Doppler tomography of the black hole binary A0620-00 and the origin of chromospheric emission in quiescent X-ray binaries

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution spectroscopy to analyze emission sources in the black hole binary A0620-00 during quiescence, revealing a chromospheric component on the secondary star and details of the accretion disk structure.

Contribution

First Doppler imaging detection of a chromospheric emission component on the secondary star in a black hole binary during quiescence.

Findings

Orbital parameters constrained with high precision.

Detected chromospheric emission from the secondary star.

Identified a hot-spot at the gas stream impact point.

Abstract

Doppler tomography of emission line profiles in low mass X-ray binaries allows us to disentangle the different emission sites and study the structure and variability of accretion disks. We present UVES high-resolution spectroscopic observations of the black hole binary A0620-00 at quiescence.These spectroscopic data constrain the orbital parameters Porb=0.32301405(1) d and K2=437.1+-2.0 km/s. These values, together with the mass ratio q=M2/M1=0.062+-0.010, imply a minimum mass for the compact object of M1(sin i)^3=3.15+-0.10 Msun, consistent with previous works.The H$\alpha$ emission from the accretion disk is much weaker than in previous studies, possibly due to a decrease in disk activity. Doppler imaging of the H$\alpha$ line shows for the first time a narrow component coming from the secondary star, with an observed equivalent width of 1.4+-0.3 Angstroms, perhaps associated to chromospheric activity. Subtracting a K-type template star and correcting for the veiling of the accretion disk yields to an equivalent width of 2.8+-0.3 Angstroms. A bright hot-spot is also detected at the position where the gas stream trajectory intercepts with the accretion disk. The H$\alpha$ flux associated to the secondary star is too large to be powered by X-ray irradiation. It is comparable to those observed in RS CVn binaries with similar orbital periods and, therefore, is probably triggered by the rapid stellar rotation.