Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T02:52:56.591Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Cygnus X-3 an evolutionary missing link found?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2017

M.H. van Kerkwijk*
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, Department of Astronomy, m.s. 105-24, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

I review the properties of the X-ray source Cygnus X-3, and the evidence that is available that indicates that its companion is a Wolf-Rayet star. I focus on the interpretation of spectra of its infrared counterpart. Considering all data, I conclude that the companion is indeed a WR star, and I discuss the ramifications of this conclusion for our understanding of WR stars in general.

Type
Session VIII - Hydrodynamics and high-energy physics of winds accreting on neutrons stars and black holes
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1995 

References

Becklin, E.E., Kristian, J., Neugebauer, G., Wynn-Williams, C.G. 1972, Nature 239, 130 Google Scholar
Becklin, E.E., Neugebauer, G., Hawkins, F.J., Mason, K.O., Sanford, P.W., Matthews, K., Wynn-Williams, C.G. 1973, Nature 245, 302 Google Scholar
Becklin, E.E., Hawkins, F.J., Mason, K.O., Matthews, K., Neugebauer, G., Packman, D., Sanford, P.W., Schupler, B., Stark, A., Wynn-Williams, C.G. 1974, ApJ (Letters) 192, L119 Google Scholar
Berger, M., van der Klis, M. 1994, A&A submitted Google Scholar
Bonnet-Bidaud, J.-M., Chardin, G. 1988, Phys. Rep. 170, 325 Google Scholar
Cherepashchuk, A.M., Moffat, A.F.J. 1994, ApJ (Letters) 424, L53 Google Scholar
Chu, K.W., Bieging, J.H. 1973, ApJ (Letters) 179, L21 Google Scholar
Dickey, J.M. 1983, ApJ (Letters) 273, L71 Google Scholar
Flannery, B.P., van den Heuvel, E.P.J. 1975, A&A 39, 61 Google Scholar
Geldzahler, B.J., Johnston, K.J., Spencer, J.H., et al. 1983, ApJ (Letters) 273, L65 Google Scholar
Giacconi, R., Gorenstein, P., Gursky, H., Waters, J.R. 1967, ApJ (Letters) 148, L119 Google Scholar
Gregory, P.C., Kronberg, P.P., Seaquist, E.R., Hughes, V.A., Woodsworth, A., Viner, M.R., Retallack, D. 1972, Nature 239, 114 Google Scholar
Hertz, P., Joss, P.C., Rappaport, S. 1978, ApJ 224, 614 Google Scholar
Hillier, D.J. 1985, A J 90, 1514 Google Scholar
Hillier, D.J., Jones, T.J., Hyland, A.R. 1983, ApJ 271, 221 Google Scholar
Hulse, R.A., Taylor, J.H. 1975, ApJ (Letters) 195, L51 Google Scholar
Kitamoto, S., Mizobuchi, S., Yamashita, K., Nakamura, H. 1992, ApJ 384, 263 Google Scholar
Kitamoto, S., Miyamoto, S., Waltman, E.B., Fiedler, R.L., Johnston, K.J., Ghigo, F.D. 1994a, A&A (Letters) 281, L85 Google Scholar
Kitamoto, S., Kawashima, K., Negoro, H., Miyamoto, S., White, N.E., Nagase, F. 1994b, PASJ 46, in press Google Scholar
Kudritzki, R.P., Hummer, D.G. 1990, Ann. Rev. A&A 28, 303 Google Scholar
Langer, N. 1989, A&A 39, 61 Google Scholar
Manzo, G., Molteni, D., Robba, N.R. 1978, A&A 70, 317 Google Scholar
Mason, K.O., Becklin, E.E., Blankenship, L., et al. 1976, ApJ 207, 78 Google Scholar
Mason, K.O., Córdova, F.A., White, N.E. 1986, ApJ 309, 700 Google Scholar
Mathis, J.S. 1990, Ann. Rev. A&A 28, 37 Google Scholar
Michelson, P.F., Bertsch, D.L., Chiang, J., et al. 1992, ApJ 401, 724 Google Scholar
Morris, P.W., Brownsberger, K.R., Conti, P.S., Massey, P., Vacca, W.D. 1993, ApJ 412, 324 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Flaherty, K.S., Cawley, M.F., Fegan, D.J., et al. 1992, ApJ 396, 674 Google Scholar
Savonije, G.J. 1983, in: Lewin, W.H.G. & van den Heuvel, E.P.J. (eds.), Accretion-driven Stellar X-ray Sources (Cambridge: CUP), p. 343 Google Scholar
Schmutz, W. 1993, in: Regev, O. & Shaviv, G. (eds.), Cataclysmic Variables and Related Physics, Ann. Israel Phys. Soc. 10, (Bristol: Inst. of Phys. Publ.), p. 259 Google Scholar
Schmutz, W., Hamann, W.-R., Wessolowski, U. 1989, A&A 210, 236 Google Scholar
Spencer, R.E., Swinney, R.W., Johnston, K.J., Hjellming, R.M. 1986, ApJ 309, 694 Google Scholar
St-Louis, N., Moffat, A.F.J., Lapointe, L., Efimov, Yu.S., Shakhovskoy, N.M., Fox, G.K., Pirola, V. 1993, ApJ 410, 342 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorne, K., Żytkov, A.N. 1977, ApJ 212, 832 Google Scholar
van den Heuvel, E.P.J. 1976, in: Eggleton, P., Mitton, S. & Whelan, J. (eds.), Structure and Evolution of Close Binary Systems, Proc. IAU Symp. No. 73 (Dordrecht: Reidel), p. 35 Google Scholar
van den Heuvel, E.P.J. 1983, Lewin, W.H.G. & van den Heuvel, E.P.J. (eds.), Accretion-driven Stellar X-ray Sources (Cambridge: CUP), p. 303 Google Scholar
van den Heuvel, E.P.J., de Loore, C. 1973, A&A 25, 387 Google Scholar
van der Hucht, K.A., Conti, P.S., Lundström, I., Stenholm, B. 1981, Sp. Sci. Rev. 28, 227 Google Scholar
van der Klis, M. 1993, Sp. Sci. Rev. 62, 173 Google Scholar
van Kerkwijk, M.H. 1993a, A&A (Letters) 276, L9 (Paper II) Google Scholar
van Kerkwijk, M.H. 1993b, The Mass of Vela X-1, the Nature of Cygnus X-3, the Character of Be Stars, PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam Google Scholar
van Kerkwijk, M.H., Charles, P.A., Geballe, T.R., King, D.L., Miley, G.K., Molnar, L.A., van den Heuvel, E.P.J., van der Klis, M., van Paradijs, J. 1992, Nature 355, 703 (Paper I) CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Kerkwijk, M.H., Geballe, T.R., King, D.L., van der Klis, M., van Paradijs, J. 1994, A&A submitted Google Scholar
Vreux, J.-M., Dennefeld, M., Andrillat, Y., Rochowicz, K. 1989, A&A Suppl. 81, 353 Google Scholar
Vreux, J.-M., Andrillat, Y., Biémont, E., 1990, A&A 238, 207 Google Scholar
Wright, A.E., Barlow, M.J. 1975, MNRAS 170, 41 Google Scholar