Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jun 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994apjs...92..477t&link_type=abstract
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, vol. 92, no. 2, p. 477-480
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
4
Companion Stars, Stellar Composition, Wolf-Rayet Stars, X Ray Astronomy, X Ray Binaries, X Ray Spectra, Ginga Satellite, Iron, Stellar Models, Stellar Winds
Scientific paper
The ionization structure of Cygnus X-3 is studied. The ionization equilibrium of a dense stellar wind exposed to the strong X-ray radiation from the compact object is solved, and the emergent X-ray spectrum is compared with spectral observations with Ginga satellite to derive constraints on the mass of a companion star and the composition of stellar wind. We find that the iron edge energy favors a massive companion (5 approximately 10 solar mass), and the unionized iron column density suggests an iron-depleted gas component (10% approximately 50% of the cosmic abundance). Phase-to-phase variations in X-ray spectra, furthermore, due to the orbital motion, are reproduced if either carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen is 10-100 times more abundant than the cosmic abundance. These results are completely consistent with the recent observational results in the infrared, suggesting that the companion of Cygnus X-3 is a Wolf-Rayet star, especially a nitrogen-rich WN star.
Nakamura Hiroshi
Terasawa Nobuo
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