Joint H-alpha and X-Ray Observations of Massive X-Ray Binaries. II. The Be X-ray Binary and Microquasar LS I +61 303

Abstract

We present the results of an H-alpha monitoring campaign on the BeXRB and microquasar system LS I +61 303. We use radial velocity measurements of HeI lines in our spectra to re-evaluate the orbital elements and to better establish the time of periastron. We list equivalent widths and other parameters for the H-alpha emission line and discuss the orbital phase related variations observed. We call attention to a dramatic episode of emission weakening that occurred in less than a day that probably resulted from exposure to a transient source of ionizing radiation. We argue that the increase in H-alpha and X-ray emission following periastron probably results from the creation of an extended density wave in the disk created by tidal forces. We also discuss estimates of the size of the disk from the H-alpha equivalent width measurements, and we suggest that the disk radius from the average equivalent width corresponds to a resonant truncation radius of the disk while the maximum equivalent width corresponds to a radius limited by the separation of the stars at periastron. We note that a nearby faint companion is probably an unrelated foreground object.

18 pages including 7 figures and 2 tables, accepted to ApJ

References in corpus (2)

• Joint H-alpha and X-ray Observations of Massive X-ray Binaries. I. The B-Supergiant System LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650
• A microquasar shot out from its birth place

Cited by in corpus (20)

• VERITAS Observations of the gamma-Ray Binary LS I +61 303
• Understanding the Very High-Energy Emission from Microquasars
• Accretion vs colliding wind models for the gamma-ray binary LS I +61 303: an assessment
• Periodic very high energy gamma-ray emission from LS I +61 303 observed with the MAGIC telescope
• Chandra Observations of the Gamma-ray Binary LSI+61303: Extended X-ray Structure?
• Spectral signature of a free pulsar wind in the gamma-ray binaries LS 5039 and LSI +61$\degr$303
• Joint H-alpha and X-ray Observations of Massive X-ray Binaries. I. The B-Supergiant System LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650
• Long-term periodicity in LSI+61303 as beat frequency between orbital and precessional rate
• gamma-ray emission from LS I +61 303: The impact of basic system uncertainties
• Swift/XRT monitoring of five orbital cycles of LSI +61 303
• Orbital variability of the optical linear polarization of the $\gamma$-ray binary LS I +61 303 and new constraints on the orbital parameters
• Discovery of a periodical apoastron GeV peak in LS I +61°303
• H-alpha Emission Variability in the gamma-ray Binary LS I +61 303
• Modelling the correlated keV/TeV light curves of Be/gamma-ray binaries
• Fast time optical variability in Be/X-ray binaries. Pulsation and rotation
• Broadband study and the discovery of pulsations from the Be/X-ray binary eRASSU J052914.9-662446 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• A precessing stellar disk model for superorbital modulations of the gamma-ray binary LS I+61${}^{\circ }$ 303
• Optical microflares in LS I +61 303 and the search for their multiwavelength counterpart
• The MAGIC highlights of the gamma ray binary LS I +61 303
• LS I+61 303: microquasar or not microquasar?