Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Apr 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999head....4.1522l&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #4, #15.22; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 31, p.715
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We have obtained infrared observations of several Soft X-ray Transients (SXTs). These binary systems are believed to consist of a normal late type dwarf star that fills its Roche Lobe, and a black hole. As the distorted companion star orbits the black hole, the observed flux rises and falls in a predictable manner. By modeling the "ellipsoidal variations" of the secondary star, we can determine the orbital period and inclination of the system. Observations in the near-infrared are better suited for detecting these ellipsoidal variations because the secondary star dominates the systemic luminosity and the contamination from the accretion disk is minimized. We have begun a program on the Apache Point Observatory 3.5 m telescope to observe all of the SXT systems visible from the northern hemisphere. We report our preliminary results on QZ Vul (GS 2000 +25), V518 Per (J0422+32), and V616 Mon (A0620-00). Our data for QZ Vul's color and orbital period are consistent with published values. Modeling of the ellipsoidal variations of QZ Vul suggests an orbital inclination of 70(o) .
Harrison Thomas E.
Leeber Dawn M.
McNamara Bernard J.
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