Fast time optical variability in Be/X-ray binaries. Pulsation and rotation

Abstract

Classical Be stars, regardless of spectral subtype, display multiperiodic light modulations in the frequency range 0.1-12 d${}^{-1}$, when observed with high-cadence and long duration. This behaviour is attributed to non-radial pulsations and/or rotation of the Be star. The main goal of this work is to investigate the fast photometric variability of the optical counterparts to Be/X-ray binaries and compare the general patterns of such variability with the Galactic population of classical Be stars. We analyzed 21 sources with TESS. High-cadence photometry with two ground-based telescopes was also performed for 15 sources. Standard Fourier analysis and least-squares fitting methods were employed in the frequency analysis. All sources exhibit intra-night light variations with intensity variations of 0.01-0.06 mag in the ground-based observations and up to 5% in flux in TESS observations. This variability manifests itself as multi-periodic signals in the frequency range 0.2-12 d${}^{-1}$. We find that the patterns of variability of the Be stars in Be/X-ray binaries agree with that of classical early-type Be stars in terms of the general shape of the periodograms. Based on the general shape and number of peaks in the periodograms, Be/X-ray binaries can be classified into different types. The most common case is the presence of groups of closely-spaced frequencies (67%), followed by sources that exhibit isolated signals (18%). The remaining type of sources displays frequency spectra characterized by a mixed pattern of stochastic variability and high-frequency peaks. This study reveals that short-term optical photometric variability is a very common, if not ubiquitous, feature intrinsic to the Be optical companions in Be/X-ray binaries. This variability is mainly attributed to pulsations that originate in the stellar interior.

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