A Tentative 114 minute Orbital Period Challenges the Ultracompact Nature of the X-Ray Binary 4U 1812-12

Bibcode
2022ApJ...931L...9A
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ac6d54
Armas Padilla, Montserrat; Rodríguez-Gil, Pablo; Muñoz-Darias, Teo; Torres, Manuel A. P.; Casares, Jorge; Degenaar, Nathalie; Dhillon, Vik S.; Heinke, Craig O.; Littlefair, Stuart P.; Marsh, Thomas R.
Bibliographical reference

The Astrophysical Journal

Advertised on:
5
2022
Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Number of authors
10
IAC number of authors
6
Citations
2
Refereed citations
1
Description
We present a detailed time-resolved photometric study of the ultracompact X-ray binary candidate 4U 1812-12. The multicolor light curves obtained with HiPERCAM on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias show a ≃114 minute modulation similar to a superhump. Under this interpretation, this period should lie very close to the orbital period of the system. Contrary to what its other observational properties suggest (namely, persistent dim luminosity, low optical-to-X-ray flux ratio, and lack of hydrogen features in the optical spectrum), this implies that 4U 1812-12 is most likely not an ultracompact X-ray binary, which is usually defined as a system with an orbital period lower than 80 minutes. We discuss the nature of the system, showing that a scenario in which 4U 1812-12 is the progenitor of an ultracompact X-ray binary may reconcile all the observables.
Related projects
Black hole in outburst
Black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs and their local environment

Accreting black-holes and neutron stars in X-ray binaries provide an ideal laboratory for exploring the physics of compact objects, yielding not only confirmation of the existence of stellar mass black holes via dynamical mass measurements, but also the best opportunity for probing high-gravity environments and the physics of accretion; the most

Montserrat
Armas Padilla
In progress
Type
Refereed
Stellar accretion disks
Low-mass X-ray binary stars
Neutron stars
Stellar & Interstellar Physics (FEEI)

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