New Observations and Neutron Star Mass for the X-ray Binary 4U 1538-52

Other

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

We present a new mass for the neutron star in the X-ray pulsar binary 4U 1538-52. Following the approach in van der Meer et al. (2007, A&A, 473, 523) we use high resolution spectral data taken in July and August 2009 to obtain an improved radial velocity measurement for the optical companion. We also create an optical light curve from BVI images taken in June - September 2009 to confirm the system's eccentricity and provide the companion star's Roche lobe filling factor. These parameters together with the previously determined orbital period, duration of the X-ray eclipse, and projected semimajor axis of the pulsar's orbit can be combined to yield the masses of both stars. We use an "exact” numerical code based on Roche geometry and a genetic optimizer to accomplish this. Our technique can be applied to other X-ray pulsar systems as new observations are made. This research is supported in part by the National Science Foundation Grant AST-0808145.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

New Observations and Neutron Star Mass for the X-ray Binary 4U 1538-52 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with New Observations and Neutron Star Mass for the X-ray Binary 4U 1538-52, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and New Observations and Neutron Star Mass for the X-ray Binary 4U 1538-52 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-969895

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.