A 2.15 Hour Orbital Period for the Low Mass X-Ray Binary XB 1832-330 in the Globular Cluster NGC 6652

TL;DR

This study identifies a 2.15-hour orbital period for the low mass X-ray binary XB 1832-330 in NGC 6652 through optical light curve analysis, providing new insights into its binary nature.

Contribution

The paper reports the first candidate orbital period for XB 1832-330 based on optical photometry, using image subtraction and Lomb-Scargle analysis.

Findings

Detected a 2.15-hour sinusoidal modulation in source A's light curve.

Source B shows rapid flickering with no clear periodicity.

The orbital period identification is robust despite potential contamination.

Abstract

We present a candidate orbital period for the low mass X-ray binary XB 1832-330 in the globular cluster NGC 6652 using a 6.5 hour Gemini South observation of the optical counterpart of the system. Light curves in g' and r' for two LMXBs in the cluster, sources A and B in previous literature, were extracted and analyzed for periodicity using the ISIS image subtraction package. A clear sinusoidal modulation is evident in both of A's curves, of amplitude ~0.11 magnitudes in g' and ~0.065 magnitudes in r', while B's curves exhibit rapid flickering, of amplitude ~1 magnitude in g' and ~0.5 magnitudes in r'. A Lomb-Scargle test revealed a 2.15 hour periodic variation in the magnitude of A with a false alarm probability less than 10^-11, and no significant periodicity in the light curve for B. Though it is possible saturated stars in the vicinity of our sources partially contaminated our signal, the identification of A's binary period is nonetheless robust.