arXiv subjects

M. De Becker

Publications and source records attributed to M. De Becker.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

A binary signature in the non-thermal radio-emitter Cyg OB2 #9

Aims: Non-thermal radio emission associated with massive stars is believed to arise from a wind-wind collision in a binary system. However, the evidence of binarity is still lacking in some cases, notably Cyg OB2 #9 Methods: For several years, we have been monitoring this heavily-reddened star from various observatories. This campaign allowed us to probe variations both on short and long timescales and constitutes the first in-depth study of the visible spectrum of this object. Results: Our observations provide the very first direct evidence of a companion in Cyg OB2 #9, confirming the theoretical wind-wind collision scenario. These data suggest a highly eccentric orbit with a period of a few years, compatible with the 2yr-timescale measured in the radio range. In addition, the signature of the wind-wind collision is very likely reflected in the behaviour of some emission lines.

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arXiv2008

Milli-arcsecond astrophysics with VSI, the VLTI spectro-imager in the ELT era

Nowadays, compact sources like surfaces of nearby stars, circumstellar environments of stars from early stages to the most evolved ones and surroundings of active galactic nuclei can be investigated at milli-arcsecond scales only with the VLT in its interferometric mode. We propose a spectro-imager, named VSI (VLTI spectro-imager), which is capable to probe these sources both over spatial and spectral scales in the near-infrared domain. This instrument will provide information complementary to what is obtained at the same time with ALMA at different wavelengths and the extreme large telescopes.

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arXiv2007

Non-thermal emission processes in massive binaries

In this paper, I present a general discussion of several astrophysical processes likely to play a role in the production of non-thermal emission in massive stars, with emphasis on massive binaries. Even though the discussion will start in the radio domain where the non-thermal emission was first detected, the census of physical processes involved in the non-thermal emission from massive stars shows that many spectral domains are concerned, from the radio to the very high energies. First, the theoretical aspects of the non-thermal emission from early-type stars will be addressed. The main topics that will be discussed are respectively the physics of individual stellar winds and their interaction in binary systems, the acceleration of relativistic electrons, the magnetic field of massive stars, and finally the non-thermal emission processes relevant to the case of massive stars. Second, this general qualitative discussion will be followed by a more quantitative one, devoted to the most probable scenario where non-thermal radio emitters are massive binaries. I will show how several stellar, wind and orbital parameters can be combined in order to make some semi-quantitative predictions on the high-energy counterpart to the non-thermal emission detected in the radio domain. These theoretical considerations will be followed by a census of results obtained so far, and related to this topic... (see paper for full abstract)

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arXiv2007

The investigation of particle acceleration in colliding-wind massive binaries with SIMBOL-X

An increasing number of early-type (O and Wolf-Rayet) colliding wind binaries (CWBs) is known to accelerate particles up to relativistic energies. In this context, non-thermal emission processes such as inverse Compton (IC) scattering are expected to produce a high energy spectrum, in addition to the strong thermal emission from the shock-heated plasma. SIMBOL-X will be the ideal observatory to investigate the hard X-ray spectrum (above 10 keV) of these systems, i.e. where it is no longer dominated by the thermal emission. Such observations are strongly needed to constrain the models aimed at understanding the physics of particle acceleration in CWB. Such systems are important laboratories for investigating the underlying physics of particle acceleration at high Mach number shocks, and probe a different region of parameter space than studies of supernova remnants.

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arXiv2007

The Struve-Sahade effect in the optical spectra of O-type binaries I. Main-sequence systems

We present a spectroscopic analysis of four massive binary systems that are known or are good candidates to display the Struve-Sahade effect (defined as the apparent strengthening of the secondary spectrum of the binary when the star is approaching, and the corresponding weakening of the lines when it is receding). We use high resolution optical spectra to determine new orbital solutions and spectral types of HD 165052, HD 100213, HD 159176 and DH Cep. As good knowledge of the fundamental parameters of the considered systems is necessary to examine the Struve-Sahade effect. We then study equivalent width variations in the lines of both components of these binaries during their orbital cycle. In the case of these four systems, variations appear in the equivalent widths of some lines during the orbital cycle, but the definition given above can any longer be valid, since it is now clear that the effect modifies the primary spectrum as much as the secondary spectrum. Furthermore, the lines affected, and the way in which they are affected, depend on the considered system. For at least two of them (HD 100213 and HD 159176) these variations probably reflect the ellipsoidal variable nature of the system.

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arXiv2007

INTEGRAL-ISGRI observations of the CygOB2 region: earching for hard X-ray point sources in a region containing several non-thermal emitting massive stars

Aims: We analyze INTEGRAL-ISGRI data in order to probe the hard X-ray emission (above 20 keV) from point sources in the Cyg OB2 region and to investigate the putative non-thermal high-energy emission from early-type stars (Wolf-Rayet and O-type stars). Among the targets located in the field of view, we focus on the still unidentified EGRET source 3EG 2033+4118 that may be related to massive stars known to produce non-thermal emission in the radio domain, and on the wide colliding-wind binary WR 140. Methods: Using a large set of data obtained with the IBIS-ISGRI imager onboard INTEGRAL, we run the OSA software package in order to find point sources in the fully coded field of view of the instrument. Results: Our data do not allow the detection of a lower-energy counterpart of 3EG J2033+4118 nor of any other new point sources in the field of view, and we derive upper limits on the high-energy flux for a few targets: 3EG J2033+4118, TeV J2032+4130, WR140, WR146 and WR147. The results are discussed in the context of the multiwavelength investigation of these objects. Conclusions: The upper limits derived are valuable constraints for models aimed at understanding the acceleration of particles in non-thermal emitting massive stars, and of the still unidentified very-high gamma-ray source TeV J2032+4130.

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arXiv2006

Early-type stars in the core of the young open cluster Westerlund2

Aims. The properties of the early-type stars in the core of the Westerlund2 cluster are examined in order to establish a link between the cluster and the very massive Wolf-Rayet binary WR20a as well as the HII complex RCW49. Methods. Photometric monitoring as well as spectroscopic observations of Westerlund2 are used to search for light variability and to establish the spectral types of the early-type stars in the cluster core. Results. The first light curves of the eclipsing binary WR20a in B and V filters are analysed and a distance of 8kpc is inferred. Three additional eclipsing binaries, which are probable late O or early B-type cluster members, are discovered, but none of the known early O-type stars in the cluster displays significant photometric variability above 1% at the 1-sigma level. The twelve brightest O-type stars are found to have spectral types between O3 and O6.5, significantly earlier than previously thought. Conclusions. The distance of the early-type stars in Westerlund2 is established to be in excellent agreement with the distance of WR20a, indicating that WR20a actually belongs to the cluster. Our best estimate of the cluster distance thus amounts to 8.0pm1.4kpc. Despite the earlier spectral types, the currently known population of early-type stars in Westerlund2 does not provide enough ionizing photons to account for the radio emission of the RCW49 complex. This suggests that there might still exist a number of embedded early O-stars in RCW49.

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arXiv2006

Non-thermal radio emission from O-type stars. II. HD 167971

HD 167971 is a triple system consisting of a 3.3-day eclipsing binary (O5-8 V + O5-8 V) and an O8 supergiant. It is also a well known non-thermal radio emitter. We observed the radio emission of HD 167971 with the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). By combining these data with VLA archive observations we constructed a radio lightcurve covering a 20-yr time-range. We searched for, but failed to find, the 3.3-day spectroscopic period of the binary in the radio data. This could be due to the absence of intrinsic synchrotron radiation at the colliding-wind region between the two components of the eclipsing binary, or due to the large amount of free-free absorption that blocks the synchrotron radiation. We are able to explain many of the observed characteristics of the radio data if the non-thermal emission is produced in a colliding-wind region between the supergiant and the combined winds of the binary. Furthermore, if the system is gravitationally bound, the orbital motion occurs over a period of ~ 20 years, or longer, as suggested by the long-term variability in the radio data. We argue that the variability is due to the free-free absorption that changes with orbital phase or may also in part be due to changes in separation, should the orbit be eccentric.

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arXiv2006

Early-type stars in the young open cluster IC1805. II. The probably single stars HD15570 and HD15629, and the massive binary/triple system HD15558

Aims: We address the issue of the multiplicity of the three brightest early-type stars of the young open cluster IC1805, namely HD15570, HD15629 and HD15558. Methods: For the three stars, we measured the radial velocity by fitting Gaussian curves to line profiles in the optical domain. In the case of the massive binary HD15558, we also used a spectral disentangling method to separate the spectra of the primary and of the secondary in order to derive the radial velocities of the two components. These measurements were used to compute orbital solutions for HD15558. Results: For HD15570 and HD15629, the radial velocities do not present any significant trend attributable to a binary motion on time scales of a few days, nor from one year to the next. In the case of HD15558 we obtained an improved SB1 orbital solution with a period of about 442 days, and we report for the first time on the detection of the spectral signature of its secondary star. We derive spectral types O5.5III(f) and O7V for the primary and the secondary of HD15558. We tentatively compute a first SB2 orbital solution although the radial velocities from the secondary star should be considered with caution. The mass ratio is rather high, i.e. about 3, and leads to very extreme minimum masses, in particular for the primary object. Minimum masses of the order of 150 \pm 50 and 50 \pm 15 M_\odot are found respectively for the primary and the secondary. Conclusions: We propose that HD15558 could be a triple system. This scenario could help to reconcile the very large minimum mass derived for the primary object with its spectral type. In addition, considering new and previously published results, we find that the binary frequency among O-stars in IC1805 has a lower limit of 20%, and that previously published values (80%) are probably overestimated.

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arXiv2005

An XMM-Newton observation of the multiple system HD167971 (O5-8V + O5-8V + (O8I)) and the young open cluster NGC6604

We discuss the results of two XMM-Newton observations of the open cluster NGC6604 obtained in April and September 2002. We concentrate mainly on the multiple system HD167971 (O5-8V + O5-8V + (O8I)). The soft part of the EPIC spectrum of this system is thermal with typical temperatures of about 2 10^6 to 9 10^6 K. The nature (thermal vs non-thermal) of the hard part of the spectrum is not unambiguously revealed by our data. If the emission is thermal, the high temperature of the plasma (~ 2.3 10^7 to 4.6 10^7 K) would be typical of what should be expected from a wind-wind interaction zone within a long period binary system. This emission could arise from an interaction between the combined winds of the O5-8V + O5-8V close binary system and that of the more distant O8I companion. Assuming instead that the hard part of the spectrum is non-thermal, the photon index would be rather steep (~3). Moreover, a marginal variability between our two XMM-Newton pointings could be attributed to an eclipse of the O5-8V + O5-8V system. The overall X-ray luminosity points to a significant X-ray luminosity excess of about a factor 4 possibly due to colliding winds. Considering HD167971 along with several recent X-ray and radio observations, we propose that the simultaneous observation of non-thermal radiation in the X-ray (below 10.0 keV) and radio domains appears rather unlikely. Our investigation of our XMM-Newton data of NGC6604 reveals a rather sparse distribution of X-ray emitters. Including the two bright non-thermal radio emitters HD168112 and HD167971, we present a list of 31 X-ray sources... (see paper for full abstract)

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arXiv2005

Non-thermal radio emission from O-type stars. I. HD 168112

We present a radio lightcurve of the O5.5 III(f+) star HD 168112, based on archive data from the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). The fluxes show considerable variability and a negative spectral index, thereby confirming that HD 168112 is a non-thermal radio emitter. The non-thermal radio emission is believed to be due to synchrotron radiation from relativistic electrons that have been Fermi accelerated in shocks. For HD 168112, it is not known whether these shocks are due to a wind-wind collision in a binary system or to the intrinsic instability of the stellar wind driving mechanism. Assuming HD 168112 to be a single star, our synchrotron model shows that the velocity jump of the shocks should be very high, or there should be a very large number of shocks in the wind. Neither of these is compatible with time-dependent hydrodynamical calculations of O star winds. If, on the other hand, we assume that HD 168112 is a binary, the high velocity jump is easily explained by ascribing it to the wind-wind collision. By further assuming the star to be an eccentric binary, we can explain the observed radio variability by the colliding-wind region moving in and out of the region where free-free absorption is important. The radio data presented here show that the binary has a period between one and two years. By combining the radio data with X-ray data, we find that the most likely period is about 1.4 yr.

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arXiv2004

The Massive Runaway Stars HD 14633 and HD 15137

We present results from a radial velocity study of two runaway O-type stars, HD 14633 (ON8.5 V) and HD 15137 (O9.5 III(n)). We find that HD 14633 is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 15.4083 days. The second target HD 15137 is a radial velocity variable and a possible single-lined spectroscopic binary with a period close to 1 month. Both binaries have large eccentricity, small semiamplitude, and a small mass function. We show the trajectories of the stars in the sky based upon an integration of motion in the Galactic potential, and we suggest that both stars were ejected from the vicinity of the open cluster NGC 654 in the Perseus spiral arm. The binary orbital parameters and runaway velocities are consistent with the idea that both these stars were ejected by supernova explosions in binaries and that they host neutron star companions. We find that the time-of-flight since ejection is longer than the predicted evolutionary timescales for the stars, which may indicate that they have a lower mass than normally associated with their spectral classifications and/or that their lives have been extended through rapid rotation.

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arXiv2004

Line profile variability in the spectra of Oef stars: II. HD192281, HD14442 and HD14434

We present the very first analysis of the spectroscopic variability of the three rapidly rotating Oef stars HD192281 (O5(ef)), HD14442 (O5.5ef) and HD14434 (O6.5(ef)). Radial velocities of the HeII lambda 4541 line reveal no evidence of binarity on time scales of a few days, or from one year to the next, for any of the targets. The HeII lambda 4686 double-peaked emission and, to some extent, the Hbeta absorption line display significant profile variability in the spectra of all three stars. Data gathered during different observing runs spread over six years reveal a rather stable time scale for HD192281 and HD14442, whereas the variability pattern changes significantly from one year to the other. The case of HD14434 is less clear as no obvious time scale emerges from our analysis. In a temptative way to interpret this variability, stellar rotation remains a possible clock for HD192281 and HD14442. However, currently available models addressing stellar rotation fail to explain some crucial aspects of the observed variability behaviour, which appear to be even more complex in the case of HD14434.

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arXiv2004

A Spectroscopic study of the non-thermal radio emitter Cyg OB2 #8A: Discovery of a new binary system

We present the results of a spectroscopic campaign revealing that the non-thermal radio emitter Cyg OB2 #8A is an O6 + O5.5 binary system. We propose the very first orbital solution indicating a period of about 21.9 days. The system appears to be eccentric (0.24 +/- 0.04) and is likely seen under a rather low inclination angle. The mass ratio of the components is close to unity. The impact of the binarity of this star in the framework of our understanding of non-thermal radio emission from early-type stars is briefly discussed.

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arXiv2004

On the multiplicity of the O-star Cyg OB2 #8A and its contribution to the gamma-ray source 3EG J2033+4118

We present the results of an intensive spectroscopic campaign in the optical waveband revealing that Cyg OB2 #8A is an O6 + O5.5 binary system with a period of about 21.9 d. Cyg OB2 #8A is a bright X-ray source, as well as a non-thermal radio emitter. We discuss the binarity of this star in the framework of a campaign devoted to the study of non-thermal emitters, from the radio waveband to gamma-rays. In this context, we attribute the non-thermal radio emission from this star to a population of relativistic electrons, accelerated by the shock of the wind-wind collision. These relativistic electrons could also be responsible for a putative gamma-ray emission through inverse Compton scattering of photospheric UV photons, thus contributing to the yet unidentified EGRET source 3EG J2033+4118.

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arXiv2004

Quasi-simultaneous XMM-Newton and VLA observation of the non-thermal radio emitter HD\168112 (O5.5III(f^+))

We report the results of a multiwavelength study of the non-thermal radio emitter HD168112 (O5.5III(f^+)). The detailed analysis of two quasi-simultaneous XMM-Newton and VLA observations reveals strong variability of this star both in the X-ray and radio ranges. The X-ray observations separated by five months reveal a decrease of the X-ray flux of ~30%. The radio emission on the other hand increases by a factor 5-7 between the two observations obtained roughly simultaneously with the XMM-Newton pointings. The X-ray data reveal a hard emission that is most likely produced by a thermal plasma at kT ~2-3 keV while the VLA data confirm the non-thermal status of this star in the radio waveband. Comparison with archive X-ray and radio data confirms the variability of this source in both wavelength ranges over a yet ill defined time scale. The properties of HD168112 in the X-ray and radio domain point towards a binary system with a significant eccentricity and an orbital period of a few years. However, our optical spectra reveal no significant changes of the star's radial velocity suggesting that if HD168112 is indeed a binary, it must be seen under a fairly low inclination.

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arXiv2004

WR20a: a massive cornerstone binary system comprising two extreme early-type stars

We analyse spectroscopic observations of WR20a revealing that this star is a massive early-type binary system with a most probable orbital period of \sim 3.675 days. Our spectra indicate that both components are most likely of WN6ha or O3If^*/WN6ha spectral type. The orbital solution for a period of 3.675 days yields extremely large minimum masses of 70.7 \pm 4.0 and 68.8 \pm 3.8 M_{\odot} for the two stars. These properties make WR20a a cornerstone system for the study of massive star evolution.

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arXiv2004

An XMM-Newton observation of the massive binary HD159176

We report the analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of the close binary HD159176 (O7V + O7V). The observed L_X/L_bol ratio reveals an X-ray luminosity exceeding by a factor ~ 7 the expected value for X-ray emission from single O-stars, therefore suggesting a wind-wind interaction scenario. EPIC and RGS spectra are fitted consistently with a two temperature mekal optically thin thermal plasma model, with temperatures ranging from ~ 2 to 6 10^6 K. At first sight, these rather low temperatures are consistent with the expectations for a close binary system where the winds collide well before reaching their terminal velocities. We also investigate the variability of the X-ray light curve of HD159176 on various short time scales. No significant variability is found and we conclude that if hydrodynamical instabilities exist in the wind interaction region of HD159176, they are not sufficient to produce an observable signature in the X-ray emission. Hydrodynamic simulations using wind parameters from the literature reveal some puzzling discrepancies. The most striking one concerns the predicted X-ray luminosity which is one or more orders of magnitude larger than the observed one. A significant reduction of the mass loss rate of the components compared to the values quoted in the literature alleviates the discrepancy but is not sufficient to fully account for the observed luminosity. Because hydrodynamical models are best for the adiabatic case whereas the colliding winds in HD159176 are most likely highly radiative, a totally new approach has been envisaged... (see paper for complete abstract)

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