Spectroscopic orbit and variability of the Be star V1624 Cyg = 28 Cyg

TL;DR

This paper investigates the binary nature of the Be star V1624 Cyg, providing spectroscopic orbital parameters and demonstrating its ongoing circumstellar activity over decades.

Contribution

It offers the first spectroscopic orbital solution for V1624 Cyg and confirms its binary status with a compact secondary, adding valuable data on Be star binarity.

Findings

Binary orbit with a 359.26-day period confirmed.

Derived binary masses: 5.6 and 0.66 solar masses.

The star exhibits long-term spectral and brightness variability.

Abstract

In recent years the idea, first formulated many decades ago, that the Be phenomenon could be causally related to the duplicity of Be stars, has been repeatedly reconsidered from various perspectives. It is important, therefore, to have reliable information on Be stars, which are confirmed members of binary systems. This study is devoted to V1624 Cyg = 28 Cygni, which was recently identified as a binary with a compact secondary. By measuring the radial velocities (RVs) of the wings of the H alpha emission line and using archival data and published RVs from the International Ultraviolet Explorer, we demonstrate that the Be primary moves in the 359.26 d orbit found recently from interferometry. Our preliminary radial-velocity solution leads to binary masses of 5.6, and 0.66 solar masses. Moreover, we documented large and irregular spectral, brightness, and colour changes over a time interval of several decades to show that the object never completely lost its circumstellar matter.