Comment on 'The case and fate of HD 75767 – neutron star or supernova?' by Fuhrmann et al. |
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| Authors: | R F Griffin |
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| Institution: | The Observatories, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA |
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| Abstract: | In a recent paper Fuhrmann et al. presented radial-velocity measurements of HD 75767 and derived an orbit that was an improvement on the one published by Sanford in 1931; an orbit published in 1991 was, however, overlooked, and the actual calculation of the new elements is open to criticism. A joint solution of all the available data provides a better result than any of the three constituent sets separately; the period is determined to a precision more than 100 times better than in the recent orbit, and a very small but definite eccentricity is reliably documented for the first time. The eccentricity is probably caused (or maintained) by the visual companion. Fuhrmann et al.'s conclusion that the secondary object in the spectroscopic orbit is a white dwarf does not seem inescapable; indeed, the object appears quite likely to be a lower-main-sequence star. |
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| Keywords: | techniques: radial velocities stars: individual: HD 75767 stars: kinematics stars: late-type |
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