# Long uninterrupted photometric observations of the Wolf-Rayet star EZ CMa by the Toronto {\em{BRITE}} satellite reveal a very fast apsidal motion

## TL;DR

This study uses long-term photometric data from the BRITE satellite to reveal rapid apsidal motion in the Wolf-Rayet star EZ CMa, confirming its binary nature and explaining its variability.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that fast apsidal motion accounts for EZ CMa's variability, establishing its binary status and providing new orbital parameters.

## Key findings

- Orbital period of 3.63 days
- Apsidal motion period of approximately 100 days
- Eccentricity close to 0.1

## Abstract

Context. The variability of the Wolf-Rayet star EZ CMa has been documented for close to half a century, and a clear periodicity of $\sim$3.7 days is established. However, all attempts to prove that it is a binary have failed because the photometric, spectroscopic, and polarimetric variations are not coherent over more than a few orbital cycles. Aims. In this letter we show that the lack of coherence in the variability can be explained with a very rapid apsidal motion in a binary orbit.} Methods. We measured the times of minima in a recently published exceptionally long photometric light curve obtained by the Toronto {\emph{BRITE}} satellite. The apsidal motion and the system eccentricity are determined from the length of the time intervals between these minima, which alternate in their duration, following a pattern that is clearly associated with apsidal motion. These minima are superposed on brightness enhancements of the emission from a shock zone, which occur at about the times of periastron phases. Results. We determine the orbital periodicity, $P_{a}=3.63\, $d, and the period of the apsidal motion, $U\simeq 100\, $d, which together yield an average sidereal period of $P_{s}=3.77\,$d. The eccentricity is found to be close to 0.1. The rate of periapsis retreat changes significantly over the period of observation and is determined to be $-16^\circ\,\mathrm{P}^{-1}_a$ at the beginning of the observing period and $-10^\circ\,\mathrm{P}^{-1}_a$ at the end. Conclusions. We demonstrate that by introducing a fast apsidal motion, the basic photometric variability is very well explained. The binary nature of EZ CMa is now established. This might imply that other apparently single Wolf-Rayet stars that emit hard X-rays, similar to EZ CMa, are also binaries.