Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994aas...18510202o&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 185th AAS Meeting, #102.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 26, p.1483
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
3
Scientific paper
We have continued optical observations of the black hole candidate X-ray Nova Muscae 1991 (=GRS 1124-683, GU Mus) in quiescence over the last three years. These observations have refined the measurements of the orbital period (P=0.4326051+/- 0.0000038 days) and the sinusoidal absorption-line radial velocity curve (half-amplitude of K_2=406+/- 7 km sec(-1) ). The implied mass function is f(M)=3.01+/- 0.15Msun, which represents the minimum mass of the compact primary. A strong lower limit on the mass of the primary based on the lack of observed optical and X-ray eclipses and a previous measurement of the binary mass ratio is M_1>4.1Msun this mass exceeds the maximum mass of a stable neutron star, reinforcing the argument that the Nova Muscae system contains a black hole. The phase-averaged spectrum (Doppler corrected to account for the orbital motion of the secondary) shows strong absorption lines consistent with a dwarf main sequence star with an MK type of K3V-K5V. The disk spectrum, obtained by subtracting the spectrum of a K5V template star from the averaged spectrum, shows strong Balmer emission lines, as well as emission lines of He I and Fe II, which are superimposed on a relatively flat continuum. We have also monitored the optical outburst behavior of Nova Vela 1993 (=GRS 1009-45) and Nova Sco 1994 (=GRO J1655-40). Nova Vela has several ``mini-outbursts'' in its light curve similar to those seen in the light curve of the black hole candidate X-ray Nova Per 1992 (=GRO J0422+32). During one of the mini-outbursts, a large-amplitude optical modulation was clearly seen with a period of approximately 0.16 days. The light curve for X-ray Nova Sco 1994 is much less complete; however, there is marginal evidence for an eclipse. If the eclipse interpretation is correct, the orbital period is likely to be greater than about 1.3 days.
Bailyn Charles D.
McClintock Jeffrey E.
Orosz Jerome A.
Remillard Ronald A.
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