Optical light curves of massive X-ray binaries.
Abstract
A simple geometric model is used to analyze the optical light curves of massive X-ray binaries. The calculative results are used to interpret the observed optical light curves of the X-ray binary pulsars SMC X-1, Cen X-3, and Vela X-1. The model is reasonably successful in describing the optical light curves of the first two of these systems, and it is concluded that both systems contain an accretion disk. For SMC X-1, the thickness and blackbody temperature of the disk are consistent with the optical emission from the disk being dominated by reprocessing of intercepted X-rays. The thickness and required X-ray albedo of the disk have values similar to those estimated for disks in low-mass X-ray binaries. For Cen X-3, the agreement between the derived disk parameters and those expected from X-ray reprocessing is less satisfactory: the apparent disk brightness is rather high. Serious discrepancies between model predictions and observations are found for Vela X-1.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- January 1986
- Bibcode:
- 1986A&A...154...77T
- Keywords:
-
- Light Curve;
- Pulsars;
- Stellar Mass;
- Stellar Models;
- Visible Spectrum;
- X Ray Binaries;
- Accretion Disks;
- Spectrum Analysis;
- Stellar Rotation;
- Stellar Spectrophotometry;
- Tides;
- Astrophysics