Fast time optical variability in Be/X-ray binaries. Pulsation and rotation

TL;DR

This study investigates the rapid optical variability of Be star companions in Be/X-ray binaries using TESS and ground-based data, revealing common multi-periodic pulsations similar to those in classical Be stars.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive comparison of fast photometric variability patterns between Be/X-ray binaries and classical Be stars, highlighting their similarities.

Findings

All sources show intra-night variability with 0.01-0.06 mag amplitude.

Variability manifests as multi-periodic signals in 0.2-12 d$^{-1}$ range.

Most sources (67%) have groups of closely-spaced frequencies.

Abstract

Classical Be stars, regardless of spectral subtype, display multiperiodic light modulations in the frequency range 0.1-12 d$^{-1}$, when observed with high-cadence and long duration. This behaviour is attributed to non-radial pulsations and/or rotation of the Be star. The main goal of this work is to investigate the fast photometric variability of the optical counterparts to Be/X-ray binaries and compare the general patterns of such variability with the Galactic population of classical Be stars. We analyzed 21 sources with TESS. High-cadence photometry with two ground-based telescopes was also performed for 15 sources. Standard Fourier analysis and least-squares fitting methods were employed in the frequency analysis. All sources exhibit intra-night light variations with intensity variations of 0.01-0.06 mag in the ground-based observations and up to 5% in flux in TESS observations. This variability manifests itself as multi-periodic signals in the frequency range 0.2-12 d$^{-1}$. We find that the patterns of variability of the Be stars in Be/X-ray binaries agree with that of classical early-type Be stars in terms of the general shape of the periodograms. Based on the general shape and number of peaks in the periodograms, Be/X-ray binaries can be classified into different types. The most common case is the presence of groups of closely-spaced frequencies (67%), followed by sources that exhibit isolated signals (18%). The remaining type of sources displays frequency spectra characterized by a mixed pattern of stochastic variability and high-frequency peaks. This study reveals that short-term optical photometric variability is a very common, if not ubiquitous, feature intrinsic to the Be optical companions in Be/X-ray binaries. This variability is mainly attributed to pulsations that originate in the stellar interior.