Tidal interaction in High-Mass X-ray Binaries

✍ Scribed by K.A. Stoyanov; R.K. Zamanov

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 116 KB
• Volume: 330
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-6337
• DOI: 10.1002/asna.200811224

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Our aim is to investigate tidal interaction in High‐Mass X‐ray Binary stars in order to determine in which objects the rotation of the mass donors is synchronized or pseudosynchronized with the orbital motion of the compact companion. We calculate the pseudosynchronization period (P~ps~) and compare it with the rotational period of the mass donors (P~rot~). We find that (1) the Be/X‐ray binaries are not synchronized, the mass donors rotate faster than the orbital period and the ratio P~ps~/P~rot~ is 2–300; (2) the giant and supergiant systems are close to synchronization and for them the ratio P~ps~/P~rot~ is 0.3–2 (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)