The Orbital Period of the Wolf-Rayet Binary IC 10 X-1; Dynamic Evidence that the Compact Object is a Black Hole
arXiv:0709.2892 · doi:10.1086/523755
Abstract
IC 10 X-1 is a bright (Lx=10^38 ergs/s) variable X-ray source in the local group starburst galaxy IC 10. The most plausible optical counterpart is a luminous Wolf-Rayet star, making IC 10 X-1 a rare example of a Wolf-Rayet X-ray binary. In this paper, we report on the detection of an X-ray orbital period for IC 10 X-1of 34.4 hours. This result, combined with a re-examination of optical spectra, allow us to determine a mass function for the system f(m)=7.8 Msun and a probable mass for the compact object of 24-36 Msun. If this analysis is correct, the compact object is the most massive known stellar black black hole. We further show that the observed period is inconsistent with Roche lobe overflow, suggesting that the binary is detached and the black hole is accreting the wind of the Wolf-Rayet star. The observed mass loss rate of [MAC92] 17-A is sufficient to power the X-ray luminosity of IC 10 X-1.
Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters
References in corpus (3)
Cited by in corpus (36)
- Gravitational waves from scattering of stellar-mass black holes in galactic nuclei
- The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
- Cygnus X-1 contains a 21-solar mass black hole -- implications for massive star winds
- On IC 10 X-1, the Most Massive Known Stellar-Mass Black Hole
- Effects of the stellar wind on X-ray spectra of Cygnus X-3
- Spectral variability in Cygnus X-3
- NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the extreme ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5907 ULX1: A Vanishing Act
- Models for the Observable System Parameters of Ultraluminous X-ray Sources
- Gemini/GNIRS infrared spectroscopy of the Wolf-Rayet stellar wind in Cygnus X-3
- New Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the counterparts to six ultraluminous X-ray sources
- The lowest-mass stellar black holes: catastrophic death of neutron stars in gamma-ray bursts
- The most massive progenitors of neutron stars: CXO J164710.2-455216
- A classification of the X-ray and radio states of Cyg X-3 and their long-term correlations
- Evidence of a Massive Black Hole Companion in the Massive Eclipsing Binary V Puppis
- Two eclipsing ultraluminous X-ray sources in M 51
- Chandra and XMM Monitoring of the Black Hole X-ray Binary IC 10 X-1
- Exploring Hadron Physics in Black Hole Formations: a New Promising Target of Neutrino Astronomy
- A Study of the Evolution of the Close Binaries Cyg X-3, IC 10 X-1, NGC 300 X-1, SS 433, and M33 X-7 Using the "Scenario Machine"
- The aperiodic broad-band X-ray variability of Cygnus X-3
- NGC300 X-1 and IC10 X-1: a new breed of black hole binary?
- Interpretation of the 115 Day Periodic Modulation in the X-ray Flux of NGC 5408 X-1
- The Wolf-Rayet + Black Hole Binary NGC 300 X-1: What is the Mass of the Black Hole?
- Transition to the disk dominant state of a new ultraluminous X-ray source in M82
- Revealing the nebular properties and Wolf-Rayet population of IC10 with Gemini/GMOS
- The Binary Black Hole Merger Rate from Ultraluminous X-ray Source Progenitors
- A Transient Supergiant X-ray Binary in IC10. An Extragalactic SFXT?
- Wolf-Rayet stars, black holes and the first detected gravitational wave source
- The X-ray Binary Population of the Nearby Dwarf Starburst Galaxy IC 10: Variable and Transient X-ray Sources
- Episodic Mass Loss and Pre-SN Circumstellar Envelopes
- Formation of Wind-Fed Black Hole High-mass X-ray Binaries: The Role of Roche-lobe-Overflow Post Black-Hole Formation
- The First Candidate Colliding-Wind Binary in M33
- Probing the Stellar Wind of the Wolf-Rayet Star in IC 10 X-1
- Blue Supergiant X-ray Binaries in the Nearby Dwarf Galaxy IC 10
- Constraints on the number of X-ray Pulsars in IC 10 from a deep XMM-Newton Observation
- Accreting Black Holes Skewing and Bending the Optical Emission from Massive Wolf-Rayet Companions -- A Case Study of IC10 X-1
- Adiabatic Mass Loss In Binary Stars. VI. Massive Helium Binary Stars