Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Feb 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010head...11.4201h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #11, #42.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.725
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We have used the Spitzer Space Telescope to obtain time-resolved 3.5- and 4.6-micron light curves of two ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs), 4U061+091 and 4U1626-67. The UCXBs are the physically smallest systems among the X-ray binaries; the known UCXBs harbor a neutron star accretor and have orbital periods of less than an hour, requiring non-main sequence donor stars (typically a C/O white dwarf). The formation rate of UCXBs could be higher than that of hydrogen-rich (i.e., main sequence donor) X-ray binaries, making them a significant - if currently poorly sampled - part of the Galactic population of interacting binary stars. UCXBs are also important to jet studies, because they expand the parameter space in physical size and chemical composition compared to X-ray binaries with main sequence donors. For the first time, we have studied the behavior of an X-ray binary jet across several consecutive orbital cycles. No similar studies of jets in normal X-ray binaries have been carried out because of lack of persistent jets, need to observe in the mid-infrared, and prohibitively long orbital periods (several hours to tens of days). This work is based on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Support for this work was provided by NASA.
Hoard Donald Wayne
Howell Steve B.
Wachter Stefanie
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