Phase-resolved optical and X-ray spectroscopy of low-mass X-ray binary X1822-371

Abstract

(Abridged) X1822-371 is the prototypical accretion disc corona X-ray source, a low-mass X-ray binary viewed at very high inclination, thereby allowing the disc structure and extended disc coronal regions to be visible. We study the structure of the accretion disc in X1822-371 by modelling the phase-resolved spectra both in optical and X-ray regime. We analyse high time resolution optical ESO/VLT spectra of X1822-371 to study the variability in the emission line profiles. In addition, we use data from XMM-Newton space observatory to study phase-resolved as well as high resolution X-ray spectra. We apply the Doppler tomography technique to reconstruct a map of the optical emission distribution in the system. We fit multi-component models to the X-ray spectra. We find that our results from both the optical and X-ray analysis can be explained with a model where the accretion disc has a thick rim in the region where the accretion stream impacts the disc. The behaviour of the H_beta line complex implies that some of the accreting matter creates an outburst around the accretion stream impact location and that the resulting outflow of matter moves both away from the accretion disc and towards the centre of the disc. Such behaviour can be explained by an almost isotropic outflow of matter from the accretion stream impact region. The optical emission lines of HeII 4686 and 5411 show double peaked profiles, typical for an accretion disc at high inclination. However, their velocities are slower than expected for an accretion disc in a system like X1822-371. This, combined with the fact that the HeII emission lines do not get eclipsed during the partial eclipse in the continuum, suggests that the line emission does not originate in the orbital plane and is more likely to come from above the accretion disc, for example the accretion disc wind.

10 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (4)

• New ephemeris of the ADC source 2A 1822-371: a stable orbital-period derivative over 30 years
• An Overview of the Bowen Survey; detecting donor star signatures in Low Mass X-ray Binaries
• Implications of X-Ray Line Variations for 4U1822-371
• Light Curve Morphology Study of UW CrB -- Evidence for a 5 d Superorbital Period

Cited by in corpus (13)

• Periodic signals from the Circinus region: two new cataclysmic variables and the ultraluminous X-ray source candidate GC X-1
• X-ray spectroscopy of the ADC source X1822-371 with Chandra and XMM-Newton
• VLT spectroscopy of the Black Hole Candidate Swift J1357.2-0933 in Quiescence
• A possible cyclotron resonance scattering feature near 0.7 keV in X1822-371
• Discovery of a 6.4 h black hole binary in NGC 4490
• Eclipse Mapping of EXO 0748-676: Evidence for a Massive Neutron Star
• Long-term photometric monitoring and spectroscopy of the white dwarf pulsar AR Scorpii
• Spectral analysis of the low-mass X-ray pulsar 4U 1822-371: Reflection component in a high-inclination system
• The X-ray Pulsar 2A 1822-371 as a Super Eddington source
• The origin of the tilted disk in the low mass X-ray binary GR Mus (XB 1254-690)
• Gemini/GMOS Spectroscopy of EXO 0748-676 (=UY Vol) in Outburst
• A tomographic study of V691 CrA (X1822-371)
• H$\beta$ spectroscopy of the high-inclination black hole transient Swift J1357.2-0933 during quiescence