Joint H-alpha and X-ray Observations of Massive X-ray Binaries. I. The B-Supergiant System LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650

Abstract

We report on a three year spectroscopic monitoring program of the H-alpha emission in the massive X-ray binary LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650, which consists of a B-supergiant and a slowly rotating X-ray pulsar. We present revised orbital elements that yield a period of P=11.5983 +/- 0.0006 d and confirm that the orbit has a non-zero eccentricity e=0.18 +/- 0.05. The H-alpha emission profile is formed in the base of the wind of the B-supergiant primary, and we show how this spectral feature varies on timescales that are probably related to the rotational period of the B-supergiant. We also examine the X-ray fluxes from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor instrument, and we show that the X-ray orbital light curve has a maximum at periastron and a minimum at the inferior conjunction of the B-supergiant. We also show that the wind emission strength and the high energy X-ray flux appear to vary in tandem on timescales of approximately a year.