BL Andromedae and GW Tauri: close binary stars in a key evolutionary stage     

Liying Zhu  Shengbang Qian 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,367(1):423-432

A photoelectric light curve of BL And is presented along with the first CCD light curve of GW Tau. Both objects are short-period eclipsing binaries and were observed in 2003 or 2004. Photometric elements were computed using the latest version of the Wilson–Van Hamme code. The results reveal that BL And is a semidetached system with the primary component filling its Roche lobe and the secondary one almost filling but still detached, while GW Tau is a marginal-contact binary system with a small degree of contact ( f = 10.9 per cent) and a large temperature difference of about 3100 K. All available eclipse times, including new ones, were analysed for each system. It was found that the orbital period of BL And is decreasing at the rate of  d P /d t =−2.36 × 10⁻⁸ (±0.09) d yr⁻¹  while that of GW Tau may be decreasing or oscillating. We think period decrease is more probable. The derived configuration and secular period decrease for BL And combined with the asymmetry of the light curve indicate that this system may evolve from the present semidetached phase into a contact stage, with mass transfer from the primary component to the secondary one through the L ₁ point, or that it might just undergo the broken stage predicted by the theory of thermal relaxation oscillations. In contrast, GW Tau is a marginal-contact binary in poor thermal contact and may be at the beginning of the contact phase.  相似文献   

Discovery of cyclic spot activity on the G8 giant HD 208472     

O. zdarcan  S. Evren  K.G. Strassmeier  T. Granzer  G.W. Henry 《Astronomische Nachrichten》2010,331(8):794-806

We present and analyze 17 consecutive years of UBVRI time‐series photometry of the spotted giant component of the RS CVn binary HD 208472. Our aim is to determine the morphology and the evolution of its starspots by using periodsearch techniques and two‐spot light‐curve modelling. Spots on HD208472 always occur on hemispheres facing the observer during orbital quadrature and flip their location to the opposite hemisphere every approximately six years. The times when the spots change their preferential hemisphere correspond to times when the light curve amplitudes are the smallest and when abrupt changes of the photometric periods are observed. During these times the star is also close to a relative maximum brightness, suggesting a vanishing overall spottedness at each end of the previous cycle and the start of a new one. We find evidence for a 6.28±0.06‐yr brightness cycle, which we interpret to be a stellar analog of the solar 11‐year sunspot cycle. We also present clear evidence for a brightening trend, approximated with a 21.5±0.5‐yr period, possibly due to a stellar analog of the solar Gleissberg cycle. From the two‐spot modelling we also determine an upper limit for the differential‐rotation coefficient of α = ΔP/P of 0.004±0.010, which would be fifty times weaker than on the Sun (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)  相似文献   

Radio detections of the neutron star X-ray binaries 4U 1820 − 30 and Ser X-1 in soft X-ray states     

S. Migliari  R. P. Fender  M. Rupen  S. Wachter  P. G. Jonker  J. Homan  M. van der Klis 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2004,351(1):186-192

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Long time-scale variability in GRS 1915+105     

M. R. Truss  G. A. Wynn 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2004,353(4):1048-1054

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New limits on the orbital parameters of 1E 1048.1–5937 and 1E 2259+586 from RXTE observations     

S. Mereghetti  G. L. Israel  & L. Stella 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》1998,296(3):689-692

We report on two Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer ( RXTE ) observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsars 1E 1048.1–5937 and 1E 2259+586. Both sources have continued their almost constant spin-down during 1995/96. We carried out a search for orbital Doppler shifts, in their observed spin frequencies, deriving stringent limits on the projected semi-axis. Unless these systems have unlikely small inclinations, main-sequence companions can be excluded. If 1E 1048.1–5937 and 1E 2259+586 are indeed binary systems, their companion stars must be either white dwarfs, or helium-burning stars with M ≲ 0.8 M⊙, possibly underfilling their Roche lobe.  相似文献   

K-band spectroscopy of the intermediate polar XY Ari     

S.P. Littlefair  V.S. Dhillon  T.R. Marsh 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2001,327(2):669-672

We present the K -band infrared spectrum of the intermediate polar XY Ari. The spectrum confirms the cataclysmic binary nature of XY Ari, showing emission lines of He  i ( λ 2.0587 μm) and the Brackett and Paschen series of H  i . The broad nature of these lines suggests an origin in an accretion disc. The spectrum is strongly reddened by absorption within the molecular cloud Lynds 1457 and shows prominent absorption features from the secondary star, from which we determine a spectral type for the secondary of M0V. The secondary contributes     per cent of the K -band light. We derive a visual extinction to XY Ari of     and a distance of     , placing XY Ari behind the molecular cloud.  相似文献   

Magnetic braking of Ap/Bp stars: application to compact black-hole X-ray binaries     

Stephen Justham  Saul Rappaport  Philipp Podsiadlowski 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,366(4):1415-1423

We examine the proposal that the subset of neutron-star and black-hole X-ray binaries that form with Ap or Bp star companions will experience systemic angular-momentum losses due to magnetic braking, not otherwise operative with intermediate-mass companion stars. We suggest that for donor stars possessing the anomalously high magnetic fields associated with Ap and Bp stars, a magnetically coupled, irradiation-driven stellar wind can lead to substantial systemic loss of angular momentum. Hence, these systems, which would otherwise not be expected to experience 'magnetic braking', evolve to shorter orbital periods during mass transfer. In this paper, we detail how such a magnetic braking scenario operates. We apply it to a specific astrophysics problem involving the formation of compact black-hole binaries with low-mass donor stars. At present, it is not understood how these systems form, given that low-mass companion stars are not likely to provide sufficient gravitational potential to unbind the envelope of the massive progenitor of the black hole during a prior 'common-envelope' phase. On the other hand, intermediate-mass companions, such as Ap and Bp stars, could more readily eject the common envelope. However, in the absence of magnetic braking, such systems tend to evolve to long orbital periods. We show that, with the proposed magnetic braking properties afforded by Ap and Bp companions, such a scenario can lead to the formation of compact black-hole binaries with orbital periods, donor masses, lifetimes and production rates that are in accord with the observations. In spite of these successes, our models reveal a significant discrepancy between the calculated effective temperatures and the observed spectral types of the donor stars. Finally, we show that this temperature discrepancy would still exist for other scenarios invoking initially intermediate-mass donor stars, and this presents a substantial unresolved mystery.  相似文献   

Superhumps: confronting theory with observation     

K. J. Pearson 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,371(1):235-244

We review the theory and observations related to the 'superhump' precession of eccentric accretion discs in close binary systems. We agree with earlier work, although for different reasons, that the discrepancy between observation and dynamical theory implies that the effect of pressure in the disc cannot be neglected. We extend earlier work that investigates this effect to include the correct expression for the radius at which resonant orbits occur. Using analytic expressions for the accretion disc structure, we derive a relationship between the period excess and mass ratio with the pressure effects included. This is compared to the observed data, recently derived results for detailed integration of the disc equations and the equivalent empirically derived relations and used to predict values for the mass ratio based on measured values of the period excess for 88 systems.  相似文献   

Formation and evolution of compact binaries in globular clusters – I. Binaries with white dwarfs     

N. Ivanova  C. O. Heinke †  F. A. Rasio  R. E. Taam  K. Belczynski ‡  J. Fregeau 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,372(3):1043-1059

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A study of two post-common envelope binary systems     

K. M. Exter †  D. L. Pollacco  P. F. L. Maxted  R. Napiwotzki  S. A. Bell 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2005,359(1):315-327

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