quasars have been interpreted as evidence for binaries, most recently in PG 1302-102, which has a short rest-frame optical period of four years (ref. 6). If the orbital period of the black-hole binary matches this value, then for the range of estimated black-hole masses, the components would be separated by 0.007-0.017 parsecs, implying relativistic orbital speeds. There has been much debate over whether black-hole orbits could be smaller than one parsec (ref. 7). Here we report that the amplitude and the sinusoid-like shape of the variability of the light curve of PG 1302-102 can be fitted by relativistic Doppler boosting of emission from a compact, steadily accreting, unequal-mass binary. We predict that brightness variations in the ultraviolet light curve track those in the optical, but with a two to three times larger amplitude. This prediction is relatively insensitive to the details of the emission process, and is consistent with archival ultraviolet data. Follow-up ultraviolet and optical observations in the next few years can further test this prediction and confirm the existence of a binary black hole in the relativistic regime.

  11. Discovery of the binary nature of SMC X-1 from Uhuru.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schreier, E.; Giacconi, R.; Gursky, H.; Kellogg, E.; Tananbaum, H.

    1972-01-01

    The X-ray source in the Small Magellanic Cloud SMC X-1 was observed by Uhuru on numerous occasions from December 1970 through April 1972. As previously reported by Leong et al. (1971), the source was seen to be variable. It was found that SMC X-1 occults with a period of 3.8927 days. The energy spectrum is cut off at low energies and flat. There is no large-amplitude periodic pulsation. The luminosity observed makes the binary source SMC X-1 comparable in strength to both the stronger galactic sources and the discrete sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

  12. Electron Capture Supernovae from Close Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poelarends, Arend J. T.; Wurtz, Scott; Tarka, James; Cole Adams, L.; Hills, Spencer T.

    2017-12-01

    We present the first detailed study of the Electron Capture Supernova Channel (ECSN Channel) for a primary star in a close binary star system. Progenitors of ECSN occupy the lower end of the mass spectrum of supernova progenitors and are thought to form the transition between white dwarf progenitors and core-collapse progenitors. The mass range for ECSN from close binary systems is thought to be wider than the range for single stars, because of the effects of mass transfer on the helium core. Using the MESA stellar evolution code, we explored the parameter space of initial primary masses between 8 and 17 {M}⊙ , using a large grid of models. We find that the initial primary mass and the mass transfer evolution are important factors in the final fate of stars in this mass range. Mass transfer due to Roche lobe overflow during and after carbon burning causes the core to cool down so that it avoids neon ignition, even in helium-free cores with masses up to 1.52 {M}⊙ , which in single stars would ignite neon. If the core is able to contract to high enough densities for electron captures to commence, we find that, for the adopted Ledoux convection criterion, the initial mass range for the primary to evolve into an ECSN is between 13.5 and 17.6 {M}⊙ . The mass ratio, initial period, and mass-loss efficiency only marginally affect the predicted ranges.

  13. Gravitational radiation, inspiraling binaries, and cosmology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chernoff, David F.; Finn, Lee S.

    1993-01-01

    We show how to measure cosmological parameters using observations of inspiraling binary neutron star or black hole systems in one or more gravitational wave detectors. To illustrate, we focus on the case of fixed mass binary systems observed in a single Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)-like detector. Using realistic detector noise estimates, we characterize the rate of detections as a function of a threshold SNR Rho(0), H0, and the binary 'chirp' mass. For Rho(0) = 8, H0 = 100 km/s/Mpc, and 1.4 solar mass neutron star binaries, the sample has a median redshift of 0.22. Under the same assumptions but independent of H0, a conservative rate density of coalescing binaries implies LIGO will observe about 50/yr binary inspiral events. The precision with which H0 and the deceleration parameter q0 may be determined depends on the number of observed inspirals. For fixed mass binary systems, about 100 observations with Rho(0) = 10 in the LIGO will give H0 to 10 percent in an Einstein-DeSitter cosmology, and 3000 will give q0 to 20 percent. For the conservative rate density of coalescing binaries, 100 detections with Rho(0) = 10 will require about 4 yrs.

  14. Future science issues for Galactic very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres, Diego F.

    2008-12-01

    This work intends to provide a brief summary of some of the Galactic science issues for the next generation of very high energy (VHE) instruments. The latter is here generically understood, as an instrument or set of instruments providing about one order of magnitude more sensitivity at its central energy (at about 1 TeV), but extending the observational window to have a real broadband capability (from a few tens of GeV up to tens of TeV) exceeding at low energies the current VHE threshold for observations set by MAGIC as well as the few-tens-of-GeV sensitivity set by Fermi. Science topics regarding populations of emitters, pulsars and their nebula, binaries, supernova remnants, stars, and their associations, are discussed.

  15. Chandra Studies of Unidentified X-ray Sources in the Galactic Bulge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Hideyuki

    2013-09-01

    We propose to study a complete X-ray sample in the luminosity range of > 10^34 erg s^-1 in the Galactic bulge, including 5 unidentified sources detected in the ROSAT All Sky Survey. Our goal is to obtain a clear picture about X-ray populations in the bulge, by utilizing the excellent Chandra position accuracy leading to unique optical identification together with the X-ray spectral properties. This is a new step toward understanding the formation history of the bulge. Furthermore, because the luminosity range we observe corresponds to a ``missing link'' region ever studied for a neutron star or blackhole X-ray binary, our results are also unique to test accretion disk theories at intermediate mass accretion rates.

  16. Binary Systems as Test-Beds of Gravity Theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Damour, Thibault

    The discovery of binary pulsars in 1974 [1] opened up a new testing ground for relativistic gravity. Before this discovery, the only available testing ground for relativistic gravity was the solar system. As Einstein's theory of General Relativity (GR) is one of the basic pillars of modern science, it deserves to be tested, with the highest possible accuracy, in all its aspects. In the solar sys tem, the gravitational field is slowly varying and represents only a very small deformation of a flat spacetime. As a consequence, solar system tests can only probe the quasi-stationary (non-radiative) weak-field limit of relativis tic gravity. By contrast binary systems containing compact objects (neutron stars or black holes) involve spacetime domains (inside and near the compact objects) where the gravitational field is strong. Indeed, the surface relativistic gravitational field h 00 ≈ 2 GM/c 2 R of a neutron star is of order 0.4, which is close to the one of a black hole (2GM/c 2 R = 1) and much larger than the surface gravitational fields of solar system bodies: (2GM/c 2 R)Sun ˜ 10-6, (2GM/c 2 R)Earth ˜ 10-9. In addition, the high stability of “pulsar clocks” has made it possible to monitor the dynamics of its orbital motion down to a precision allowing one to measure the small (˜ (v/c)5) orbital effects linked to the propagation of the gravitational field at the velocity of light between the pulsar and its companion.

  17. A new open cluster binary system in the Milky Way

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piatti, A. E.; Clariá, J. J.; Ahumada, A. V.

    2011-10-01

    We have obtained CCD UBVI_{KC} photometry for the open clusters (OCs) Hogg 12 and NGC 3590. Based on photometric and morphological criteria, as well as on the stellar density in the region, our evidence is sufficient to consider them a new open cluster binary system candidate.

  18. Contact binaries in the Trans-neptunian Belt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thirouin, Audrey; Sheppard, Scott S.

    2017-10-01

    A contact binary is made up of two objects that are almost touching or in contact with each other. These systems have been found in the Near-Earth Object population, the main belt of asteroids, the Jupiter Trojans, the comet population and even in the Trans-neptunian belt.Several studies suggest that up to 30% of the Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) could be contact binaries (Sheppard & Jewitt 2004, Lacerda 2011). Contact binaries are not resolvable with the Hubble Space Telescope because of the small separation between the system's components (Noll et al. 2008). Only lightcurves with a characteristic V-/U-shape at the minimum/maximum of brightness and a large amplitude can identify these contact binaries. Despite an expected high fraction of contact binaries, 2001 QG298 is the only confirmed contact binary in the Trans-Neptunian belt, and 2003 SQ317 is a candidate to this class of systems (Sheppard & Jewitt 2004, Lacerda et al. 2014).Recently, using the Lowell’s 4.3m Discovery Channel Telescope and the 6.5m Magellan Telescope, we started a search for contact binaries at the edge of our Solar System. So far, our survey focused on about 40 objects in different dynamical groups of the Trans-Neptunian belt for sparse or complete lightcurves. We report the discovery of 5 new potential contact binaries converting the current estimate of potential/confirmed contact binaries to 7 objects. With one epoch of observations per object, we are not able to model in detail the systems, but we derive estimate for basic information such as shape, size, density of both objects as well as the separation between the system’s components. In this work, we will present these new systems, their basic characteristics, and we will discuss the potential main reservoir of contact binaries in the Trans-neptunian belt.

  19. WIYN OPEN CLUSTER STUDY. XLVIII. THE HARD-BINARY POPULATION OF NGC 188

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Geller, Aaron M.; Mathieu, Robert D., E-mail: a-geller@northwestern.edu, E-mail: mathieu@astro.wisc.edu

    2012-08-15

    We present an in-depth study of the hard-binary population of the old (7 Gyr) open cluster NGC 188. Utilizing 85 spectroscopic binary orbits out of a complete sample of 129 detected binary members, we study the cluster binary frequency and the distributions of binary orbital elements among the main-sequence (MS), giant, and blue straggler (BS) populations. The results are derived from our ongoing radial velocity survey of the cluster, which spans in magnitude from the brightest stars in the cluster to V = 16.5 (about 1.1-0.9 M{sub Sun} ), and extends to a projected radius of 17 pc ({approx}13 coremore » radii). Our detectable binaries have periods ranging from a few days to of order 10{sup 4} days, and thus are hard binaries that dynamically power the cluster. The MS solar-type hard binaries in NGC 188 are nearly indistinguishable from similar binaries in the Galactic field. We observe a global solar-type MS hard-binary frequency in NGC 188 of 23% {+-} 2%, which when corrected for incompleteness results in a frequency of 29% {+-} 3% for binaries with periods less than 10{sup 4} days. For MS hard binaries in the cluster, we observe a log-period distribution that rises toward our detection limit, a roughly Gaussian eccentricity distribution centered on e = 0.35 (for binaries with periods longer than the circularization period), and a secondary-mass distribution that rises toward lower-mass companions. Importantly, the NGC 188 BS binaries show significantly different characteristics than the solar-type MS binaries in NGC 188. We observe a BS hard-binary frequency of 76% {+-} 19%, three times that of the MS. The excess of this binary frequency over the normal MS binary frequency is valid at the >99% confidence level. Furthermore, the BS binary eccentricity-log-period distribution is distinct from that of the MS at the 99% confidence level, with the majority of the BS binaries having periods of order 1000 days and lower eccentricities. The secondary-mass distribution

  20. Galactic Tidal Shocks Effects in Globular Clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cruz, F.; Aguilar, L.

    2001-07-01

    We present results of a set of N--Body simulations of 105--particle King models in the presence of a realistic Galactic tidal field. Tidal effects over a cluster are dominated by two processes, differentiated by the way they produc e mass loss in the system. The first one is the Roche lobe overflow, which depend s directly on the ratio of cluster to the Roche lobe size. The second process is tidal heating, produced by the time varying part of the Galactic tide, which injects energy directly on the orbits of the stars inside the cluster.

  1. Binary Cepheids: Separations and Mass Ratios in 5 M ⊙ Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, Nancy Evans; Bond, Howard E.; Schaefer, Gail H.; Mason, Brian D.; Karovska, Margarita; Tingle, Evan

    2013-10-01

    Deriving the distribution of binary parameters for a particular class of stars over the full range of orbital separations usually requires the combination of results from many different observing techniques (radial velocities, interferometry, astrometry, photometry, direct imaging), each with selection biases. However, Cepheids—cool, evolved stars of ~5 M ⊙—are a special case because ultraviolet (UV) spectra will immediately reveal any companion star hotter than early type A, regardless of the orbital separation. We have used International Ultraviolet Explorer UV spectra of a complete sample of all 76 Cepheids brighter than V = 8 to create a list of all 18 Cepheids with companions more massive than 2.0 M ⊙. Orbital periods of many of these binaries are available from radial-velocity studies, or can be estimated for longer-period systems from detected velocity variability. In an imaging survey with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3, we resolved three of the companions (those of η Aql, S Nor, and V659 Cen), allowing us to make estimates of the periods out to the long-period end of the distribution. Combining these separations with orbital data in the literature, we derive an unbiased distribution of binary separations, orbital periods, and mass ratios. The distribution of orbital periods shows that the 5 M ⊙ binaries have systematically shorter periods than do 1 M ⊙ stars. Our data also suggest that the distribution of mass ratios depends on both binary separation and system multiplicity. The distribution of mass ratios as a function of orbital separation, however, does not depend on whether a system is a binary or a triple. Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained by the Space Telescope Science Institute. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

  2. Division H Commission 33: Structure & Dynamics of the Galactic System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nordström, Birgitta; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Wyse, Rosemary; Athanassoula, Lia; Feltzing, Sofia; Jog, Chanda; Lockman, Jay; Minniti, Dante; Robin, Annie

    2016-04-01

    Research on the structure and dynamics of the Galactic System covers a large field of research, from formation scenarios to long-term evolution and secular processes. Today we speak of near-field cosmology where the oldest parts of the Galaxy are used to probe back to early times, e.g. studying the chemical signatures of the oldest star clusters and dwarf galaxies to learn about the byproducts of the first stars. Some of the most detailed work relates to the structure of the dark matter and baryons in order to compare with expectation from N-body models. Secular processes have been identified (e.g. stellar migration) where material within the Galaxy is being reorganized by dynamical resonances and feedback processes.

  3. Photometric and Spectroscopic Analysis for the Determination of Physical Parameters of an Eclipsing Binary Star System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reid, Piper

    2013-01-01

    A binary star system is a pair of stars that are bound together by gravity. Most of the stars that we see in the night sky are members of multiple star systems. A system of stars where one star passes in front of the other (as observed from Earth) on a periodic basis is called an eclipsing binary. Eclipsing binaries can have very short rotational periods and in all cases these pairs of stars are so far away that they can only be resolved from Earth as a single point of light. The interaction of the two stars serves to produce physical phenomena that can be observed and used to study stellar properties. By careful data collection and analysis is it possible for an amateur astronomer using commercial, low cost equipment (including a home built spectroscope) to gather photometric (brightness versus time) and spectroscopic (brightness versus wavelength) data, analyze the data, and calculate the physical properties of a binary star system? Using a CCD camera, tracking mount and telescope photometric data of BB Pegasi was collected and a light curve produced. 57 Cygni was also studied using a spectroscope, tracking mount and telescope to prove that Doppler shift of Hydrogen Balmer absorption lines can be used to determine radial velocity. The orbital period, orbital velocity, radius of each star, separation of the two stars and mass of each star was calculated for the eclipsing binary BB Pegasi using photometric and spectroscopic data and Kepler’s 3rd Law. These data were then compared to published data. By careful use of consumer grade astronomical equipment it is possible for an amateur astronomer to determine an array of physical parameters of a distant binary star system from a suburban setting.

  4. Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton Accretion onto Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antoni, Andrea; MacLeod, Morgan; Ramírez-Ruiz, Enrico

    2018-01-01

    Binary stars are not rare. While only close binary stars will eventually interact with one another, even the widest binary systems interact with their gaseous surroundings. The rates of accretion and the gaseous drag forces arising in these interactions are the key to understanding how these systems evolve. This poster examines accretion flows around a binary system moving supersonically through a background gas. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion using the adaptive mesh refinement code FLASH. We simulate a range of values of semi-major axis of the orbit relative to the gravitational focusing impact parameter of the pair. On large scales, gas is gravitationally focused by the center-of-mass of the binary, leading to dynamical friction drag and to the accretion of mass and momentum. On smaller scales, the orbital motion imprints itself on the gas. Notably, the magnitude and direction of the forces acting on the binary inherit this orbital dependence. The long-term evolution of the binary is determined by the timescales for accretion, slow down of the center-of-mass, and decay of the orbit. We use our simulations to measure these timescales and to establish a hierarchy between them. In general, our simulations indicate that binaries moving through gaseous media will slow down before the orbit decays.

  5. A Search for Novae in the M31 Globular Cluster System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomaney, Austin; Crotts, Arlin; Shafter, Allen

    1992-12-01

    Roughly 10% of all low mass X-ray binaries (LMXB's, neutron star - low mass sequence close binaries) are found in Galactic globular clusters (GC's) implying an enhancement per unit mass of roughly three orders of magnitude of these objects inside GC's compared with the field. Fabian, Pringle and Rees (1975) suggested that these lcose binary systems may be formed via tidal capture in the dense cluster cores. Similar arguments are likely to apply to nova systems which are cataclysmic variables (CV's) consisting of a close binary white dwarf - low mass main sequence star. Supporting arguments include the discovery over the past century of two novae in Galactic GC's, and the existence of low luminosity X-ray sources in GC's (Hertz and Grindlay 1983). In addition, surveys for novae in M31 indicate that the specfic density of novae in its bulge is an order of magnitude higher than its disk and it has been argued by Ciardullo et al. (1987) that novae in the bulge of M31 have been spawned inside GC's and subsequently ejected into the field. We present the results of a search (during 1988 and 1989) of over 200 M31 GC's using a fibre multi-object spectrograph to detect Hα emission, a signature of a potential nova eruptions. No eruptions were detected over an effective survey time of one year for the entire known M31 GC system. Although the lower mass of white dwarfs compared with neutron stars implies their effective capture cross section is smaller, we argue that since novae occur much more frequently on high mass white dwarfs this survey provides a sensitive test to the number of high mass CV's in GC's and their enhancement is unlikely to be as high as LMXB's.

  6. Binaries and triples among asteroid pairs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pravec, Petr; Scheirich, Peter; Kušnirák, Peter; Hornoch, Kamil; Galád, Adrián

    2015-08-01

    Despite major achievements obtained during the past two decades, our knowledge of the population and properties of small binary and multiple asteroid systems is still far from advanced. There is a numerous indirect evidence for that most small asteroid systems were formed by rotational fission of cohesionless parent asteroids that were spun up to the critical frequency presumably by YORP, but details of the process are lacking. Furthermore, as we proceed with observations of more and more binary and paired asteroids, we reveal new facts that substantially refine and sometimes change our understanding of the asteroid systems. One significant new finding we have recently obtained is that primaries of many asteroid pairs are actually binary or triple systems. The first such case found is (3749) Balam (Vokrouhlický, ApJL 706, L37, 2009). We have found 9 more binary systems among asteroid pairs within our ongoing NEOSource photometric project since October 2012. They are (6369) 1983 UC, (8306) Shoko, (9783) Tensho-kan, (10123) Fideoja, (21436) Chaoyichi, (43008) 1999 UD31, (44620) 1999 RS43, (46829) 1998 OS14 and (80218) 1999 VO123. We will review their characteristics. These paired binaries as we call them are mostly similar to binaries in the general ("background") population (of unpaired asteroids), but there are a few trends. The paired binaries tend to have larger secondaries with D_2/D_1 = 0.3 to 0.5 and they also tend to be wider systems with 8 of the 10 having orbital periods between 30 and 81 hours, than average among binaries in the general population. There may be also a larger fraction of triples; (3749) Balam is a confirmed triple, having a larger close and a smaller distant satellite, and (8306) Shoko and (10123) Fideoja are suspect triples as they show additional rotational lightcurve components with periods of 61 and 38.8 h that differ from the orbital period of 36.2 and 56.5 h, respectively. The unbound secondaries tend to be of the same size or

  7. Three-dimensional Hydrodynamical Simulations of Mass Transfer in Binary Systems by a Free Wind

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Zheng-Wei; Stancliffe, Richard J.; Abate, Carlo

    A large fraction of stars in binary systems are expected to undergo mass and angular momentum exchange at some point in their evolution, which can drastically alter the chemical and dynamical properties and fates of the systems. Interaction by stellar wind is an important process in wide binaries. However, the details of wind mass transfer are still not well understood. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of wind mass transfer in binary systems to explore mass-accretion efficiencies and geometries of mass outflows, for a range of mass ratios from 0.05 to 1.0. In particular, we focus on the case of amore » free wind, in which some physical mechanism accelerates the expelled wind material balancing the gravity of the mass-losing star with the wind velocity comparable to the orbital velocity of the system. We find that the mass-accretion efficiency and accreted specific angular momentum increase with the mass ratio of the system. For an adiabatic wind, we obtain that the accretion efficiency onto the secondary star varies from about 0.1% to 8% for mass ratios between 0.05 and 1.0.« less

  8. A First Estimate of the X-Ray Binary Frequency as a Function of Star Cluster Mass in a Single Galactic System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, D. M.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Brandl, B. R.; Wilson, J. C.; Carson, J. C.; Henderson, C. P.; Hayward, T. L.; Barry, D. J.; Ptak, A. F.; Colbert, E. J. M.

    2008-05-01

    We use the previously identified 15 infrared star cluster counterparts to X-ray point sources in the interacting galaxies NGC 4038/4039 (the Antennae) to study the relationship between total cluster mass and X-ray binary number. This significant population of X-Ray/IR associations allows us to perform, for the first time, a statistical study of X-ray point sources and their environments. We define a quantity, η, relating the fraction of X-ray sources per unit mass as a function of cluster mass in the Antennae. We compute cluster mass by fitting spectral evolutionary models to Ks luminosity. Considering that this method depends on cluster age, we use four different age distributions to explore the effects of cluster age on the value of η and find it varies by less than a factor of 4. We find a mean value of η for these different distributions of η = 1.7 × 10-8 M-1⊙ with ση = 1.2 × 10-8 M-1⊙. Performing a χ2 test, we demonstrate η could exhibit a positive slope, but that it depends on the assumed distribution in cluster ages. While the estimated uncertainties in η are factors of a few, we believe this is the first estimate made of this quantity to "order of magnitude" accuracy. We also compare our findings to theoretical models of open and globular cluster evolution, incorporating the X-ray binary fraction per cluster.

  9. Hydrodynamical processes in coalescing binary stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lai, Dong

    1994-01-01

    Coalescing neutron star binaries are considered to be the most promising sources of gravitational waves that could be detected by the planned laser-interferometer LIGO/VIRGO detectors. Extracting gravity wave signals from noisy data requires accurate theoretical waveforms in the frequency range 10-1000 Hz end detailed understanding of the dynamics of the binary orbits. We investigate the quasi-equilibrium and dynamical tidal interactions in coalescing binary stars, with particular focus on binary neutron stars. We develop a new formalism to study the equilibrium and dynamics of fluid stars in binary systems. The stars are modeled as compressible ellipsoids, and satisfy polytropic equation of state. The hydrodynamic equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the principal axes and other global quantities. The equilibrium binary structure is determined by a set of algebraic equations. We consider both synchronized and nonsynchronized systems, obtaining the generalizations to compressible fluid of the classical results for the ellipsoidal binary configurations. Our method can be applied to a wide variety of astrophysical binary systems containing neutron stars, white dwarfs, main-sequence stars and planets. We find that both secular and dynamical instabilities can develop in close binaries. The quasi-static (secular) orbital evolution, as well as the dynamical evolution of binaries driven by viscous dissipation and gravitational radiation reaction are studied. The development of the dynamical instability accelerates the binary coalescence at small separation, leading to appreciable radial infall velocity near contact. We also study resonant excitations of g-mode oscillations in coalescing binary neutron stars. A resonance occurs when the frequency of the tidal driving force equals one of the intrinsic g-mode frequencies. Using realistic microscopic nuclear equations of state, we determine the g-modes in a cold neutron atar

  10. ON THE RARITY OF X-RAY BINARIES WITH NAKED HELIUM DONORS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Linden, T.; Valsecchi, F.; Kalogera, V.

    The paucity of known high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with naked He donor stars (hereafter He star) in the Galaxy has been noted over the years as a surprising fact, given the significant number of Galactic HMXBs containing H-rich donors, which are expected to be their progenitors. This contrast has further sharpened in light of recent observations uncovering a preponderance of HMXBs hosting loosely bound Be donors orbiting neutron stars (NSs), which would be expected to naturally evolve into He-HMXBs through dynamical mass transfer onto the NS and a common-envelope (CE) phase. Hence, reconciling the large population of Be-HMXBs with themore » observation of only one He-HMXB can help constrain the dynamics of CE physics. Here, we use detailed stellar structure and evolution models and show that binary mergers of HMXBs during CE events must be common in order to resolve the tension between these observed populations. We find that, quantitatively, this scenario remains consistent with the typically adopted energy parameterization of CE evolution, yielding expected populations which are not at odds with current observations. However, future observations which better constrain the underlying population of loosely bound O/B-NS binaries are likely to place significant constraints on the efficiency of CE ejection.« less

  11. A VLT/NACO survey for triple and quadruple systems among visual pre-main sequence binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Correia, S.; Zinnecker, H.; Ratzka, Th.; Sterzik, M. F.

    2006-12-01

    Aims.This paper describes a systematic search for high-order multiplicity among wide visual Pre-Main Sequence (PMS) binaries. Methods: .We conducted an Adaptive Optics survey of a sample of 58 PMS wide binaries from various star-forming regions, which include 52 T Tauri systems with mostly K- and M-type primaries, with the NIR instrument NACO at the VLT. Results: .Of these 52 systems, 7 are found to be triple (2 new) and 7 quadruple (1 new). The new close companions are most likely physically bound based on their probability of chance projection and, for some of them, on their position on a color-color diagram. The corresponding degree of multiplicity among wide binaries (number of triples and quadruples divided by the number of systems) is 26.9 ± 7.2% in the projected separation range ~0.07 arcsec -12'', with the largest contribution from the Taurus-Auriga cloud. We also found that this degree of multiplicity is twice in Taurus compared to Ophiuchus and Chamaeleon for which the same number of sources are present in our sample. Considering a restricted sample composed of systems at distance 140-190 pc, the degree of multiplicity is 26.8 ± 8.1%, in the separation range 10/14 AU-1700/2300 AU (30 binaries, 5 triples, 6 quadruples). The observed frequency agrees with results from previous multiplicity surveys within the uncertainties, although a significant overabundance of quadruple systems compared to triple systems is apparent. Tentatively including the spectroscopic pairs in our restricted sample and comparing the multiplicity fractions to those measured for solar-type main-sequence stars in the solar neighborhood leads to the conclusion that both the ratio of triples to binaries and the ratio of quadruples to triples seems to be in excess among young stars. Most of the current numerical simulations of multiple star formation, and especially smoothed particles hydrodynamics simulations, over-predict the fraction of high-order multiplicity when compared to our

  12. Intermittent behavior of galactic dynamo activities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ko, C. M.; Parker, E. N.

    1989-01-01

    Recent observations by Beck and Golla of far-infrared and radio continuum emission from nearby spiral galaxies suggest that the galactic magnetic field strength is connected to the current star formation rate. The role of star formation on the generation of large-scale galactic magnetic field is studied in this paper. Using a simple galactic model, it is shown how the galactic dynamo depends strongly on the turbulent velocity of the interstellar medium. When the star formation efficiency is high, the ISM is churned which in turn amplifies the galactic magnetic field. Between active star formation epochs, the magnetic field is in dormant state and decays at a negligible rate. If density waves trigger star formation, then they also turn on the otherwise dormant dynamo.

  13. Geometric relationships for homogenization in single-phase binary alloy systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Unnam, J.; Tenney, D. R.; Stein, B. A.

    1978-01-01

    A semiempirical relationship is presented which describes the extent of interaction between constituents in single-phase binary alloy systems having planar, cylindrical, or spherical interfaces. This relationship makes possible a quick estimate of the extent of interaction without lengthy numerical calculations. It includes two parameters which are functions of mean concentration and interface geometry. Experimental data for the copper-nickel system are included to demonstrate the usefulness of this relationship.

  14. The Evolution of the Globular Cluster System in a Triaxial Galaxy: Can a Galactic Nucleus Form by Globular Cluster Capture?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capuzzo-Dolcetta, Roberto

    1993-10-01

    Among the possible phenomena inducing evolution of the globular cluster system in an elliptical galaxy, dynamical friction due to field stars and tidal disruption caused by a central nucleus is of crucial importance. The aim of this paper is the study of the evolution of the globular cluster system in a triaxial galaxy in the presence of these phenomena. In particular, the possibility is examined that some galactic nuclei have been formed by frictionally decayed globular clusters moving in a triaxial potential. We find that the initial rapid growth of the nucleus, due mainly to massive clusters on box orbits falling in a short time scale into the galactic center, is later slowed by tidal disruption induced by the nucleus itself on less massive clusters in the way described by Ostriker, Binney, and Saha. The efficiency of dynamical friction is such to carry to the center of the galaxy enough globular cluster mass available to form a compact nucleus, but the actual modes and results of cluster-cluster encounters in the central potential well are complicated phenomena which remains to be investigated. The mass of the resulting nucleus is determined by the mutual feedback of the described processes, together with the initial spatial, velocity, and mass distributions of the globular cluster family. The effect on the system mass function is studied, showing the development of a low- and high-mass turnover even with an initially flat mass function. Moreover, in this paper is discussed the possibility that the globular cluster fall to the galactic center has been a cause of primordial violent galactic activity. An application of the model to M31 is presented.

  15. Isobaric vapor-liquid equilibria for binary systems α-phenylethylamine + toluene and α-phenylethylamine + cyclohexane at 100 kPa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Xiaoru; Gao, Yingyu; Ban, Chunlan; Huang, Qiang

    2016-09-01

    In this paper the results of the vapor-liquid equilibria study at 100 kPa are presented for two binary systems: α-phenylethylamine(1) + toluene (2) and (α-phenylethylamine(1) + cyclohexane(2)). The binary VLE data of the two systems were correlated by the Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC models. For each binary system the deviations between the results of the correlations and the experimental data have been calculated. For the both binary systems the average relative deviations in temperature for the three models were lower than 0.99%. The average absolute deviations in vapour phase composition (mole fractions) and in temperature T were lower than 0.0271 and 1.93 K, respectively. Thermodynamic consistency has been tested for all vapor-liquid equilibrium data by the Herrington method. The values calculated by Wilson and NRTL equations satisfied the thermodynamics consistency test for the both two systems, while the values calculated by UNIQUAC equation didn't.

  16. Period Variations of the Eclipsing Binary Systems T LMi and VX Lac

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yılmaz, M.; İzci, D. D.; Gümüş, D.; Özavci, İ.; Selam, S. O.

    2015-07-01

    We present a period analysis of the two Algol-type eclipsing binary systems T LMi and VX Lac using all available times of minimum in the literature, as well as new minima obtained at the Ankara University Kreiken Observatory. The period analysis of T LMi suggests mass transfer between the components and also a third body that is dynamically bound to the binary system. The analysis of VX Lac also suggests mass transfer between the components, and the presence of a third and a fourth body under the assumption of a Light-Time Effect. In addition, the periodic variation of VX Lac was examined under the hypothesis of magnetic activity, and the corresponding parameters were derived. We report here the orbital parameters for both systems, along with the ones related to mass transfer, and those for the third and fourth bodies.

  17. Binary asteroid population. 2. Anisotropic distribution of orbit poles of small, inner main-belt binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pravec, P.; Scheirich, P.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Harris, A. W.; Kušnirák, P.; Hornoch, K.; Pray, D. P.; Higgins, D.; Galád, A.; Világi, J.; Gajdoš, Š.; Kornoš, L.; Oey, J.; Husárik, M.; Cooney, W. R.; Gross, J.; Terrell, D.; Durkee, R.; Pollock, J.; Reichart, D. E.; Ivarsen, K.; Haislip, J.; LaCluyze, A.; Krugly, Yu. N.; Gaftonyuk, N.; Stephens, R. D.; Dyvig, R.; Reddy, V.; Chiorny, V.; Vaduvescu, O.; Longa-Peña, P.; Tudorica, A.; Warner, B. D.; Masi, G.; Brinsfield, J.; Gonçalves, R.; Brown, P.; Krzeminski, Z.; Gerashchenko, O.; Shevchenko, V.; Molotov, I.; Marchis, F.

    2012-03-01

    Our photometric observations of 18 main-belt binary systems in more than one apparition revealed a strikingly high number of 15 having positively re-observed mutual events in the return apparitions. Our simulations of the survey showed that it cannot be due to an observational selection effect and that the data strongly suggest that poles of mutual orbits between components of binary asteroids in the primary size range 3-8 km are not distributed randomly: The null hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of the orbit poles is rejected at a confidence level greater than 99.99%. Binary orbit poles concentrate at high ecliptic latitudes, within 30° of the poles of the ecliptic. We propose that the binary orbit poles oriented preferentially up/down-right are due to either of the two processes: (i) the YORP tilt of spin axes of their parent bodies toward the asymptotic states near obliquities 0° and 180° (pre-formation mechanism) or (ii) the YORP tilt of spin axes of the primary components of already formed binary systems toward the asymptotic states near obliquities 0° and 180° (post-formation mechanism). The alternative process of elimination of binaries with poles closer to the ecliptic by dynamical instability, such as the Kozai effect due to gravitational perturbations from the Sun, does not explain the observed orbit pole concentration. This is because for close binary asteroid systems, the gravitational effects of primary’s irregular shape dominate the solar-tide effect.

  18. Special Features of Galactic Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Efthymiopoulos, Christos; Voglis, Nikos; Kalapotharakos, Constantinos

    This is an introductory article to some basic notions and currently open problems of galactic dynamics. The focus is on topics mostly relevant to the so-called `new methods' of celestial mechanics or Hamiltonian dynamics, as applied to the ellipsoidal components of galaxies, i.e., to the elliptical galaxies and to the dark halos and bulges of disk galaxies. Traditional topics such as Jeans theorem, the role of a `third integral' of motion, Nekhoroshev theory, violent relaxation, and the statistical mechanics of collisionless stellar systems are first discussed. The emphasis is on modern extrapolations of these old topics. Recent results from orbital and global dynamical studies of galaxies are then shortly reviewed. The role of various families of orbits in supporting self-consistency, as well as the role of chaos in galaxies, are stressed. A description is then given of the main numerical techniques of integration of the N-body problem in the framework of stellar dynamics and of the results obtained via N-Body experiments. A final topic is the secular evolution and self-organization of galactic systems.

  19. Search for EeV protons of galactic origin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbasi, R. U.; Abe, M.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Allen, M.; Azuma, R.; Barcikowski, E.; Belz, J. W.; Bergman, D. R.; Blake, S. A.; Cady, R.; Cheon, B. G.; Chiba, J.; Chikawa, M.; Fujii, T.; Fukushima, M.; Goto, T.; Hanlon, W.; Hayashi, Y.; Hayashi, M.; Hayashida, N.; Hibino, K.; Honda, K.; Ikeda, D.; Inoue, N.; Ishii, T.; Ishimori, R.; Ito, H.; Ivanov, D.; Jui, C. C. H.; Kadota, K.; Kakimoto, F.; Kalashev, O.; Kasahara, K.; Kawai, H.; Kawakami, S.; Kawana, S.; Kawata, K.; Kido, E.; Kim, H. B.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, J. H.; Kishigami, S.; Kitamura, S.; Kitamura, Y.; Kuzmin, V.; Kwon, Y. J.; Lan, J.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lundquist, J. P.; Machida, K.; Martens, K.; Matsuda, T.; Matsuyama, T.; Matthews, J. N.; Minamino, M.; Mukai, K.; Myers, I.; Nagasawa, K.; Nagataki, S.; Nakamura, T.; Nonaka, T.; Nozato, A.; Ogio, S.; Ogura, J.; Ohnishi, M.; Ohoka, H.; Oki, K.; Okuda, T.; Ono, M.; Onogi, R.; Oshima, A.; Ozawa, S.; Park, I. H.; Pshirkov, M. S.; Rodriguez, D. C.; Rubtsov, G.; Ryu, D.; Sagawa, H.; Saito, K.; Saito, Y.; Sakaki, N.; Sakurai, N.; Scott, L. M.; Sekino, K.; Shah, P. D.; Shibata, T.; Shibata, F.; Shimodaira, H.; Shin, B. K.; Shin, H. S.; Smith, J. D.; Sokolsky, P.; Stokes, B. T.; Stratton, S. R.; Stroman, T. A.; Suzawa, T.; Takahashi, Y.; Takamura, M.; Takeda, M.; Takeishi, R.; Taketa, A.; Takita, M.; Tameda, Y.; Tanaka, M.; Tanaka, K.; Tanaka, H.; Thomas, S. B.; Thomson, G. B.; Tinyakov, P.; Tirone, A. H.; Tkachev, I.; Tokuno, H.; Tomida, T.; Troitsky, S.; Tsunesada, Y.; Tsutsumi, K.; Uchihori, Y.; Udo, S.; Urban, F.; Wong, T.; Yamane, R.; Yamaoka, H.; Yamazaki, K.; Yang, J.; Yashiro, K.; Yoneda, Y.; Yoshida, S.; Yoshii, H.; Zollinger, R.; Zundel, Z.

    2017-01-01

    Cosmic rays in the energy range 1018.0-1018.5 eV are thought to have a light, probably protonic, composition. To study their origin one can search for anisotropy in their arrival directions. Extragalactic cosmic rays should be isotropic, but galactic cosmic rays of this type should be seen mostly along the galactic plane, and there should be a shortage of events coming from directions near the galactic anticenter. This is due to the fact that, under the influence of the galactic magnetic field, the transition from ballistic to diffusive behavior is well advanced, and this qualitative picture persists over the whole energy range. Guided by models of the galactic magnetic field that indicate that the enhancement along the galactic plane should have a standard deviation of about 20° in galactic latitude, and the deficit in the galactic anticenter direction should have a standard deviation of about 50° in galactic longitude, we use the data of the Telescope Array surface detector in 1018.0 to 1018.5 eV energy range to search for these effects. The data are isotropic. Neither an enhancement along the galactic plane nor a deficit in the galactic anticenter direction is found. Using these data we place an upper limit on the fraction of EeV cosmic rays of galactic origin at 1.3% at 95% confidence level.

  20. SLoWPoKES-II: 100,000 WIDE BINARIES IDENTIFIED IN SDSS WITHOUT PROPER MOTIONS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dhital, Saurav; West, Andrew A.; Schluns, Kyle J.

    2015-08-15

    We present the Sloan Low-mass Wide Pairs of Kinematically Equivalent Stars (SLoWPoKES)-II catalog of low-mass visual binaries identified from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by matching photometric distances. The candidate pairs are vetted by comparing the stellar information. The candidate pairs are vetted by comparing the stellar density at their respective Galactic positions to Monte Carlo realizations of a simulated Milky Way. In this way, we are able to identify large numbers of bona fide wide binaries without the need for proper motions. Here, 105,537 visual binaries with angular separations of ∼1–20″ were identified, each with a probability ofmore » chance alignment of ≤5%. This is the largest catalog of bona fide wide binaries to date, and it contains a diversity of systems—in mass, mass ratios, binary separations, metallicity, and evolutionary states—that should facilitate follow-up studies to characterize the properties of M dwarfs and white dwarfs. There is a subtle but definitive suggestion of multiple populations in the physical separation distribution, supporting earlier findings. We suggest that wide binaries are composed of multiple populations, most likely representing different formation modes. There are 141 M7 or later wide binary candidates, representing a seven-fold increase over the number currently known. These binaries are too wide to have been formed via the ejection mechanism. Finally, we found that 6% of spectroscopically confirmed M dwarfs are not included in the SDSS STAR catalog; they are misclassified as extended sources due to the presence of a nearby or partially resolved companion. The SLoWPoKES-II catalog is publicly available to the entire community on the World Wide Web via the Filtergraph data visualization portal.« less

  1. Supra-galactic colour patterns in globular cluster systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forte, Juan C.

    2017-07-01

    An analysis of globular cluster systems associated with galaxies included in the Virgo and Fornax Hubble Space Telescope-Advanced Camera Surveys reveals distinct (g - z) colour modulation patterns. These features appear on composite samples of globular clusters and, most evidently, in galaxies with absolute magnitudes Mg in the range from -20.2 to -19.2. These colour modulations are also detectable on some samples of globular clusters in the central galaxies NGC 1399 and NGC 4486 (and confirmed on data sets obtained with different instruments and photometric systems), as well as in other bright galaxies in these clusters. After discarding field contamination, photometric errors and statistical effects, we conclude that these supra-galactic colour patterns are real and reflect some previously unknown characteristic. These features suggest that the globular cluster formation process was not entirely stochastic but included a fraction of clusters that formed in a rather synchronized fashion over large spatial scales, and in a tentative time lapse of about 1.5 Gy at redshifts z between 2 and 4. We speculate that the putative mechanism leading to that synchronism may be associated with large scale feedback effects connected with violent star-forming events and/or with supermassive black holes.

  2. Search for A-F Spectral type pulsating components in Algol-type eclipsing binary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, S.-L.; Lee, J. W.; Kwon, S.-G.; Youn, J.-H.; Mkrtichian, D. E.; Kim, C.

    2003-07-01

    We present the results of a systematic search for pulsating components in Algol-type eclipsing binary systems. A total number of 14 eclipsing binaries with A-F spectral type primary components were observed for 22 nights. We confirmed small-amplitude oscillating features of a recently detected pulsator TW Dra, which has a pulsating period of 0.053 day and a semi-amplitude of about 5 mmag in B-passband. We discovered new pulsating components in two eclipsing binaries of RX Hya and AB Per. The primary component of RX Hya is pulsating with a dominant period of 0.052 day and a semi-amplitude of about 7 mmag. AB Per has also a pulsating component with a period of 0.196 day and a semi-amplitude of about 10 mmag in B-passband. We suggest that these two new pulsators are members of the newly introduced group of mass-accreting pulsating stars in semi-detached Algol-type eclipsing binary systems. Table 4 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/405/231

  3. Colliding Winds in Massive Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thaller, M. L.

    1998-12-01

    In close binary systems of massive stars, the individual stellar winds will collide and form a bow shock between the stars, which may have significant impact on the mass-loss and evolution of the system. The existence of such a shock can be established through orbital-phase related variations in the UV resonance lines and optical emission lines. High density regions near the shock will produce Hα and Helium I emission which can be used to map the mass-flow structure of the system. The shock front between the stars may influence the balance of mass-loss versus mass-transfer in massive binary evolution, as matter lost to one star due to Roche lobe overflow may hit the shock and be deflected before it can accrete onto the surface of the other star. I have completed a high-resolution spectroscopic survey of 37 massive binaries, and compared the incidence and strength of emission to an independent survey of single massive stars. Binary stars show a statistically significant overabundance of optical emission, especially when one of the binary stars is in either a giant or supergiant phase of evolution. Seven systems in my survey exhibited clear signs of orbital phase related emission, and for three of the stars (HD 149404, HD 152248, and HD 163181), I present qualitative models of the mass-flow dynamics of the systems.

  4. Does the Galactic Bulge Have Fewer Planets?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2016-12-01

    The Milky Ways dense central bulge is a very different environment than the surrounding galactic disk in which we live. Do the differences affect the ability of planets to form in the bulge?Exploring Galactic PlanetsSchematic illustrating how gravitational microlensing by an extrasolar planet works. [NASA]Planet formation is a complex process with many aspects that we dont yet understand. Do environmental properties like host star metallicity, the density of nearby stars, or the intensity of the ambient radiation field affect the ability of planets to form? To answer these questions, we will ultimately need to search for planets around stars in a large variety of different environments in our galaxy.One way to detect recently formed, distant planets is by gravitational microlensing. In this process, light from a distant source star is bent by a lens star that is briefly located between us and the source. As the Earth moves, this momentary alignment causes a blip in the sources light curve that we can detect and planets hosted by the lens star can cause an additional observable bump.Artists impression of the Milky Way galaxy. The central bulge is much denserthan the surroundingdisk. [ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Kornmesser/R. Hurt]Relative AbundancesMost source stars reside in the galactic bulge, so microlensing events can probe planetary systems at any distance between the Earth and the galactic bulge. This means that planet detections from microlensing could potentially be used to measure the relative abundances of exoplanets in different parts of our galaxy.A team of scientists led by Matthew Penny, a Sagan postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University, set out to do just that. The group considered a sample of 31 exoplanetary systems detected by microlensing and asked the following question: are the planet abundances in the galactic bulge and the galactic disk the same?A Paucity of PlanetsTo answer this question, Penny and collaborators derived the expected

  5. Embedded binaries and their dense cores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadavoy, Sarah I.; Stahler, Steven W.

    2017-08-01

    We explore the relationship between young, embedded binaries and their parent cores, using observations within the Perseus Molecular Cloud. We combine recently published Very Large Array observations of young stars with core properties obtained from Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 observations at 850 μm. Most embedded binary systems are found towards the centres of their parent cores, although several systems have components closer to the core edge. Wide binaries, defined as those systems with physical separations greater than 500 au, show a tendency to be aligned with the long axes of their parent cores, whereas tight binaries show no preferred orientation. We test a number of simple, evolutionary models to account for the observed populations of Class 0 and I sources, both single and binary. In the model that best explains the observations, all stars form initially as wide binaries. These binaries either break up into separate stars or else shrink into tighter orbits. Under the assumption that both stars remain embedded following binary break-up, we find a total star formation rate of 168 Myr-1. Alternatively, one star may be ejected from the dense core due to binary break-up. This latter assumption results in a star formation rate of 247 Myr-1. Both production rates are in satisfactory agreement with current estimates from other studies of Perseus. Future observations should be able to distinguish between these two possibilities. If our model continues to provide a good fit to other star-forming regions, then the mass fraction of dense cores that becomes stars is double what is currently believed.

  6. Formation of wide binaries by turbulent fragmentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Jeong-Eun; Lee, Seokho; Dunham, Michael M.; Tatematsu, Ken'ichi; Choi, Minho; Bergin, Edwin A.; Evans, Neal J.

    2017-08-01

    Understanding the formation of wide-binary systems of very low-mass stars (M ≤ 0.1 solar masses, M⊙) is challenging 1,2,3 . The most obvious route is through widely separated low-mass collapsing fragments produced by turbulent fragmentation of a molecular core4,5. However, close binaries or multiples from disk fragmentation can also evolve to wide binaries over a few initial crossing times of the stellar cluster through tidal evolution6. Finding an isolated low-mass wide-binary system in the earliest stage of formation, before tidal evolution could occur, would prove that turbulent fragmentation is a viable mechanism for (very) low-mass wide binaries. Here we report high-resolution ALMA observations of a known wide-separation protostellar binary, showing that each component has a circumstellar disk. The system is too young7 to have evolved from a close binary, and the disk axes are misaligned, providing strong support for the turbulent fragmentation model. Masses of both stars are derived from the Keplerian rotation of the disks; both are very low-mass stars.

  7. Massive Binary Black Holes in the Cosmic Landscape

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colpi, Monica; Dotti, Massimo

    2011-02-01

    Binary black holes occupy a special place in our quest for understanding the evolution of galaxies along cosmic history. If massive black holes grow at the center of (pre-)galactic structures that experience a sequence of merger episodes, then dual black holes form as inescapable outcome of galaxy assembly, and can in principle be detected as powerful dual quasars. But, if the black holes reach coalescence, during their inspiral inside the galaxy remnant, then they become the loudest sources of gravitational waves ever in the universe. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna is being developed to reveal these waves that carry information on the mass and spin of these binary black holes out to very large look-back times. Nature seems to provide a pathway for the formation of these exotic binaries, and a number of key questions need to be addressed: How do massive black holes pair in a merger? Depending on the properties of the underlying galaxies, do black holes always form a close Keplerian binary? If a binary forms, does hardening proceed down to the domain controlled by gravitational wave back reaction? What is the role played by gas and/or stars in braking the black holes, and on which timescale does coalescence occur? Can the black holes accrete on flight and shine during their pathway to coalescence? After outlining key observational facts on dual/binary black holes, we review the progress made in tracing their dynamics in the habitat of a gas-rich merger down to the smallest scales ever probed with the help of powerful numerical simulations. N-Body/hydrodynamical codes have proven to be vital tools for studying their evolution, and progress in this field is expected to grow rapidly in the effort to describe, in full realism, the physics of stars and gas around the black holes, starting from the cosmological large scale of a merger. If detected in the new window provided by the upcoming gravitational wave experiments, binary black holes will provide a deep view

  8. Simulation of thermally induced processes of diffusion and phase formation in layered binary metallic systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rusakov, V. S.; Sukhorukov, I. A.; Zhankadamova, A. M.; Kadyrzhanov, K. K.

    2010-05-01

    Results of the simulation of thermally induced processes of diffusion and phase formation in model and experimentally investigated layered binary metallic systems are presented. The physical model is based on the Darken phenomenological theory and on the mechanism of interdiffusion of components along the continuous diffusion channels of phases in the two-phase regions of the system. The simulation of processes in the model systems showed that the thermally stabilized concentration profiles in two-layer binary metallic systems are virtually independent of the partial diffusion coefficients; for the systems with the average concentration of components that is the same over the sample depth, the time of the thermal stabilization of the structural and phase state inhomogeneous over the depth grows according to a power law with increasing thickness of the system in such a manner that the thicknesses of the surface layers grow, while the thickness of the intermediate layer approaches a constant value. The results of the simulation of the processes of diffusion and phase formation in experimentally investigated layered binary systems Fe-Ti and Cu-Be upon sequential isothermal and isochronous annealings agree well with the experimental data.

  9. Physical Properties and Evolution of the Eclipsing Binary System XZ Canis Minoris

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poochaum, R.; Komonjinda, S.; Soonthornthum, B.; Rattanasoon, S.

    2010-07-01

    This research aims to study the eclipse binary system so that its physical properties and evolution can be determined and used as an example to teach high school astronomy. The study of an eclipsing binary system XZ Canis Minoris (XZ CMi) was done at Sirindhorn Observatory, Chiang Mai University using a 0.5-meter reflecting telescope with CCD photometric system (2184×1417 pixel) in B V and R bands of UVB System. The data obtained were used to construct the light curve for each wavelength band and to compute the times of its light minima. New elements were derived using observations with linear to all available minima. As a result, linear ephemeris is HDJmin I = .578 808 948+/-0.000 000 121+2450 515.321 26+/-0.001 07 E, and the new orbital period of XZ CMi is 0.578 808 948+/-0.000 000 121 day. The values obtained were used with the previously published times of minima to get O-C curve of XZ CMi. The result revealed that the orbital period of XZ CMi is continuously decreased at a rate of 0.007 31+/-0.000 57 sec/year. This result indicates that the binary stars are moving closer continuously. From the O-C residuals, there is significant change to indicate the existence of the third body or magnetic activity cycle on the star. However, further analysis of the physical properties of XZ CMi is required.

  10. THE QUASI-ROCHE LOBE OVERFLOW STATE IN THE EVOLUTION OF CLOSE BINARY SYSTEMS CONTAINING A RADIO PULSAR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Benvenuto, O. G.; De Vito, M. A.; Horvath, J. E., E-mail: adevito@fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar, E-mail: foton@iag.usp.br

    We study the evolution of close binary systems formed by a normal (solar composition), intermediate-mass-donor star together with a neutron star. We consider models including irradiation feedback and evaporation. These nonstandard ingredients deeply modify the mass-transfer stages of these binaries. While models that neglect irradiation feedback undergo continuous, long-standing mass-transfer episodes, models including these effects suffer a number of cycles of mass transfer and detachment. During mass transfer, the systems should reveal themselves as low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), whereas when they are detached they behave as binary radio pulsars. We show that at these stages irradiated models are in amore » Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) state or in a quasi-RLOF state. Quasi-RLOF stars have radii slightly smaller than their Roche lobes. Remarkably, these conditions are attained for an orbital period as well as donor mass values in the range corresponding to a family of binary radio pulsars known as ''redbacks''. Thus, redback companions should be quasi-RLOF stars. We show that the characteristics of the redback system PSR J1723-2837 are accounted for by these models. In each mass-transfer cycle these systems should switch from LMXB to binary radio pulsar states with a timescale of approximately one million years. However, there is recent and fast growing evidence of systems switching on far shorter, human timescales. This should be related to instabilities in the accretion disk surrounding the neutron star and/or radio ejection, still to be included in the model having the quasi-RLOF state as a general condition.« less

  11. REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Masses of black holes in binary stellar systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cherepashchuk, Anatolii M.

    1996-08-01

    Mass determination methods and their results for ten black holes in X-ray binary systems are summarised. A unified interpretation of the radial velocity and optical light curves allows one to reliably justify the close binary system model and to prove the correctness of determination of the optical star mass function fv(m).The orbit plane inclination i can be estimated from an analysis of optical light curve of the system, which is due mainly to the ellipsoidal shape of the optical star (the so-called ellipticity effect). The component mass ratio q = mx/mv is obtained from information about the distance to the binary system as well as from data about rotational broadening of absorption lines in the spectrum of the optical star. These data allow one to obtain from the value of fv(m) a reliable value of the black hole mass mx or its low limit, as well as the optical star mass mv. An independent estimate of the optical star mass mv obtained from information about its spectral class and luminosity gives us test results. Additional test comes from information about the absence or presence of X-ray eclipses in the system. Effects of the non-zero dimension of the optical star, its pear-like shape, and X-ray heating on the absorption line profiles and the radial velocity curve are investigated. It is very significant that none of ten known massive (mx > 3M\\odot) X-ray sources considered as black hole candidates is an X-ray pulsar or an X-ray burster of the first kind.

  12. The O-type eclipsing contact binary LY Aurigae - member of a quadruple system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mayer, Pavel; Drechsel, Horst; Harmanec, Petr; Yang, Stephenson; Šlechta, Miroslav

    2013-11-01

    The eclipsing binary LY Aur (O9 II + O9 III) belongs to the rare class of early-type contact systems. We obtained 23 new spectra at the Ondřejov and Dominion Astrophysical Observatories, which were analysed with four older Calar Alto and one ELODIE archive spectra. A new result of this study is that the visual companion of LY Aur - the spectral lines of which are clearly seen in our spectra - is also an SB1 binary having an orbital period of 20.46d, an eccentric orbit, and a radial velocity semi-amplitude of 33 km s-1. The Hα line blend contains an emission component, which shows dependence on the orbital phase of the eclipsing system, with the strongest emission around the secondary eclipse. Revised elements of the eclipsing binary and the orbital solution of the companion binary are determined from our set of spectra and new light-curve solutions of the eclipsing pair. The mass of the primary of 25.5 M⊙ agrees well with its spectral type, whereas the secondary mass of 14 M⊙ is smaller than expected. From an O-C analysis of the minimum times of LY Aur that span more than 40 years, we found that the orbital period is decreasing, indicating the presence of interaction processes. The system is likely in a phase of non-conservative mass exchange. Based on spectral observations collected at the German-Spanish Observatory, Calar Alto, Spain; Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Canada; Ondřejov Observatory, Czech Republic, and an archival Haute Provence Observatory ELODIE spectrum.

  13. The annihilation of galactic positrons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bussard, R.; Rematy, R.

    1978-01-01

    The probabilities of various channels of galactic positron annihilation were evaluated and the spectrum of the resulting radiation was calculated. The narrow width (FWHM less than 3.2 keV) of the 0.511 MeV line observed from the galactic center implies that a large fraction of positrons should annihilate in a medium of temperature less than 100,000 K and ionization fraction greater than 0.05. HII regions at the galactic center could be possible sites of annihilation.

  14. X-ray observations of Galactic H.E.S.S. sources: an update

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Puehlhofer, G.; Eger, P.; Sasaki, M.; Gottschall, D.; Capasso, M.; H. E. S. S. Collaboration

    2016-06-01

    X-ray diagnostics of TeV sources continues to be an important tool to identify the nature of newly detected sources as well as to pinpoint the physics processes that are at work in these highly energetic objects. The contribution aims at giving a review of recent studies that we have performed on TeV sources with H.E.S.S. and XMM-Newton and also other X-ray facilities. Here, we will mainly focus on Galactic objects such as gamma-ray binaries, pulsar wind nebulae, and supernova remnants (SNRs). Particular emphasis will be given to SNR studies, including recently identified SNRs such as HESS J1731-347 and HESS J1534-571 as well as a revisit of RX J1713.7-3946.

  15. Tidal resonances in binary star systems. II - Slowly rotating stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alexander, M. E.

    1988-12-01

    The potential energy of tidal interactions in a binary system with rotating components is formulated as a perturbation Hamiltonian which self-consistently couples the dynamics of the rotating stars' oscillations and orbital motion. The action-angle formalism used to discuss tidal resonances in the nonrotating case (Alexander, 1987) is extended to rotating stars. The behavior of a two-mode system and the procedure for treating an arbitrary number of modes are discussed.

  16. Galactic satellite systems: radial distribution and environment dependence of galaxy morphology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ann, H. B.; Park, Changbom; Choi, Yun-Young

    2008-09-01

    We have studied the radial distribution of the early (E/S0) and late (S/Irr) types of satellites around bright host galaxies. We made a volume-limited sample of 4986 satellites brighter than Mr = -18.0 associated with 2254 hosts brighter than Mr = -19.0 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 sample. The morphology of satellites is determined by an automated morphology classifier, but the host galaxies are visually classified. We found segregation of satellite morphology as a function of the projected distance from the host galaxy. The amplitude and shape of the early-type satellite fraction profile are found to depend on the host luminosity. This is the morphology-radius/density relation at the galactic scale. There is a strong tendency for morphology conformity between the host galaxy and its satellites. The early-type fraction of satellites hosted by early-type galaxies is systematically larger than that of late-type hosts, and is a strong function of the distance from the host galaxies. Fainter satellites are more vulnerable to the morphology transformation effects of hosts. Dependence of satellite morphology on the large-scale background density was detected. The fraction of early-type satellites increases in high-density regions for both early- and late-type hosts. It is argued that the conformity in morphology of galactic satellite system is mainly originated by the hydrodynamical and radiative effects of hosts on satellites.

  17. Gravitational lensing of active galactic nuclei.

    PubMed Central

    Hewitt, J N

    1995-01-01

    Most of the known cases of strong gravitational lensing involve multiple imaging of an active galactic nucleus. The properties of lensed active galactic nuclei make them promising systems for astrophysical applications of gravitational lensing; in particular, they show structure on scales of milliseconds of arc to tens of seconds of arc, they are variable, and they are polarized. More than 20 cases of strong gravitational lenses are now known, and about half of them are radio sources. High-resolution radio imaging is making possible the development of well-constrained lens models. Variability studies at radio and optical wavelengths are beginning to yield results of astrophysical interest, such as an independent measure of the distance scale and limits on source sizes. PMID:11607613

  18. Gravitational lensing of active galactic nuclei.

    PubMed

    Hewitt, J N

    1995-12-05

    Most of the known cases of strong gravitational lensing involve multiple imaging of an active galactic nucleus. The properties of lensed active galactic nuclei make them promising systems for astrophysical applications of gravitational lensing; in particular, they show structure on scales of milliseconds of arc to tens of seconds of arc, they are variable, and they are polarized. More than 20 cases of strong gravitational lenses are now known, and about half of them are radio sources. High-resolution radio imaging is making possible the development of well-constrained lens models. Variability studies at radio and optical wavelengths are beginning to yield results of astrophysical interest, such as an independent measure of the distance scale and limits on source sizes.

  19. Gamma-rays from the binary system containing PSR J2032+4127 during its periastron passage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bednarek, Włodek; Banasiński, Piotr; Sitarek, Julian

    2018-01-01

    The energetic pulsar, PSR J2032+4127, has recently been discovered in the direction of the unidentified HEGRA TeV γ-ray source (TeV J2032+4130). It is proposed that this pulsar forms a binary system with the Be type star, MT91 213, expected to reach periastron late in 2017. We performed detailed calculations of the γ-ray emission produced close to the binary system’s periastron passage by applying a simple geometrical model. Electrons accelerated at the collision region of pulsar and stellar winds initiate anisotropic inverse Compton {e}+/- pair cascades by scattering soft radiation from the massive companion. The γ-ray spectra, from such a comptonization process, are compared with the measurements of the extended TeV γ-ray emission from the HEGRA TeV γ-ray source. We discuss conditions within the binary system, at the periastron passage of the pulsar, for which the γ-ray emission from the binary can overcome the extended, steady TeV γ-ray emission from the HEGRA TeV γ-ray source.

  20. A FUSE Survey of Algol-Type Interacting Binary Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peters, C.

    We propose a survey of Algol-type interacting binaries with FUSE. The observing list contains 15 systems with deltage40o for which systemic parameters are known. The program stars span the range from early-type contact systems that will eventually become conventional Algols to wide binaries in an advanced evolutionary state with prominent accretion disks. Some physical parameters that can be obtained include the ionization temperature and density in the accretion disk, domain of infall (gas stream), high temperature plasma on the trailing side of the system, and in certain systems the splash zone. We will look for the presence of ionO6 absorption and assess the phase interval over which it is observed. Emission from this ion has already been found in FUSE observations of three Algols (V356Sgr, TTHya, and RYPer) during total eclipse and confirms the presence of a sim300,000K plasma abovebelow the orbital plane. In accordance with the policy on the FUSE Survey and Supplementary Program, the observations will be obtained at random phases, but we request 5 visits of each target in order to secure good phase coverage and maximize the probability of obtaining data at interesting phases, such as the interval containing the mass outflow in the splash region where a tangentially-impacting gas stream is deflected off of the mass gainers photosphere. The physical parameters that are obtained in this project will constrain future 3-D hydrodynamical simulations of mass flow in Algols. This project will build upon the successful one (Z902) carried through in FUSE Cycle3.

  1. CONSTRAINING RELATIVISTIC BOW SHOCK PROPERTIES IN ROTATION-POWERED MILLISECOND PULSAR BINARIES.

    PubMed

    Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Harding, Alice K; Venter, Christo; Böttcher, Markus; Baring, Matthew G

    2017-04-20

    Multiwavelength followup of unidentified Fermi sources has vastly expanded the number of known galactic-field "black widow" and "redback" millisecond pulsar binaries. Focusing on their rotation-powered state, we interpret the radio to X-ray phenomenology in a consistent framework. We advocate the existence of two distinct modes differing in their intrabinary shock orientation, distinguished by the phase-centering of the double-peaked X-ray orbital modulation originating from mildly-relativistic Doppler boosting. By constructing a geometric model for radio eclipses, we constrain the shock geometry as functions of binary inclination and shock stand-off R 0 . We develop synthetic X-ray synchrotron orbital light curves and explore the model parameter space allowed by radio eclipse constraints applied on archetypal systems B1957+20 and J1023+0038. For B1957+20, from radio eclipses the stand-off is R 0 ~ 0.15-0.3 fraction of binary separation from the companion center, depending on the orbit inclination. Constructed X-ray light curves for B1957+20 using these values are qualitatively consistent with those observed, and we find occultation of the shock by the companion as a minor influence, demanding significant Doppler factors to yield double peaks. For J1023+0038, radio eclipses imply R 0 ≲ 0.4 while X-ray light curves suggest 0.1 ≲ R 0 ≲ 0.3 (from the pulsar). Degeneracies in the model parameter space encourage further development to include transport considerations. Generically, the spatial variation along the shock of the underlying electron power-law index should yield energy-dependence in the shape of light curves motivating future X-ray phase-resolved spectroscopic studies to probe the unknown physics of pulsar winds and relativistic shock acceleration therein.

  2. Constraining Relativistic Bow Shock Properties in Rotation-Powered Millisecond Pulsar Binaries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Harding, Alice K.; Venter, Christo; Bottcher, Markus; Baring, Matthew G.

    2017-01-01

    Multiwavelength follow-up of unidentified Fermi sources has vastly expanded the number of known galactic-field "black widow" and "redback" millisecond pulsar binaries. Focusing on their rotation-powered state, we interpret the radio to X-ray phenomenology in a consistent framework. We advocate the existence of two distinct modes differing in their intrabinary shock orientation, distinguished by the phase-centering of the double-peaked X-ray orbital modulation originating from mildly-relativistic Doppler boosting. By constructing a geometric model for radio eclipses, we constrain the shock geometry as functions of binary inclination and shock stand-off R(sub 0). We develop synthetic X-ray synchrotron orbital light curves and explore the model parameter space allowed by radio eclipse constraints applied on archetypal systems B1957+20 and J1023+0038. For B1957+20, from radio eclipses the stand-off is R(sub 0) approximately 0:15 - 0:3 fraction of binary separation from the companion center, depending on the orbit inclination. Constructed X-ray light curves for B1957+20 using these values are qualitatively consistent with those observed, and we find occultation of the shock by the companion as a minor influence, demanding significant Doppler factors to yield double peaks. For J1023+0038, radio eclipses imply R(sub 0) is approximately less than 0:4 while X-ray light curves suggest 0:1 is approximately less than R(sub 0) is approximately less than 0:3 (from the pulsar). Degeneracies in the model parameter space encourage further development to include transport considerations. Generically, the spatial variation along the shock of the underlying electron power-law index should yield energy-dependence in the shape of light curves motivating future X-ray phase-resolved spectroscopic studies to probe the unknown physics of pulsar winds and relativistic shock acceleration therein.

  3. Constraining Relativistic Bow Shock Properties in Rotation-powered Millisecond Pulsar Binaries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Venter, Christo; Böttcher, Markus

    2017-04-20

    Multiwavelength follow-up of unidentified Fermi sources has vastly expanded the number of known galactic-field “black widow” and “redback” millisecond pulsar binaries. Focusing on their rotation-powered state, we interpret the radio to X-ray phenomenology in a consistent framework. We advocate the existence of two distinct modes differing in their intrabinary shock orientation, distinguished by the phase centering of the double-peaked X-ray orbital modulation originating from mildly relativistic Doppler boosting. By constructing a geometric model for radio eclipses, we constrain the shock geometry as functions of binary inclination and shock standoff R {sub 0}. We develop synthetic X-ray synchrotron orbital light curvesmore » and explore the model parameter space allowed by radio eclipse constraints applied on archetypal systems B1957+20 and J1023+0038. For B1957+20, from radio eclipses the standoff is R {sub 0} ∼ 0.15–0.3 fraction of binary separation from the companion center, depending on the orbit inclination. Constructed X-ray light curves for B1957+20 using these values are qualitatively consistent with those observed, and we find occultation of the shock by the companion as a minor influence, demanding significant Doppler factors to yield double peaks. For J1023+0038, radio eclipses imply R {sub 0} ≲ 0.4, while X-ray light curves suggest 0.1 ≲ R {sub 0} ≲ 0.3 (from the pulsar). Degeneracies in the model parameter space encourage further development to include transport considerations. Generically, the spatial variation along the shock of the underlying electron power-law index should yield energy dependence in the shape of light curves, motivating future X-ray phase-resolved spectroscopic studies to probe the unknown physics of pulsar winds and relativistic shock acceleration therein.« less

  4. CONSTRAINING RELATIVISTIC BOW SHOCK PROPERTIES IN ROTATION-POWERED MILLISECOND PULSAR BINARIES

    PubMed Central

    Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Harding, Alice K.; Venter, Christo; Böttcher, Markus; Baring, Matthew G.

    2018-01-01

    Multiwavelength followup of unidentified Fermi sources has vastly expanded the number of known galactic-field “black widow” and “redback” millisecond pulsar binaries. Focusing on their rotation-powered state, we interpret the radio to X-ray phenomenology in a consistent framework. We advocate the existence of two distinct modes differing in their intrabinary shock orientation, distinguished by the phase-centering of the double-peaked X-ray orbital modulation originating from mildly-relativistic Doppler boosting. By constructing a geometric model for radio eclipses, we constrain the shock geometry as functions of binary inclination and shock stand-off R0. We develop synthetic X-ray synchrotron orbital light curves and explore the model parameter space allowed by radio eclipse constraints applied on archetypal systems B1957+20 and J1023+0038. For B1957+20, from radio eclipses the stand-off is R0 ~ 0.15–0.3 fraction of binary separation from the companion center, depending on the orbit inclination. Constructed X-ray light curves for B1957+20 using these values are qualitatively consistent with those observed, and we find occultation of the shock by the companion as a minor influence, demanding significant Doppler factors to yield double peaks. For J1023+0038, radio eclipses imply R0 ≲ 0.4 while X-ray light curves suggest 0.1 ≲ R0 ≲ 0.3 (from the pulsar). Degeneracies in the model parameter space encourage further development to include transport considerations. Generically, the spatial variation along the shock of the underlying electron power-law index should yield energy-dependence in the shape of light curves motivating future X-ray phase-resolved spectroscopic studies to probe the unknown physics of pulsar winds and relativistic shock acceleration therein. PMID:29651167

  5. Binary catalogue of exoplanets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwarz, Richard; Bazso, Akos; Zechner, Renate; Funk, Barbara

    2016-02-01

    Since 1995 there is a database which list most of the known exoplanets (The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia at http://exoplanet.eu/). With the growing number of detected exoplanets in binary and multiple star systems it became more important to mark and to separate them into a new database, which is not available in the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. Therefore we established an online database (which can be found at: http://www.univie.ac.at/adg/schwarz/multiple.html) for all known exoplanets in binary star systems and in addition for multiple star systems, which will be updated regularly and linked to the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. The binary catalogue of exoplanets is available online as data file and can be used for statistical purposes. Our database is divided into two parts: the data of the stars and the planets, given in a separate list. We describe also the different parameters of the exoplanetary systems and present some applications.

  6. Terrestrial Planet Formation Around Close Binary Stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lissauer, Jack J.; Quintana, Elisa V.

    2003-01-01

    Most stars reside in multiple star systems; however, virtually all models of planetary growth have assumed an isolated single star. Numerical simulations of the collapse of molecular cloud cores to form binary stars suggest that disks will form within such systems. Observations indirectly suggest disk material around one or both components within young binary star systems. If planets form at the right places within such circumstellar disks, they can remain in stable orbits within the binary star systems for eons. We are simulating the late stages of growth of terrestrial planets around close binary stars, using a new, ultrafast, symplectic integrator that we have developed for this purpose. The sum of the masses of the two stars is one solar mass, and the initial disk of planetary embryos is the same as that used for simulating the late stages of terrestrial planet growth within our Solar System and in the Alpha Centauri wide binary star system. Giant planets &are included in the simulations, as they are in most simulations of the late stages of terrestrial planet accumulation in our Solar System. When the stars travel on a circular orbit with semimajor axis of up to 0.1 AU about their mutual center of mass, the planetary embryos grow into a system of terrestrial planets that is statistically identical to those formed about single stars, but a larger semimajor axis and/or a significantly eccentric binary orbit can lead to significantly more dynamically hot terrestrial planet systems.

  7. Towards a Fundamental Understanding of Short Period Eclipsing Binary Systems Using Kepler Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prsa, Andrej

    Kepler's ultra-high precision photometry is revolutionizing stellar astrophysics. We are seeing intrinsic phenomena on an unprecedented scale, and interpreting them is both a challenge and an exciting privilege. Eclipsing binary stars are of particular significance for stellar astrophysics because precise modeling leads to fundamental parameters of the orbiting components: masses, radii, temperatures and luminosities to better than 1-2%. On top of that, eclipsing binaries are ideal physical laboratories for studying other physical phenomena, such as asteroseismic properties, chromospheric activity, proximity effects, mass transfer in close binaries, etc. Because of the eclipses, the basic geometry is well constrained, but a follow-up spectroscopy is required to get the dynamical masses and the absolute scale of the system. A conjunction of Kepler photometry and ground- based spectroscopy is a treasure trove for eclipsing binary star astrophysics. This proposal focuses on a carefully selected set of 100 short period eclipsing binary stars. The fundamental goal of the project is to study the intrinsic astrophysical effects typical of short period binaries in great detail, utilizing Kepler photometry and follow-up spectroscopy to devise a robust and consistent set of modeling results. The complementing spectroscopy is being secured from 3 approved and fully funded programs: the NOAO 4-m echelle spectroscopy at Kitt Peak (30 nights; PI Prsa), the 10- m Hobby-Eberly Telescope high-resolution spectroscopy (PI Mahadevan), and the 2.5-m Sloan Digital Sky Survey III spectroscopy (PI Mahadevan). The targets are prioritized by the projected scientific yield. Short period detached binaries host low-mass (K- and M- type) components for which the mass-radius relationship is sparsely populated and still poorly understood, as the radii appear up to 20% larger than predicted by the population models. We demonstrate the spectroscopic detection viability in the secondary

  8. Subcritical and supercritical fuel injection and mixing in single and binary species systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, Arnab

    Subcritical and supercritical fluid injection using a single round injector into a quiescent atmosphere comprising single and binary species was investigated using optical diagnostics. Different disintegration and mixing modes are expected for the two cases. In the binary species case, the atmosphere comprised an inert gas of a different composition than that of the injected fluid. In single species case, the atmosphere consisted of the same species as that of the injected fluid. Density values were quantified and density gradient profiles were inferred from the experimental data. A novel method was applied for the detection of detailed structures throughout the entire jet center plane. Various combinations of injectant and chamber conditions were tested and a wide range of density ratios were covered. The subcritical cases demonstrated the importance of surface tension and inertial forces, while the supercritical cases showed no signs of surface tension and, in most situations, resembled the mixing characteristics of a gaseous jet injected into a gaseous environment. A comparison between the single and binary species systems has also been provided. A detailed laser calibration procedure was undertaken to account for the laser absorption through the gas and liquid phases and for fluorescence in the non-linear excitation regime for high laser pulse energy. Core lengths were measured for binary species cases and correlated with visualization results. An eigenvalue approach was taken to determine the location of maximum gradients for determining the core length. Jet divergence angles were also calculated and were found to increase with chamber-to-injectant density ratio for both systems. A model was proposed for the spreading angle dependence on density ratio for both single and binary species systems and was compared to existing theoretical studies and experimental work. Finally, a linear stability analysis was performed for the jet injected into both subcritical and

  9. An Astrometric Observation of Binary Star System WDS 15559-0210 at the Great Basin Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Musegades, Lila; Niebuhr, Cole; Graham, Mackenzie; Poore, Andrew; Freed, Rachel; Kenney, John; Genet, Russell

    2018-04-01

    Researchers at Concordia University Irvine measured the position angle and separation of the double star system WDS 15559-0210 using a SBIG STX-16803 CCD camera on the PlaneWave 0.7-m CDK 700 telescope at the Great Basin Observatory. Images of the binary star system were measured using AstroImageJ software. Twenty observations of WDS 15559-0210 were measured and analyzed. The calculated mean resulted in a position angle of 345.95° and a separation of 5.94". These measurements were consistent with the previous values for this binary system listed in the Washington Double Star Catalog.

  10. A VLA radio continuum survey of active late-type giants in binary systems - Preliminary results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Drake, S. A.; Simon, T.; Linsky, J. L.

    1985-01-01

    Preliminary results of a 6 cm continuum survey using the NRAO VLA of binary systems with 10-100 day orbital period containing an 'active' giant component are reported. The results show that strong radio continuum emission at centimeter wavelengths is a common but not universal property of this class of stars. Possible correlations between radio luminosity and other properties, such as X-ray luminosity, rotational period, and type of companion are discussed. Several binary systems which have been detected for the first time as radio sources are reported, and sensitive upper limits are presented for five other systems, including Capella.

  11. Finding Distant Galactic HII Regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, L. D.; Armentrout, W. P.; Johnstone, B. M.; Bania, T. M.; Balser, Dana S.; Wenger, Trey V.; Cunningham, V.

    2015-12-01

    The WISE Catalog of Galactic H ii Regions contains ˜2000 H ii region candidates lacking ionized gas spectroscopic observations. All candidates have the characteristic H ii region mid-infrared morphology of WISE 12 μ {{m}} emission surrounding 22 μ {{m}} emission, and additionally have detected radio continuum emission. We here report Green Bank Telescope hydrogen radio recombination line and radio continuum detections in the X-band (9 GHz; 3 cm) of 302 WISE H ii region candidates (out of 324 targets observed) in the zone 225^\\circ ≥slant {\\ell }≥slant -20^\\circ , | {\\text{}}b| ≤slant 6^\\circ . Here we extend the sky coverage of our H ii region Discovery Survey, which now contains nearly 800 H ii regions distributed across the entire northern sky. We provide LSR velocities for the 302 detections and kinematic distances for 131 of these. Of the 302 new detections, 5 have ({\\ell },{\\text{}}b,v) coordinates consistent with the Outer Scutum-Centaurus Arm (OSC), the most distant molecular spiral arm of the Milky Way. Due to the Galactic warp, these nebulae are found at Galactic latitudes >1° in the first Galactic quadrant, and therefore were missed in previous surveys of the Galactic plane. One additional region has a longitude and velocity consistent with the OSC but lies at a negative Galactic latitude (G039.183-01.422 -54.9 {km} {{{s}}}-1). With Heliocentric distances >22 kpc and Galactocentric distances >16 kpc, the OSC H ii regions are the most distant known in the Galaxy. We detect an additional three H ii regions near {\\ell }≃ 150^\\circ whose LSR velocities place them at Galactocentric radii >19 kpc. If their distances are correct, these nebulae may represent the limit to Galactic massive star formation.

  12. Creation of an anti-imaging system using binary optics.

    PubMed

    Wang, Haifeng; Lin, Jian; Zhang, Dawei; Wang, Yang; Gu, Min; Urbach, H P; Gan, Fuxi; Zhuang, Songlin

    2016-09-13

    We present a concealing method in which an anti-point spread function (APSF) is generated using binary optics, which produces a large-scale dark area in the focal region that can hide any object located within it. This result is achieved by generating two identical PSFs of opposite signs, one consisting of positive electromagnetic waves from the zero-phase region of the binary optical element and the other consisting of negative electromagnetic waves from the pi-phase region of the binary optical element.

  13. The Großschwabhausen binary survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mugrauer, M.; Buder, S.; Reum, F.; Birth, A.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Since 2009, the Großschwabhausen binary survey is being carried out at the University Observatory Jena. This new imaging survey uses available time slots during photometric monitoring campaigns, caused by nonphotometric weather conditions, which often exhibit good atmospheric seeing. The goal of the project is to obtain current relative astrometric measurements of the binary systems that are listed in the Washington Visual Double Star Catalog. Materials and Methods: For the survey we use the Refraktor-Teleskop-Kamera at the University Observatory Jena to take imaging data of selected visual binary systems. Results: In this paper, we characterize the target sample of the survey, describe the imaging observations and the astrometric measurements including the astrometric calibration, and present the relative astrometric measures of 352 binaries that could be obtained during the course of the Großschwabhausen binary survey, so far.

  14. DISTINGUISHING COMPACT BINARY POPULATION SYNTHESIS MODELS USING GRAVITATIONAL WAVE OBSERVATIONS OF COALESCING BINARY BLACK HOLES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stevenson, Simon; Ohme, Frank; Fairhurst, Stephen, E-mail: simon.stevenson@ligo.org

    2015-09-01

    The coalescence of compact binaries containing neutron stars or black holes is one of the most promising signals for advanced ground-based laser interferometer gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, with the first direct detections expected over the next few years. The rate of binary coalescences and the distribution of component masses is highly uncertain, and population synthesis models predict a wide range of plausible values. Poorly constrained parameters in population synthesis models correspond to poorly understood astrophysics at various stages in the evolution of massive binary stars, the progenitors of binary neutron star and binary black hole systems. These include effects such asmore » supernova kick velocities, parameters governing the energetics of common envelope evolution and the strength of stellar winds. Observing multiple binary black hole systems through GWs will allow us to infer details of the astrophysical mechanisms that lead to their formation. Here we simulate GW observations from a series of population synthesis models including the effects of known selection biases, measurement errors and cosmology. We compare the predictions arising from different models and show that we will be able to distinguish between them with observations (or the lack of them) from the early runs of the advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors. This will allow us to narrow down the large parameter space for binary evolution models.« less

  15. X1908+075: An X-Ray Binary with a 4.4 Day Period

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wen, Linqing; Remillard, Ronald A.; Bradt, Hale V.

    2000-04-01

    X1908+075 is an optically unidentified and highly absorbed X-ray source that appeared in early surveys such as Uhuru, OSO 7, Ariel 5, HEAO-1, and the EXOSAT Galactic Plane Survey. These surveys measured a source intensity in the range 2-12 mcrab at 2-10 keV, and the position was localized to ~0.5d. We use the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) All-Sky Monitor (ASM) to confirm our expectation that a particular Einstein/IPC detection (1E 1908.4+0730) provides the correct position for X1908+075. The analysis of the coded mask shadows from the ASM for the position of 1E 1908.4+0730 yields a persistent intensity ~8 mcrab (1.5-12 keV) over a 3 yr interval beginning in 1996 February. Furthermore, we detect a period of 4.400+/-0.001 days with a false-alarm probability less than 10-7. The folded light curve is roughly sinusoidal, with an amplitude that is 26% of the mean flux. The X-ray period may be attributed to the scattering and absorption of X-rays through a stellar wind combined with the orbital motion in a binary system. We suggest that X1908+075 is an X-ray binary with a high-mass companion star.

  16. Creation of an anti-imaging system using binary optics

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Haifeng; Lin, Jian; Zhang, Dawei; Wang, Yang; Gu, Min; Urbach, H. P.; Gan, Fuxi; Zhuang, Songlin

    2016-01-01

    We present a concealing method in which an anti-point spread function (APSF) is generated using binary optics, which produces a large-scale dark area in the focal region that can hide any object located within it. This result is achieved by generating two identical PSFs of opposite signs, one consisting of positive electromagnetic waves from the zero-phase region of the binary optical element and the other consisting of negative electromagnetic waves from the pi-phase region of the binary optical element. PMID:27620068

  17. New Results on Contact Binary Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, J.; Qian, S.; Zhu, L.; Liu, L.; Liao, W.

    2014-08-01

    Contact binary star is a kind of close binary with the strongest interaction binary system. Their formations and evolutions are unsolved problems in astrophysics. Since 2000, our groups have observed and studied more than half a hundred of contact binaries. In this report, I will summarize our new results of some contact binary stars (e.g. UZ CMi, GSC 03526-01995, FU Dra, GSC 0763-0572, V524 Mon, MR Com, etc.). They are as follow: (1) We discovered that V524 Mon and MR Com are shallow-contact binaries with their period decreasing; (2) GSC 03526-01995 is middle-contact binary without a period increasing or decreasing continuously; (3) UZ CMi, GSC 0763-0572 and FU Dra are middle-contact binaries with the period increasing continuously; (4) UZ CMi, GSC 03526-01995, FU Dra and V524 Mon show period oscillation which may imply the presence of additional components in these contact binaries.

  18. Search for companions in visual binary systems using precise radial-velocity measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katoh, Noriyuki; Itoh, Yoichi; Sato, Bun'ei

    2018-05-01

    The frequency of triple and quadruple systems is considered to be high in the early phase of star formation. Some multiple systems decay in the pre-main-sequence phase. The multiplicity of main-sequence stars provides clues about the evolution of binary systems. This work searched for companions of five components of visual binary systems using precise radial-velocity measurements. Their radial velocities were monitored from 2007 to 2012 using the HIgh Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph (HIDES) installed on the Okayama Astrophysical Observatory (OAO) 1.88 m reflector. In combination with previous work, this work searched for companions with an orbital period of less than 9 yr for the five bodies. We found periodic variations in the radial velocities for ADS 6190 A and BDS 10966A. The radial velocities of ADS 7311 A, 31 Dra A, and 31 Dra B show significant trends. ADS 6190 A is an SB1 binary with an orbital period of 366.2 d. The minimum mass of the secondary star is 0.5^{+0.7}_{-0.2} M_{⊙}. The radial velocity of ADS 7311 A was monitored for an observational span of 3200 d. We rejected a planetary-mass companion as the cause of a decreasing trend in the radial velocity of ADS 7311 A. This work confirmed that the periodic variation in the radial velocity of BDS 10966 A is 771.1 d. Bisector analysis did not reveal a correlation between the asymmetry of a spectral line and the radial velocity of BDS 10966 A. We rejected nonradial oscillation of the photosphere as the source of the radial velocity variation. The variation may be caused by the rotational modulation owing to surface inhomogeneity. The orbital elements of 31 Dra A derived in this paper are consistent with those in a previous paper. 31 Dra A system is an SB1 binary with a minimum mass ratio of 0.30 ± 0.08. 31 Dra B exhibits a periodic variation in radial velocity. The orbital elements derived in this work are consistent with those reported previously by others. The variation is caused by a circumstellar

  19. Gravitational Waveforms in the Early Inspiral of Binary Black Hole Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barkett, Kevin; Kumar, Prayush; Bhagwat, Swetha; Brown, Duncan; Scheel, Mark; Szilagyi, Bela; Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes Collaboration

    2015-04-01

    The inspiral, merger and ringdown of compact object binaries are important targets for gravitational wave detection by aLIGO. Detection and parameter estimation will require long, accurate waveforms for comparison. There are a number of analytical models for generating gravitational waveforms for these systems, but the only way to ensure their consistency and correctness is by comparing with numerical relativity simulations that cover many inspiral orbits. We've simulated a number of binary black hole systems with mass ratio 7 and a moderate, aligned spin on the larger black hole. We have attached these numerical waveforms to analytical waveform models to generate long hybrid gravitational waveforms that span the entire aLIGO frequency band. We analyze the robustness of these hybrid waveforms and measure the faithfulness of different hybrids with each other to obtain an estimate on how long future numerical simulations need to be in order to ensure that waveforms are accurate enough for use by aLIGO.

  20. Relaxation of Vibrationally Excited States in Solid Binary Carbonate-Sulfate Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aliev, A. R.; Akhmedov, I. R.; Kakagasanov, M. G.; Aliev, Z. A.; Gafurov, M. M.; Rabadanov, K. Sh.; Amirov, A. M.

    2018-02-01

    The processes of molecular relaxation in solid binary carbonate-sulfate systems, such as Li2CO3-Li2SO4, Na2CO3-Na2SO4, K2CO3-K2SO4, have been studied by Raman spectroscopy. It has been revealed that the relaxation time of CO 3 2- anion vibration ν1(A) in a binary system is higher than in an individual carbonate. It is shown that an increase in the relaxation rate may be explained by the existence of an additional mechanism of the relaxation of vibrationally excited states of a carbonate anion. This mechanism is associated with the excitation of the vibration of another anion (SO 4 2- ) and the "birth" of a lattice phonon. It has been established that the condition for the implementation of such a relaxation mechanism is that the difference between the frequencies of these vibrations must correspond to the region of a rather high density of phonon spectrum states.