Phase-Resolved Spectroscopy of the Low-Mass X-ray Binary V801 Ara

TL;DR

This study provides detailed phase-resolved optical spectroscopy of V801 Ara, revealing the structure and dynamics of its accretion disk and emission regions, including temperature variations and disk eccentricity.

Contribution

First detailed tomographic analysis of HAlpha and HBeta lines in V801 Ara, mapping accretion disk features and emission regions with implications for disk geometry and accretion processes.

Findings

Detection of accretion disk via tomograms

HBeta emission extends closer to neutron star

Disk appears offset, suggesting eccentricity

Abstract

We present phase-resolved optical spectra of the low mass X-ray binary system V801 Ara. The spectra, obtained in 2014 with IMACS on the Magellan/Baade telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, cover the full binary orbit of 3.8 hours. They contain strong emission features allowing us to map the emission of HAlpha, HBeta, He II 4686, and the Bowen blend at 4640. The radial velocity curves of the Bowen blend shows significantly stronger modulation at the orbital period than HAlpha as expected for the former originating on the secondary with the latter consistent with emission dominated by the disk. Our tomograms of HAlpha and HBeta are the most detailed studies of these lines for V801 to date and they clearly detect the accretion disk. The HBeta emission extends to higher velocities than HAlpha, suggesting emission from closer to the neutron star and differentiating temperature variance in the accretion disk for the first time. The center of the accretion disk appears offset from the center-of-mass of the neutron star as has been seen in several other X-ray binaries. This is often interpreted to imply disk eccentricity. Our tomograms do not show strong evidence for a hot spot at the point where the accretion stream hits the disk. This could imply a reduced accretion rate or could be due to the spot being drowned out by bright accretion flow around it. There is enhanced emission further along the disk, however, which implies gas stream interaction downstream of the hot spot.