Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège -  Volume 87 - Année 2018  Actes de colloques  First Belgo-Indian Network for Astronomy & Astrophysics (BINA) workshop - November 2016 - Nainital, India 

Optical/Infrared properties of Be stars in X-ray Binary systems

Sachindra Naik
Astronomy & Astrophysics Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad - 380009, India, snaik@prl.res.in

Abstract

Be/X-ray binaries, consisting of a Be star and a compact object (neutron star), form the largest subclass of High Mass X-ray Binaries. The orbit of the compact object around the Be star is wide and highly eccentric. Neutron stars in the Be/X-ray binaries are generally quiescent in X-ray emission. Transient X-ray outbursts seen in these objects are thought to be due to the interaction between the compact object and the circumstellar disk of the Be star at the periastron passage. Optical/infrared observations of the companion Be star during these outbursts show that the increase in the X-ray intensity of the neutron star is coupled with the decrease in the optical/infrared flux of the companion star. Apart from the change in optical/infrared flux, dramatic changes in the Be star emission line profiles are also seen during X-ray outbursts. Observational evidences of changes in the emission line profiles and optical/infrared continuum flux along with associated X-ray outbursts from the neutron stars in several Be/X-ray binaries are presented in this paper.

Keywords : astronomy, astrophysics, infrared, stars, visible, X-ray binaries

Pour citer cet article

Sachindra Naik, «Optical/Infrared properties of Be stars in X-ray Binary systems», Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège [En ligne], Volume 87 - Année 2018, Actes de colloques, First Belgo-Indian Network for Astronomy & Astrophysics (BINA) workshop - November 2016 - Nainital, India, 167 - 175 URL : https://popups.uliege.be/0037-9565/index.php?id=7625.