Optical spectroscopy of the high-mass gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6-5856: A probable neutron star primary

TL;DR

This study uses optical spectroscopy to analyze the high-mass gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6-5856, providing evidence that the primary is likely a neutron star based on radial velocity measurements and high-energy flux observations.

Contribution

The paper offers new spectroscopic data and analysis that strongly suggest the primary in the binary system is a neutron star, refining the understanding of its nature.

Findings

Low radial velocity semi-amplitude favors neutron star primary

High-energy flux maxima occur when the star is behind the compact object

Black hole primary cannot be excluded if the system is nearly face-on

Abstract

We present medium-resolution optical spectroscopy with the SOAR telescope of the O star secondary of the high-mass gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6-5856 to help determine whether the primary is a neutron star or black hole. We find that the secondary has a low radial velocity semi-amplitude of 11-12 km/s, with consistent values obtained for H and He absorption lines. This low value strongly favors a neutron star primary: while a black hole cannot be excluded if the system is close to face on, such inclinations are disallowed by the observed rotation of the secondary. We also find the high-energy (X-ray and gamma-ray) flux maxima occur when the star is behind the compact object along our line of sight, inconsistent with a simple model of anisotropic inverse Compton scattering for the gamma-ray photons.