IR Monitoring of the Microquasar GRS 1915+105: Detection of Orbital and Superhump Signatures

Abstract

We present the results of seven years of K-band monitoring of the low-mass X-ray binary GRS 1915+105. Positive correlations between the infrared flux and the X-ray flux and X-ray hardness are demonstrated. Analysis of the frequency spectrum shows that the orbital period of the system is $P_{orb}=30.8\pm 0.2$ days. The phase and amplitude of the orbital modulation suggests that the modulation is due to the heating of the face of the secondary star. We also report another periodic signature between 31.2 and 31.6 days, most likely due to a superhump resonance. From the superhump period we then obtain a range on the mass ratio of the system, $0.05<q<0.12$.

16 pages, 6 figures; v2: minor changes

Cited by in corpus (10)

• A 15.65 solar mass black hole in an eclipsing binary in the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 33
• Comprehensive simulations of superhumps
• Hibernating black holes revealed by photometric mass functions
• Warp and eccentricity propagation in discs around black holes
• Delimiting the black hole mass in the X-ray transient MAXI J1659-152 with H$\alpha$ spectroscopy
• HFQPOs and discoseismic mode excitation in eccentric, relativistic discs. II. Magnetohydrodynamic simulations
• The relation between outburst rate and orbital period in low-mass X-ray binary transients
• The Weizmann Fast Astronomical Survey Telescope (W-FAST): System Overview
• Updated Orbital Ephemeris and Detection of Superhump Modulation in X-ray Band for the Ultra-Compact Low Mass X-ray Binary 4U 1820-30
• Recurrent Instability in LMXB Accretion Disks: How Strange is GRS 1915+105?