Photometric observations of three high mass X-ray binaries and a search for variations induced by orbital motion

• Published in: Research in astronomy and astrophysics Vol. 11; no. 8; pp. 947 - 964
• Main Authors: Sarty, Gordon E, Pilecki, Bogumil, Reichart, Daniel E, Ivarsen, Kevin M, Haislip, Joshua B, Nysewander, Melissa C, LaCluyze, Aaron P, Johnston, Helen M, Shobbrook, Robert R, Kiss, László L, Wu, Kinwah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: gordon.sarty@usask.ca%Warsaw University Observatory, Al.Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland 01.08.2011; Universidad de Concepcion, Departamento de Astronom(i)a, Casilla 160-C, Concepcion, Chile%Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, CB 3255,Phillips Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USA%School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia%Konkoly Observatory, H-1525 Budapest, P.O.Box 67, Hungary%School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; Departments of Psychology and Physics, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5, Canada; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St.Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, United Kingdom
• Subjects: X射线双星; 光度; 搜索; 诱发变异; 质量; 轨道运动; 长期变化; 长期观测; individual; Be stars-stars; HD 161103 X-ray; LS 1698; neutron stars-stars; HD 110432; accretion-stars; binaries
• ISSN: 1674-4527; 2397-6209
• DOI: 10.1088/1674-4527/11/8/007

We searched for long period variation in V-band, It-band and RXTE X-ray light curves of the High Mass X-ray Binaries （HMXBs） LS 1698 / RX J1037.5-5647, HD 110432 / 1H 1249-637 and HD 161103 / RX J1744.7-2713 in an attempt to discover orbitally induced variation. Data were obtained primarily from the ASAS database and were supplemented by shorter term observations made with the 24- and 40-inch ANU telescopes and one of the robotic PROMPT telescopes. Fourier periodograms suggested the existence of long period variation in the V-band light curves of all three HMXBs, however folding the data at those periods did not reveal convincing periodic variation. At this point we cannot rule out the existence of long term V-band variation for these three sources and hints of longer term variation may be seen in the higher precision PROMPT data. Long term V-band observations, on the order of several years, taken at a frequency of at least once per week and with a precision of 0.01 mag, therefore still have a chance of revealing long term variation in these three HMXBs.