Periodic Optical Outbursts from the Be/Neutron Star Binary AX J0049.4-7323
A. P. Cowley, P. C. Schmidtke
Abstract
The optical light curve of the Be/neutron star binary AX J0049.4-7323 has been investigated using data from the MACHO and OGLE-II projects. This X-ray source, whose neutron star has a very slow rotation rate (Ppulse=755.5 sec), shows optical outbursts every 394 days. The regularity of these outbursts suggests that their recurrence time is the orbital period of the system. During the outbursts the system brightens and becomes slightly redder. A possible interpretation is that a portion of the equatorial disk is excited as the neutron star passes through it during periastron passage. In the intervals between outbursts the light curve shows 11-day quasi-periodic varability which may be associated with the rotation of the Be star's extended disk.
Create a lesson
Related papers
On binary pulsars and the force of gravity
Davor Palle
Tidal torques. A critical review of some techniques
Michael Efroimsky, James G. Williams
Dynamics of a Spherical Accretion Shock with Neutrino Heating and Alpha-Particle Recombination
Rodrigo Fernández, Christopher Thompson
Asymptotically FRW black holes
J. T. Firouzjaee, Reza Mansouri
Reaction of Accretion Disks to Abrupt Mass Loss During Binary Black Hole Merger
Sean M. O'Neill, M. Coleman Miller, Tamara Bogdanovic et al.
A Gamma-Ray Burst/Pulsar for Cosmic-Ray Positrons with a Dark Matter-like Spectrum
Kunihito Ioka