NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2017B-0057
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2017B-0057 |
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PI: Sebastian Gomez, Harvard U., sgomez@cfa.harvard.edu
Address: Astronomy Department, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 United States
CoI: Jonathan Grindlay, Harvard U.
Title: Spectroscopy of a likely new black hole X-ray binary and Cygnus X-1 progenitor
Abstract: HD96670 is a single-line spectroscopic binary made up of an O8.5V primary with
variable HeII emission, and an unseen secondary (Sota, et al. 2014). We
observed the source and determined a mass function of $f(M) = 0.1161 pm 0.0046$
M_Sun. For an O8.5 primary, this implies a minimum secondary mass of $M_2 >
3.5 pm 0.5 M_Sun$, ruling out a neutron star or white dwarf secondary. We
don’t see any spectral signatures that can be associated with a main sequence
companion $> 3.5$M_Sun. The source also shows X-ray emission above 10keV
with a photon index $sim 2.5$ (Grindlay, et al. in prep). These arguments
favor a black hole secondary, if confirmed this would be the third to fifth
dynamically confirmed black hole high mass X-ray binary known in the galaxy
(Besides Cyg X-1 and MWC 656).
Program Type: Standard/LCO
Scheduled Nights:
Run 1 (2017B): LCO-1m/NRES -- 10hrs
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2017B-0057 |
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