Photometric Observations of Three High Mass X-Ray Binaries and a Search for Variations Induced by Orbital Motion

Abstract

We searched for long period variation in V-band, Ic-band and RXTE X-ray light curves of the High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) LS 1698 / RX J1037.5-5647, HD 110432 / 1H 1249-637 and HD 161103 / RX J1744.7-2713 in an attempt to discover orbitally induced variation. Data were obtained primarily from the ASAS database and were supplemented by shorter term observations made with the 24- and 40-inch ANU telescopes and one of the robotic PROMPT telescopes. Fourier periodograms suggested the existence of long period variation in the V-band light curves of all three HMXBs, however folding the data at those periods did not reveal convincing periodic variation. At this point we cannot rule out the existence of long term V-band variation for these three sources and hints of longer term variation may be seen in the higher precision PROMPT data. Long term V-band observations, on the order of several years, taken at a frequency of at least once per week and with a precision of 0.01 mag, therefore still have a chance of revealing long term variation in these three HMXBs.

Accepted, RAA, May, 2011

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• The XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: XMMUJ010633.1-731543 and XMMUJ010743.1-715953, two new Be/X-ray binary systems
• Characterization of the X-ray light curve of the gamma Cas-like B1e star HD110432
• Catalog of the Galactic population of X-ray pulsars in High-mass X-ray binary systems
• INTEGRAL and Swift observations of the Be X-ray binary 4U 1036-56 (RX J1037.5-5647) and its possible relation with gamma-ray transients
• Skynet Algorithm for Single-Dish Radio Mapping I: Contaminant-Cleaning, Mapping, and Photometering Small-Scale Structures