Properties of the optical component stars in X-ray binary systems

Abstract

We collected a total of 4,058 X-ray binary stars, out of which 339 stars had three atmospheric parameters for optical companions from Gaia and LAMOST, while 264 stars had masses and radii of optical companions determined using stellar evolution models. We conducted a thorough discussion on the reliability of each parameter. The statistical analysis revealed a noticeable bimodal distribution in the mass, radius, and age of the optical components. Our findings led to the proposal of a new quantitative classification criterion for X-ray binary stars. In this classification, one type is categorized as high-mass, high-temperature, and young, while the other type is classified as low-mass, low-temperature, and old, corresponding to High-Mass X-Ray Binaries (HMXBs) and Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries (LMXBs), respectively. The dividing lines were established at 11,500 K, 1.7 $M_{\odot}$, and 0.14 Gyr. The classification results of the three parameters showed consistency with one another in 90\% of the cases and were in agreement with previous classifications in 80\% of the cases. We found that the parameters of the two types had well-defined boundaries and distinct patterns. Based on our findings, we suggest that temperature is the best parameter for classification. Therefore, we propose that X-ray binary stars should be classified into high-temperature X-ray binaries (HTXBs) and low-temperature X-ray binaries (LTXBs). We believe that this classification is more convenient in practice and aligns well with physics.