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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

The two-dimensional spatial distributions of the globular clusters and low-mass X-ray binaries of NGC 4649

We report significant anisotropies in the projected two-dimensional (2D) spatial distributions of globular clusters (GCs) of the giant Virgo elliptical galaxy NGC 4649 (M60). Similar features are found in the 2D distribution of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), both associated with GCs and in the stellar field. Deviations from azimuthal symmetry suggest an arc-like excess of GCs extending north at 4-15 kpc galactocentric radii in the eastern side of major axis of NGC 4649. This feature is more prominent for red GCs, but still persists in the 2D distribution of blue GCs. High- and low-luminosity GCs also show some segregation along this arc, with high-luminosity GCs preferentially located in the southern end and low-luminosity GCs in the northern section of the arc. GC-LMXBs follow the anisotropy of red GCs, where most of them reside; however, a significant overdensity of (high-luminosity) field LMXBs is present to the south of the GC arc. These results suggest that NGC 4649 has experienced mergers and/or multiple accretions of less massive satellite galaxies during its evolution, of which the GCs in the arc may be the fossil remnant. We speculate that the observed anisotropy in the field LMXB spatial distribution indicates that these X-ray binaries may be the remnants of a star formation event connected with the merger, or maybe be ejected from the parent red GCs, if the bulk motion of these clusters is significantly affected by dynamical friction. We also detect a luminosity enhancement in the X-ray source population of the companion spiral galaxy NGC 4647. We suggest that these may be younger high mass X-ray binaries formed as a result of the tidal interaction of this galaxy with NGC 4649.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Circumstellar disks around binary stars in Taurus

We have conducted a survey of 17 wide (>100 AU) young binary systems in Taurus with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) at two wavelengths. The observations were designed to measure the masses of circumstellar disks in these systems as an aid to understanding the role of multiplicity in star and planet formation. The ALMA observations had sufficient resolution to localize emission within the binary system. Disk emission was detected around all primaries and 10 secondaries, with disk masses as low as 10{sup –4} M {sub ☉}. We compare the properties of our sample to the population of known disks in Taurus and find that the disks from this binary sample match the scaling between stellar mass and millimeter flux of F{sub mm}∝M{sub ∗}{sup 1.5--2.0} to within the scatter found in previous studies. We also compare the properties of the primaries to those of the secondaries and find that the secondary/primary stellar and disk mass ratios are not correlated; in three systems, the circumsecondary disk is more massive than the circumprimary disk, counter to some theoretical predictions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Basic parameter estimation of binary neutron star systems by the advanced LIGO/Vigro network

Within the next five years, it is expected that the Advanced LIGO/Virgo network will have reached a sensitivity sufficient to enable the routine detection of gravitational waves. Beyond the initial detection, the scientific promise of these instruments relies on the effectiveness of our physical parameter estimation capabilities. A major part of this effort has been toward the detection and characterization of gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence, e.g., the coalescence of binary neutron stars. While several previous studies have investigated the accuracy of parameter estimation with advanced detectors, the majority have relied on approximation techniques such as the Fisher Matrix which are insensitive to the non-Gaussian nature of the gravitational wave posterior distribution function. Here we report average statistical uncertainties that will be achievable for strong detection candidates (S/N = 20) over a comprehensive sample of source parameters. We use the Markov Chain Monte Carlo based parameter estimation software developed by the LIGO/Virgo Collaboration with the goal of updating the previously quoted Fisher Matrix bounds. We find the recovery of the individual masses to be fractionally within 9% (15%) at the 68% (95%) credible intervals for equal-mass systems, and within 1.9% (3.7%) for unequal-mass systems. We also find that the Advanced LIGO/Virgo network will constrain the locations of binary neutron star mergers to a median uncertainty of 5.1 deg{sup 2} (13.5 deg{sup 2}) on the sky. This region is improved to 2.3 deg{sup 2} (6 deg{sup 2}) with the addition of the proposed LIGO India detector to the network. We also report the average uncertainties on the luminosity distances and orbital inclinations of strong detections that can be achieved by different network configurations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Observational signatures of binary supermassive black holes

Observations indicate that most massive galaxies contain a supermassive black hole, and theoretical studies suggest that when such galaxies have a major merger, the central black holes will form a binary and eventually coalesce. Here we discuss two spectral signatures of such binaries that may help distinguish them from ordinary active galactic nuclei. These signatures are expected when the mass ratio between the holes is not extreme and the system is fed by a circumbinary disk. One such signature is a notch in the thermal continuum that has been predicted by other authors; we point out that it should be accompanied by a spectral revival at shorter wavelengths and also discuss its dependence on binary properties such as mass, mass ratio, and separation. In particular, we note that the wavelength λ {sub n} at which the notch occurs depends on these three parameters in such a way as to make the number of systems displaying these notches ∝λ{sub n}{sup 16/3}; longer wavelength searches are therefore strongly favored. A second signature, first discussed here, is hard X-ray emission with a Wien-like spectrum at a characteristic temperature ∼100 keV produced by Compton cooling of the shock generated when streams from the circumbinary disk hit the accretion disks around the individual black holes. We investigate the observability of both signatures. The hard X-ray signal may be particularly valuable as it can provide an indicator of black hole merger a few decades in advance of the event.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photometric and spectroscopic studies of massive binaries in the large Magellanic Cloud. II. Three O-type systems in the 30 Dor region

This is the second paper in a series devoted to the study of massive binary systems in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We mainly aim to provide accurate data that constrains the mass-luminosity relation for the most massive stars but also to address the long lasting problem known as the 'mass discrepancy'. We present here our results for three binaries (LMC 169782, LMC 171520, and [P93] 921) harboring the earliest O-type components—ranging from O4 V to O6.5 V—among our sample of 17 systems. Our photometry provided accurate periods for the studied systems, allowing the spectroscopic observations to be performed at selected phases where the radial velocity separation between binary components is larger. Following the procedure outlined in our first paper of this series, after solving the radial velocity curves for orbital parameters, we used tomographic reconstruction to obtain the individual spectra of each star, from which we determined effective temperatures via a model atmosphere fitting with FASTWIND. This information, combined with the light-curve analysis that was performed with GENSYN, enabled the determination of absolute masses, radii, and bolometric luminosities that are compared with those predicted by modern stellar evolutionary models finding that they agree within the uncertainties. Nevertheless, the comparison seems to confirm the small differences found in the first paper of this series in the sense that the evolutionary masses are slightly larger than the Keplerian ones, with differences averaging ∼10%, or alternatively, the stellar evolutionary models predict luminosities that are somewhat lower than observed. Still, the overall agreement between the current evolutionary models and the empirically determined stellar parameters is remarkable.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Radius constraints from high-speed photometry of 20 low-mass white dwarf binaries

We carry out high-speed photometry on 20 of the shortest-period, detached white dwarf binaries known and discover systems with eclipses, ellipsoidal variations (due to tidal deformations of the visible white dwarf), and Doppler beaming. All of the binaries contain low-mass white dwarfs with orbital periods of less than four hr. Our observations identify the first eight tidally distorted white dwarfs, four of which are reported for the first time here. We use these observations to place empirical constraints on the mass-radius relationship for extremely low-mass (≤0.30 M {sub ☉}) white dwarfs. We also detect Doppler beaming in several of these binaries, which confirms their high-amplitude radial-velocity variability. All of these systems are strong sources of gravitational radiation, and long-term monitoring of those that display ellipsoidal variations can be used to detect spin-up of the tidal bulge due to orbital decay.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Images of gravitational and magnetic phenomena derived from two-dimensional back-projection Doppler tomography of interacting binary stars

We have used two-dimensional back-projection Doppler tomography as a tool to examine the influence of gravitational and magnetic phenomena in interacting binaries that undergo mass transfer from a magnetically active star onto a non-magnetic main-sequence star. This multitiered study of over 1300 time-resolved spectra of 13 Algol binaries involved calculations of the predicted dynamical behavior of the gravitational flow and the dynamics at the impact site, analysis of the velocity images constructed from tomography, and the influence on the tomograms of orbital inclination, systemic velocity, orbital coverage, and shadowing. The Hα tomograms revealed eight sources: chromospheric emission, a gas stream along the gravitational trajectory, a star-stream impact region, a bulge of absorption or emission around the mass-gaining star, a Keplerian accretion disk, an absorption zone associated with hotter gas, a disk-stream impact region, and a hot spot where the stream strikes the edge of a disk. We described several methods used to extract the physical properties of the emission sources directly from the velocity images, including S-wave analysis, the creation of simulated velocity tomograms from hydrodynamic simulations, and the use of synthetic spectra with tomography to sequentially extract the separate sources of emission from the velocity image. In summary, the tomography images have revealed results that cannot be explained solely by gravitational effects: chromospheric emission moving with the mass-losing star, a gas stream deflected from the gravitational trajectory, and alternating behavior between stream state and disk state. Our results demonstrate that magnetic effects cannot be ignored in these interacting binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES FROM MASSIVE MAGNETARS FORMED IN BINARY NEUTRON STAR MERGERS

Binary neutron star (NS) mergers are among the most promising sources of gravitational waves (GWs), as well as candidate progenitors for short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). Depending on the total initial mass of the system and the NS equation of state (EOS), the post-merger phase can be characterized by a prompt collapse to a black hole or by the formation of a supramassive NS, or even a stable NS. In the latter cases of post-merger NS (PMNS) formation, magnetic field amplification during the merger will produce a magnetar and induce a mass quadrupole moment in the newly formed NS. If the timescale for orthogonalization of the magnetic symmetry axis with the spin axis is smaller than the spindown time, the NS will radiate its spin down energy primarily via GWs. Here we study this scenario for the various outcomes of NS formation: we generalize the set of equilibrium states for a twisted torus magnetic configuration to include solutions that, for the same external dipolar field, carry a larger magnetic energy reservoir; we hence compute the magnetic ellipticity for such configurations, and the corresponding strength of the expected GW signal as a function of the relative magnitude of the dipolar and toroidal field components. The relative number of GW detections from PMNSs and from binary NSs is a very strong function of the NS EOS, being higher (∼1%) for the stiffest EOSs and negligibly small for the softest ones. For intermediate-stiffness EOSs, such as the n = 4/7 polytrope recently used by Giacomazzo and Perna or the GM1 used by Lasky et al., the relative fraction is ∼0.3%; correspondingly, we estimate a GW detection rate from stable PMNSs of ∼0.1-1 yr{sup –1} with advanced detectors, and of ∼100-1000 yr{sup –1} with detectors of third generation such as the Einstein Telescope. Measurement of such GW signals would provide constraints on the NS EOS and, in connection with an SGRB, on the nature of the binary progenitors giving rise to these events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Global simulations of the interaction of microquasar jets with a stellar wind in high-mass X-ray binaries

Jets powered by high-mass X-ray binaries must traverse the powerful wind of the companion star. We present the first global three-dimensional simulations of jet–wind interaction in high-mass X-ray binaries. We show that the wind momentum flux intercepted by the jet can lead to significant bending of the jet and that jets propagating through a spherical wind will be bent to an asymptotic angle ψ{sub ∞}. We derive simple expressions for ψ{sub ∞} as a function of jet power and wind thrust. For known wind parameters, measurements of ψ{sub ∞} can be used to constrain the jet power. In the case of Cygnus X-1, the lack of jet precession as a function of orbital phase observed by the Very Long Baseline Array can be used to put a lower limit on the jet power of L{sub jet}≳10{sup 36} ergs s{sup −1}. We further discuss the case where the initial jet is inclined relative to the binary orbital axis. We also analyze the case of Cygnus X-3 and show that jet bending is likely negligible unless the jet is significantly less powerful or much wider than currently thought. Our numerical investigation is limited to isotropic stellar winds. We discuss the possible effects of wind clumping on jet–wind interaction, which are likely significant, but argue that our limits on jet power for Cygnus X-1 are likely unaffected by clumping unless the global wind mass-loss rate is orders of magnitude below the commonly assumed range for Cyg X-1.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

SWIFT REVEALS A ∼5.7 DAY SUPER-ORBITAL PERIOD IN THE M31 GLOBULAR CLUSTER X-RAY BINARY XB158

The M31 globular cluster X-ray binary XB158 (a.k.a. Bo 158) exhibits intensity dips on a 2.78 hr period in some observations, but not others. The short period suggests a low mass ratio, and an asymmetric, precessing disk due to additional tidal torques from the donor star since the disk crosses the 3:1 resonance. Previous theoretical three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamical modeling suggested a super-orbital disk precession period 29 ± 1 times the orbital period, i.e., ∼81 ± 3 hr. We conducted a Swift monitoring campaign of 30 observations over ∼1 month in order to search for evidence of such a super-orbital period. Fitting the 0.3-10 keV Swift X-Ray Telescope luminosity light curve with a sinusoid yielded a period of 5.65 ± 0.05 days, and a >5σ improvement in χ{sup 2} over the best fit constant intensity model. A Lomb-Scargle periodogram revealed that periods of 5.4-5.8 days were detected at a >3σ level, with a peak at 5.6 days. We consider this strong evidence for a 5.65 day super-orbital period, ∼70% longer than the predicted period. The 0.3-10 keV luminosity varied by a factor of ∼5, consistent with variations seen in long-term monitoring from Chandra. We conclude that other X-ray binaries exhibiting similar long-term behavior are likely to also be X-ray binaries with low mass ratios and super-orbital periods.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

HEARTBEAT STARS: SPECTROSCOPIC ORBITAL SOLUTIONS FOR SIX ECCENTRIC BINARY SYSTEMS

We present multi-epoch spectroscopy of “heartbeat stars,” eccentric binaries with dynamic tidal distortions and tidally induced pulsations originally discovered with the Kepler satellite. Optical spectra of six known heartbeat stars using the Wyoming Infrared Observatory 2.3 m telescope allow measurement of stellar effective temperatures and radial velocities from which we determine orbital parameters including the periods, eccentricities, approximate mass ratios, and component masses. These spectroscopic solutions confirm that the stars are members of eccentric binary systems with eccentricities e > 0.34 and periods P = 7–20 days, strengthening conclusions from prior works that utilized purely photometric methods. Heartbeat stars in this sample have A- or F-type primary components. Constraints on orbital inclinations indicate that four of the six systems have minimum mass ratios q = 0.3–0.5, implying that most secondaries are probable M dwarfs or earlier. One system is an eclipsing, double-lined spectroscopic binary with roughly equal-mass mid-A components (q = 0.95), while another shows double-lined behavior only near periastron, indicating that the F0V primary has a G1V secondary (q = 0.65). This work constitutes the first measurements of the masses of secondaries in a statistical sample of heartbeat stars. The good agreement between our spectroscopic orbital elements and those derived using a photometric model support the idea that photometric data are sufficient to derive reliable orbital parameters for heartbeat stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

CLASSIFYING X-RAY BINARIES: A PROBABILISTIC APPROACH

In X-ray binary star systems consisting of a compact object that accretes material from an orbiting secondary star, there is no straightforward means to decide whether the compact object is a black hole or a neutron star. To assist in this process, we develop a Bayesian statistical model that makes use of the fact that X-ray binary systems appear to cluster based on their compact object type when viewed from a three-dimensional coordinate system derived from X-ray spectral data where the first coordinate is the ratio of counts in the mid- to low-energy band (color 1), the second coordinate is the ratio of counts in the high- to low-energy band (color 2), and the third coordinate is the sum of counts in all three bands. We use this model to estimate the probabilities of an X-ray binary system containing a black hole, non-pulsing neutron star, or pulsing neutron star. In particular, we utilize a latent variable model in which the latent variables follow a Gaussian process prior distribution, and hence we are able to induce the spatial correlation which we believe exists between systems of the same type. The utility of this approach is demonstrated by the accurate prediction of system types using Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All Sky Monitor data, but it is not flawless. In particular, non-pulsing neutron systems containing “bursters” that are close to the boundary demarcating systems containing black holes tend to be classified as black hole systems. As a byproduct of our analyses, we provide the astronomer with the public R code which can be used to predict the compact object type of XRBs given training data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A coordinated X-ray and optical campaign of the nearest massive eclipsing binary, δ Orionis Aa. III. Analysis of optical photometric (MOST) and spectroscopic (ground-based) variations

We report on both high-precision photometry from the Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars (MOST) space telescope and ground-based spectroscopy of the triple system δ Ori A, consisting of a binary O9.5II+early-B (Aa1 and Aa2) with P = 5.7 days, and a more distant tertiary (O9 IV P>400 years). This data was collected in concert with X-ray spectroscopy from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Thanks to continuous coverage for three weeks, the MOST light curve reveals clear eclipses between Aa1 and Aa2 for the first time in non-phased data. From the spectroscopy, we have a well-constrained radial velocity (RV) curve of Aa1. While we are unable to recover RV variations of the secondary star, we are able to constrain several fundamental parameters of this system and determine an approximate mass of the primary using apsidal motion. We also detected second order modulations at 12 separate frequencies with spacings indicative of tidally influenced oscillations. These spacings have never been seen in a massive binary, making this system one of only a handful of such binaries that show evidence for tidally induced pulsations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

EVOLUTION OF TRANSIENT LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARIES TO REDBACK MILLISECOND PULSARS

Redback millisecond pulsars (MSPs; hereafter redbacks) are a subpopulation of eclipsing MSPs in close binaries. The formation processes of these systems are not clear. The three pulsars showing transitions between rotation- and accretion-powered states belong to both redbacks and transient low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), suggesting a possible evolutionary link between them. Through binary evolution calculations, we show that the accretion disks in almost all LMXBs are subject to the thermal-viscous instability during certain evolutionary stages, and the parameter space for the disk instability covers the distribution of known redbacks in the orbital period—companion mass plane. We accordingly suggest that the abrupt reduction of the mass accretion rate during quiescence of transient LMXBs provides a plausible way to switch on the pulsar activity, leading to the formation of redbacks, if the neutron star has been spun up to be an energetic MSP. We investigate the evolution of redbacks, taking into account the evaporation feedback, and discuss its possible influence on the formation of black widow MSPs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

WOBBLING AND PRECESSING JETS FROM WARPED DISKS IN BINARY SYSTEMS

We present results of the first ever three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the accretion–ejection structure. We investigate the 3D evolution of jets launched symmetrically from single stars but also jets from warped disks in binary systems. We have applied various model setups and tested them by simulating a stable and bipolar symmetric 3D structure from a single star–disk–jet system. Our reference simulation maintains a good axial symmetry and also a bipolar symmetry for more than 500 rotations of the inner disk, confirming the quality of our model setup. We have then implemented a 3D gravitational potential (Roche potential) due by a companion star and run a variety of simulations with different binary separations and mass ratios. These simulations show typical 3D deviations from axial symmetry, such as jet bending outside the Roche lobe or spiral arms forming in the accretion disk. In order to find indications of precession effects, we have also run an exemplary parameter setup, essentially governed by a small binary separation of only ≃200 inner disk radii. This simulation shows a strong indication that we observe the onset of a jet precession caused by the wobbling of the jet-launching disk. We estimate the opening angle of the precession cone defined by the lateral motion of the jet axis to be about 4° after about 5000 dynamical time steps.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

MINING PLANET SEARCH DATA FOR BINARY STARS: THE ψ{sup 1} DRACONIS SYSTEM

Several planet-search groups have acquired a great deal of data in the form of time-series spectra of several hundred nearby stars with time baselines of over a decade. While binary star detections are generally not the goal of these long-term monitoring efforts, the binary stars hiding in existing planet search data are precisely the type that are too close to the primary star to detect with imaging or interferometry techniques. We use a cross-correlation analysis to detect the spectral lines of a new low-mass companion to ψ{sup 1} Draconis A, which has a known roughly equal-mass companion at ∼680 AU. We measure the mass of ψ{sup 1} Draconis C as M{sub 2} = 0.70 ± 0.07M{sub ⊙}, with an orbital period of ∼20 years. This technique could be used to characterize binary companions to many stars that show large-amplitude modulation or linear trends in radial velocity data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

HIGH PRECISION ABUNDANCES IN THE 16 Cyg BINARY SYSTEM: A SIGNATURE OF THE ROCKY CORE IN THE GIANT PLANET

We study the stars of the binary system 16 Cygni to determine with high precision their chemical composition. Knowing that the component B has a detected planet of at least 1.5 Jupiter masses, we investigate if there are chemical peculiarities that could be attributed to planet formation around this star. We perform a differential abundance analysis using high resolution (R = 81,000) and high S/N (∼700) CFHT/ESPaDOnS spectra of the 16 Cygni stars and the Sun; the latter was obtained from light reflected of asteroids. We determine differential abundances of the binary components relative to the Sun and between components A and B as well. We achieve a precision of σ ≲ 0.005 dex and a total error ∼0.01 dex for most elements. The effective temperatures and surface gravities found for 16 Cyg A and B are T {sub eff} = 5830 ± 7 K, log g = 4.30 ± 0.02 dex, and T {sub eff} = 5751 ± 6 K, log g = 4.35 ± 0.02 dex, respectively. The component 16 Cyg A has a metallicity ([Fe/H]) higher by 0.047 ± 0.005 dex than 16 Cyg B, as well as a microturbulence velocity higher by 0.08 km s{sup –1}. All elements show abundance differences between the binary components, but while the volatile difference is about 0.03 dex, the refractories differ by more and show a trend with condensation temperature, which could be interpreted as the signature of the rocky accretion core of the giant planet 16 Cyg Bb. We estimate a mass of about 1.5-6 M {sub ⊕} for this rocky core, in good agreement with estimates of Jupiter's core.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

2FGL J1653.6–0159: A NEW LOW IN EVAPORATING PULSAR BINARY PERIODS

We have identified an optical binary with orbital period P{sub b} = 4488 s as the probable counterpart of the Fermi source 2FGL J1653.6–0159. Although pulsations have not yet been detected, the source properties are consistent with an evaporating millisecond pulsar binary; this P{sub b} = 75 minutes is the record low for a spin-powered system. The heated side of the companion shows coherent radial-velocity variations, with amplitude K = 666.9 ± 7.5 km s{sup –1} for a large mass function of f(M) = 1.60 ± 0.05 M {sub ☉}. This heating suggests a pulsar luminosity ∼3 × 10{sup 34} erg s{sup –1}. The colors and spectra show an additional blue component dominating at binary minimum. Its origin is, at present, unclear. This system is similar to PSR J1311–3430, with a low-mass H-depleted companion, a dense shrouding wind and, likely, a large pulsar mass.

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