@article{IgnaceGayleyHamannetal.2013, author = {Ignace, Rico and Gayley, Kenneth G. and Hamann, Wolf-Rainer and Huenemoerder, David P. and Oskinova, Lida and Pollock, Andy M. T. and McFall, Michael}, title = {THE XMM-NEWTON/EPIC X-RAY LIGHT CURVE ANALYSIS OF WR 6}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {775}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/775/1/29}, pages = {12}, year = {2013}, abstract = {We obtained four pointings of over 100 ks each of the well-studied Wolf-Rayet star WR 6 with the XMM-Newton satellite. With a first paper emphasizing the results of spectral analysis, this follow-up highlights the X-ray variability clearly detected in all four pointings. However, phased light curves fail to confirm obvious cyclic behavior on the well-established 3.766 day period widely found at longer wavelengths. The data are of such quality that we were able to conduct a search for event clustering in the arrival times of X-ray photons. However, we fail to detect any such clustering. One possibility is that X-rays are generated in a stationary shock structure. In this context we favor a corotating interaction region (CIR) and present a phenomenological model for X-rays from a CIR structure. We show that a CIR has the potential to account simultaneously for the X-ray variability and constraints provided by the spectral analysis. Ultimately, the viability of the CIR model will require both intermittent long-term X-ray monitoring of WR 6 and better physical models of CIR X-ray production at large radii in stellar winds.}, language = {en} }