|
|
Control Number |
1464 |
Presentation Preference |
Poster |
Title |
Stellar or Non-Stellar Light? Determining Near-Infrared Contamination in Low Mass X-Ray Binaries |
Author Block |
Dawn M. Gelino1, T. E. Harrison2, C. R. Gelino3 1NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, Caltech, 2New Mexico State University, 3Spitzer Science Center, Caltech. |
Category |
08. Binary Stellar Systems, X-ray Binaries |
Abstract |
Low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) systems are comprised of a low-mass, K or M dwarf-like star orbiting a compact object. Stellar black hole masses and their distributions are important inputs for binary evolution and supernova models. Currently, the main limiting factor in determining accurate black hole masses in LMXBs is the uncertainty of the orbital inclination angle due to an unknown amount of contaminating light in the near infrared. If present, this light dilutes the ellipsoidal variations of the low-mass secondary star, and thus gives the appearance of a lower orbital inclination system. It has been generally thought that the near infrared ellipsoidal light curves of these systems were relatively uncontaminated and represented primarily the light from the low-mass secondary star; however, recent disk and jet models have thrust this thinking into question. We combine our data from the Spitzer Space Telescope with our ground-based optical and near infrared data for several LMXBs to characterize and derive the amount of light contaminating the near-infrared ellipsoidal variations of the low-mass secondary star. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Online Abstract Submission and Invitation System
© 1996 - 2010 Coe-Truman Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
|