Formation of wind-captured discs in Supergiant X-ray binaries : consequences for Vela X-1 and Cygnus X-1

Abstract

In Supergiant X-ray binaries (SgXB), a compact object captures a fraction of the wind of an O/B supergiant on a close orbit. Proxies exist to evaluate the efficiency of mass and angular momentum accretion but they depend so dramatically on the wind speed that given the current uncertainties, they only set loose constrains. Furthermore, they often bypass the impact of orbital and shock effects on the flow structure. We study the wind dynamics and the angular momentum gained as the flow is accreted. We identify the conditions for the formation of a disc-like structure around the accretor and the observational consequences for SgXB. We use recent results on the wind launching mechanism to compute 3D streamlines, accounting for the gravitational and X-ray ionizing influence of the compact companion on the wind. Once the flow enters the Roche lobe of the accretor, we solve the hydrodynamics equations with cooling. A shocked region forms around the accretor as the flow is beamed. For wind speeds of the order of the orbital speed, the shock is highly asymmetric compared to the axisymmetric bow shock obtained for a purely planar homogeneous flow. With net radiative cooling, the flow always circularizes for wind speeds low enough. Although the donor star does not fill its Roche lobe, the wind can be significantly beamed and bent by the orbital effects. The net angular momentum of the accreted flow is then sufficient to form a persistent disc-like structure. This mechanism could explain the proposed limited outer extension of the accretion disc in Cygnus X-1 and suggests the presence of a disc at the outer rim of the neutron star magnetosphere in Vela X-1, with dramatic consequences on the spinning up of the accretor.

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