@article{CorcoranNicholsPabloetal.2015, author = {Corcoran, Michael F. and Nichols, Joy S. and Pablo, Herbert and Shenar, Tomer and Pollock, Andy M. T. and Waldron, Wayne L. and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and Richardson, Noel D. and Russell, Christopher M. P. and Hamaguchi, Kenji and Huenemoerder, David P. and Oskinova, Lida and Hamann, Wolf-Rainer and Naze, Yael and Ignace, Richard and Evans, Nancy Remage and Lomax, Jamie R. and Hoffman, Jennifer L. and Gayley, Kenneth and Owocki, Stanley P. and Leutenegger, Maurice and Gull, Theodore R. and Hole, Karen Tabetha and Lauer, Jennifer and Iping, Rosina C.}, title = {A coordinated X-Ray and optical campaign of the nearest massive eclipsing binary, delta ORIONIS Aa. I. Overview of thr X-Ray spectrum}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {809}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/809/2/132}, pages = {15}, year = {2015}, abstract = {We present an overview of four deep phase-constrained Chandra HETGS X-ray observations of delta Ori A. Delta Ori A is actually a triple system that includes the nearest massive eclipsing spectroscopic binary, delta Ori Aa, the only such object that can be observed with little phase-smearing with the Chandra gratings. Since the fainter star, delta Ori Aa2, has a much lower X-ray luminosity than the brighter primary (delta Ori Aa1), delta Ori Aa provides a unique system with which to test the spatial distribution of the X-ray emitting gas around delta Ori Aa1 via occultation by the photosphere of, and wind cavity around, the X-ray dark secondary. Here we discuss the X-ray spectrum and X-ray line profiles for the combined observation, having an exposure time of nearly 500 ks and covering nearly the entire binary orbit. The companion papers discuss the X-ray variability seen in the Chandra spectra, present new space-based photometry and ground-based radial velocities obtained simultaneously with the X-ray data to better constrain the system parameters, and model the effects of X-rays on the optical and UV spectra. We find that the X-ray emission is dominated by embedded wind shock emission from star Aa1, with little contribution from the tertiary star Ab or the shocked gas produced by the collision of the wind of Aa1 against the surface of Aa2. We find a similar temperature distribution to previous X-ray spectrum analyses. We also show that the line half-widths are about 0.3-0.5 times the terminal velocity of the wind of star Aa1. We find a strong anti-correlation between line widths and the line excitation energy, which suggests that longer-wavelength, lower-temperature lines form farther out in the wind. Our analysis also indicates that the ratio of the intensities of the strong and weak lines of Fe XVII and Ne X are inconsistent with model predictions, which may be an effect of resonance scattering.}, language = {en} } @article{NicholsHuenemoerderCorcoranetal.2015, author = {Nichols, Joy and Huenemoerder, David P. and Corcoran, Michael F. and Waldron, Wayne and Naze, Yael and Pollock, Andy M. T. and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and Lauer, Jennifer and Shenar, Tomer and Russell, Christopher M. P. and Richardson, Noel D. and Pablo, Herbert and Evans, Nancy Remage and Hamaguchi, Kenji and Gull, Theodore and Hamann, Wolf-Rainer and Oskinova, Lida and Ignace, Rosina and Hoffman, Jennifer L. and Hole, Karen Tabetha and Lomax, Jamie R.}, title = {A COORDINATED X-RAY AND OPTICAL CAMPAIGN OF THE NEAREST MASSIVE ECLIPSING BINARY, delta ORIONIS Aa. II. X-RAY VARIABILITY}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {809}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/809/2/133}, pages = {21}, year = {2015}, abstract = {We present time-resolved and phase-resolved variability studies of an extensive X-ray high-resolution spectral data set of the delta Ori Aa binary system. The four observations, obtained with Chandra ACIS HETGS, have a total exposure time of approximate to 479 ks and provide nearly complete binary phase coverage. Variability of the total X-ray flux in the range of 5-25 is is confirmed, with a maximum amplitude of about +/- 15\% within a single approximate to 125 ks observation. Periods of 4.76 and 2.04 days are found in the total X-ray flux, as well as an apparent overall increase in the flux level throughout the nine-day observational campaign. Using 40 ks contiguous spectra derived from the original observations, we investigate the variability of emission line parameters and ratios. Several emission lines are shown to be variable, including S XV, Si XIII, and Ne IX. For the first time, variations of the X-ray emission line widths as a function of the binary phase are found in a binary system, with the smallest widths at phi = 0.0 when the secondary delta Ori Aa2 is at the inferior conjunction. Using 3D hydrodynamic modeling of the interacting winds, we relate the emission line width variability to the presence of a wind cavity created by a wind-wind collision, which is effectively void of embedded wind shocks and is carved out of the X-ray-producing primary wind, thus producing phase-locked X-ray variability.}, language = {en} } @article{PabloRichardsonMoffatetal.2015, author = {Pablo, Herbert and Richardson, Noel D. and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and Corcoran, Michael and Shenar, Tomer and Benvenuto, Omar and Fuller, Jim and Naze, Yael and Hoffman, Jennifer L. and Miroshnichenko, Anatoly and Apellaniz, Jesus Maiz and Evans, Nancy and Eversberg, Thomas and Gayley, Ken and Gull, Ted and Hamaguchi, Kenji and Hamann, Wolf-Rainer and Henrichs, Huib and Hole, Tabetha and Ignace, Richard and Iping, Rosina and Lauer, Jennifer and Leutenegger, Maurice and Lomax, Jamie and Nichols, Joy and Oskinova, Lida and Owocki, Stan and Pollock, Andy and Russell, Christopher M. P. and Waldron, Wayne and Buil, Christian and Garrel, Thierry and Graham, Keith and Heathcote, Bernard and Lemoult, Thierry and Li, Dong and Mauclaire, Benjamin and Potter, Mike and Ribeiro, Jose and Matthews, Jaymie and Cameron, Chris and Guenther, David and Kuschnig, Rainer and Rowe, Jason and Rucinski, Slavek and Sasselov, Dimitar and Weiss, Werner}, title = {A coordinated X-Ray and optical campaign of the nearest massive eclipsing binary, delta ORIONIS Aa. III. Analysis of optical photometric (most) and spectroscopic (ground based) variations}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {809}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/809/2/134}, pages = {11}, year = {2015}, abstract = {We report on both high-precision photometry from the Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars (MOST) space telescope and ground-based spectroscopy of the triple system delta Ori A, consisting of a binary O9.5II+early-B (Aa1 and Aa2) with P = 5.7 days, and a more distant tertiary (O9 IV P > 400 years). This data was collected in concert with X-ray spectroscopy from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Thanks to continuous coverage for three weeks, the MOST light curve reveals clear eclipses between Aa1 and Aa2 for the first time in non-phased data. From the spectroscopy, we have a well-constrained radial velocity (RV) curve of Aa1. While we are unable to recover RV variations of the secondary star, we are able to constrain several fundamental parameters of this system and determine an approximate mass of the primary using apsidal motion. We also detected second order modulations at 12 separate frequencies with spacings indicative of tidally influenced oscillations. These spacings have never been seen in a massive binary, making this system one of only a handful of such binaries that show evidence for tidally induced pulsations.}, language = {en} } @article{ShenarOskinovaHamannetal.2015, author = {Shenar, Tomer and Oskinova, Lida and Hamann, Wolf-Rainer and Corcoran, Michael F. and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and Pablo, Herbert and Richardson, Noel D. and Waldron, Wayne L. and Huenemoerder, David P. and Maiz Apellaniz, Jesus and Nichols, Joy S. and Todt, Helge Tobias and Naze, Yael and Hoffman, Jennifer L. and Pollock, Andy M. T. and Negueruela, Ignacio}, title = {A coordinated X-Ray and optical campaign of the nearest massive eclipsing binary, delta ORIONIS Aa. IV. A multiwavelength, non-lte spectroscopic analysis}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {809}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/809/2/135}, pages = {20}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Eclipsing systems of massive stars allow one to explore the properties of their components in great detail. We perform a multi-wavelength, non-LTE analysis of the three components of the massive multiple system delta Ori A, focusing on the fundamental stellar properties, stellar winds, and X-ray characteristics of the system. The primary's distance-independent parameters turn out to be characteristic for its spectral type (O9.5 II), but usage of the Hipparcos parallax yields surprisingly low values for the mass, radius, and luminosity. Consistent values follow only if delta Ori lies at about twice the Hipparcos distance, in the vicinity of the sigma-Orionis cluster. The primary and tertiary dominate the spectrum and leave the secondary only marginally detectable. We estimate the V-band magnitude difference between primary and secondary to be Delta V approximate to 2.(m)8. The inferred parameters suggest that the secondary is an early B-type dwarf (approximate to B1 V), while the tertiary is an early B-type subgiant (approximate to B0 IV). We find evidence for rapid turbulent velocities (similar to 200 km s(-1)) and wind inhomogeneities, partially optically thick, in the primary's wind. The bulk of the X-ray emission likely emerges from the primary's stellar wind (logL(X)/L-Bol approximate to -6.85), initiating close to the stellar surface at R-0 similar to 1.1 R-*. Accounting for clumping, the mass-loss rate of the primary is found to be log (M) over dot approximate to -6.4 (M-circle dot yr(-1))., which agrees with hydrodynamic predictions, and provides a consistent picture along the X-ray, UV, optical, and radio spectral domains.}, language = {en} } @article{RamiaramanantsoaMoffatHarmonetal.2018, author = {Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and Harmon, Robert and Ignace, R. and St-Louis, Nicole and Vanbeveren, Dany and Shenar, Tomer and Pablo, Herbert and Richardson, Noel D. and Howarth, Ian D. and Stevens, Ian R. and Piaulet, Caroline and St-Jean, Lucas and Eversberg, Thomas and Pigulski, Andrzej and Popowicz, Adam and Kuschnig, Rainer and Zoclonska, Elzbieta and Buysschaert, Bram and Handler, Gerald and Weiss, Werner W. and Wade, Gregg A. and Rucinski, Slavek M. and Zwintz, Konstanze and Luckas, Paul and Heathcote, Bernard and Cacella, Paulo and Powles, Jonathan and Locke, Malcolm and Bohlsen, Terry and Chen{\´e}, Andr{\´e}-Nicolas and Miszalski, Brent and Waldron, Wayne L. and Kotze, Marissa M. and Kotze, Enrico J. and B{\"o}hm, Torsten}, title = {BRITE-Constellation high-precision time-dependent photometry of the early O-type supergiant zeta Puppis unveils the photospheric drivers of its small- and large-scale wind structures}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {473}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, number = {4}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stx2671}, pages = {5532 -- 5569}, year = {2018}, abstract = {From 5.5 months of dual-band optical photometric monitoring at the 1 mmag level, BRITE-Constellation has revealed two simultaneous types of variability in the O4I(n)fp star ζ Puppis: one single periodic non-sinusoidal component superimposed on a stochastic component. The monoperiodic component is the 1.78-d signal previously detected by Coriolis/Solar Mass Ejection Imager, but this time along with a prominent first harmonic. The shape of this signal changes over time, a behaviour that is incompatible with stellar oscillations but consistent with rotational modulation arising from evolving bright surface inhomogeneities. By means of a constrained non-linear light-curve inversion algorithm, we mapped the locations of the bright surface spots and traced their evolution. Our simultaneous ground-based multisite spectroscopic monitoring of the star unveiled cyclical modulation of its He ii λ4686 wind emission line with the 1.78-d rotation period, showing signatures of corotating interaction regions that turn out to be driven by the bright photospheric spots observed by BRITE. Traces of wind clumps are also observed in the He ii λ4686 line and are correlated with the amplitudes of the stochastic component of the light variations probed by BRITE at the photosphere, suggesting that the BRITE observations additionally unveiled the photospheric drivers of wind clumps in ζ Pup and that the clumping phenomenon starts at the very base of the wind. The origins of both the bright surface inhomogeneities and the stochastic light variations remain unknown, but a subsurface convective zone might play an important role in the generation of these two types of photospheric variability.}, language = {en} } @article{RichardsonShenarRoyLoubieretal.2016, author = {Richardson, Noel D. and Shenar, Tomer and Roy-Loubier, Olivier and Schaefer, Gail and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and St-Louis, Nicole and Gies, Douglas R. and Farrington, Chris and Hill, Grant M. and Williams, Peredur M. and Gordon, Kathryn and Pablo, Herbert and Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina}, title = {The CHARA Array resolves the long-period Wolf-Rayet binaries WR 137 and WR 138}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {461}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stw1585}, pages = {4115 -- 4124}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We report on interferometric observations with the CHARAArray of two classical Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in suspected binary systems, namely WR 137 and WR 138. In both cases, we resolve the component stars to be separated by a few milliarcseconds. The data were collected in the H band, and provide a measure of the fractional flux for both stars in each system. We find that the WR star is the dominant H-band light source in both systems (fWR, 137 = 0.59 +/- 0.04; fWR, 138 = 0.67 +/- 0.01), which is confirmed through both comparisons with estimated fundamental parameters for WR stars and O dwarfs, as well as through spectral modelling of each system. Our spectral modelling also provides fundamental parameters for the stars and winds in these systems. The results on WR 138 provide evidence that it is a binary system which may have gone through a previous mass-transfer episode to create the WR star. The separation and position of the stars in the WR 137 system together with previous results from the IOTA interferometer provides evidence that the binary is seen nearly edgeon. The possible edge-on orbit of WR 137 aligns well with the dust production site imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope during a previous periastron passage, showing that the dust production may be concentrated in the orbital plane.}, language = {en} } @article{RichardsonRussellStJeanetal.2017, author = {Richardson, Noel D. and Russell, Christopher M. P. and St-Jean, Lucas and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and St-Louis, Nicole and Shenar, Tomer and Pablo, Herbert and Hill, Grant M. and Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina and Corcoran, Michael and Hamuguchi, Kenji and Eversberg, Thomas and Miszalski, Brent and Chene, Andre-Nicolas and Waldron, Wayne and Kotze, Enrico J. and Kotze, Marissa M. and Luckas, Paul and Cacella, Paulo and Heathcote, Bernard and Powles, Jonathan and Bohlsen, Terry and Locke, Malcolm and Handler, Gerald and Kuschnig, Rainer and Pigulski, Andrzej and Popowicz, Adam and Wade, Gregg A. and Weiss, Werner W.}, title = {The variability of the BRITE-est Wolf-Rayet binary, gamma(2) Velorum-I. Photometric and spectroscopic evidence for colliding winds}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {471}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stx1731}, pages = {2715 -- 2729}, year = {2017}, abstract = {We report on the first multi-colour precision light curve of the bright Wolf-Rayet binary gamma(2) Velorum, obtained over six months with the nanosatellites in the BRITE-Constellation fleet. In parallel, we obtained 488 high-resolution optical spectra of the system. In this first report on the data sets, we revise the spectroscopic orbit and report on the bulk properties of the colliding winds. We find a dependence of both the light curve and excess emission properties that scales with the inverse of the binary separation. When analysing the spectroscopic properties in combination with the photometry, we find that the phase dependence is caused only by excess emission in the lines, and not from a changing continuum. We also detect a narrow, high-velocity absorption component from the He perpendicular to lambda 5876 transition, which appears twice in the orbit. We calculate smoothed-particle hydrodynamical simulations of the colliding winds and can accurately associate the absorption from He perpendicular to to the leading and trailing arms of the wind shock cone passing tangentially through our line of sight. The simulations also explain the general strength and kinematics of the emission excess observed in wind lines such as C III lambda 5696 of the system. These results represent the first in a series of investigations into the winds and properties of gamma(2) Velorum through multi-technique and multi-wavelength observational campaigns.}, language = {en} } @article{MunozMoffatHilletal.2017, author = {Munoz, Melissa and Moffat, Anthony F. J. and Hill, Grant M. and Shenar, Tomer and Richardson, Noel D. and Pablo, Herbert and St-Louis, Nicole and Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina}, title = {WR 148: identifying the companion of an extreme runaway massive binary}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {467}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stw2283}, pages = {3105 -- 3121}, year = {2017}, abstract = {WR 148 (HD 197406) is an extreme runaway system considered to be a potential candidate for a short-period (4.3173 d) rare WR + compact object binary. Provided with new high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra from the Keck observatory, we determine the orbital parameters for both the primary WR and the secondary, yielding respective projected orbital velocity amplitudes of 88.1 ± 3.8\&\#8201;km\&\#8201;s\&\#8722;1 and 79.2 ± 3.1\&\#8201;km\&\#8201;s\&\#8722;1 and implying a mass ratio of 1.1 ± 0.1. We then apply the shift-and-add technique to disentangle the spectra and obtain spectra compatible with a WN7ha and an O4-6 star. Considering an orbital inclination of \&\#8764;67°, derived from previous polarimetry observations, the system's total mass would be a mere 2-3M\&\#8857;\&\#8288;, an unprecedented result for a putative massive binary system. However, a system comprising a 37M\&\#8857; secondary (typical mass of an O5V star) and a 33M\&\#8857; primary (given the mass ratio) would infer an inclination of \&\#8764;18°. We therefore reconsider the previous methods of deriving the orbital inclination based on time-dependent polarimetry and photometry. While the polarimetric results are inconclusive requiring better data, the photometric results favour low inclinations. Finally, we compute WR 148's space velocity and retrace the runaway's trajectory back to the Galactic plane (GP). With an ejection velocity of 198 ± 27\&\#8201;km\&\#8201;s\&\#8722;1 and a travel time of 4.7 ± 0.8 Myr to reach its current location, WR 148 was most likely ejected via dynamical interactions in a young cluster.}, language = {en} }