The circularization of close binary orbits - Centaurus X-3

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Binary Stars, Mass Transfer, Neutron Stars, Orbital Mechanics, Stellar Motions, X Ray Sources, Circular Orbits, Eccentric Orbits, Momentum Transfer, Stellar Mass Ejection, Stellar Winds, Supernovae, Tides, X Ray Stars

Scientific paper

If the neutron star in Cen X-3 resulted from a normal supernova explosion, the resulting binary system must have had considerable eccentricity. As the present eccentricity is small, mechanisms for circularizing the orbit are examined with the aim of setting constraints on the evolution of the binary system. Tidal interaction in an unstable decaying orbit allows only small initial eccentricities, since there are observational limits on changes in the semimajor axis. Using similar arguments, tidal interaction in which the primary rotates synchronously with the binary period is consistent with any initial eccentricity. Tidal interaction does not yield an explanation for the observed period changes in Cen X-3. Thus it may be necessary to go to a combination of mass loss and mass transfer as the circularization mechanism, although a delicate balance between the two is required.

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