ISSN 1990-3413, Astrophysical Bulletin, 2014, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 325–329.  c Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2014.

Published in Russian in Astrofizicheskii Byulleten, 2014, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 345–349.

Modified Physical and Geometric Parameters of the Eclipsing

X-Ray Binary System Centaurus X-3∗
M. A. Al-Wardat1** , H. Al-Naimiy2 , A. Taani3 ,
A. Khasawneh4 , O. Al-Banawi1 , and H. S. Widyan5
1
Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma’an, 71111 Jordan
2
University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
3
Aqaba University College , Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Aqaba, 77110 Jordan
4
Royal Jordanian Geographic Center, Amman, 11941 Jordan
5
Al al-Bayt University, Mafraq, 25113 Jordan
Received October 27, 2013; in final form, April 22, 2014

Abstract—Modified physical and geometric parameters for the eclipsing x-ray binary system Cen X-3
are presented. The parameters were estimated by comparing synthetic photometric light curves with the
observed ones in an iterative method until the best fit was achieved. The synthetic light curves were
constructed in accordance with the Roche model, since Cen X-3 is likely to be powered by Roche-lobe
overflow. We focused on the phenomenon of x-ray heating of the side of the optical component facing the
compact object. The parameters and present status of this work are briefly discussed.
DOI: 10.1134/S1990341314030080
Keywords: binaries: close—binaries: eclipsing—stars: fundamental parameters—stars: individual:
Cen X-3

1. INTRODUCTION X-ray binary stars are usually subdivided into two

categories: High Mass X-Ray Binaries (HMXB),
where the mass of the companion is greater than
The importance of the study of binary star systems several solar masses, enabling it to eject matter
arises from the fact that more than 50% of galactic through stellar wind, and Low Mass X-Ray Binaries
stellar systems are binaries. They play an important (LMXB), where the mass of the companion is about
role in determining several key stellar parameters, one solar mass, it provides matter through the inner
which is a bit complicated in the case of x-ray binary Lagrangian point (the point where the gravitational
systems. In these systems a compact object (a white forces of the two stars and the centrifugal force cancel
dwarf, neutron star, or a black hole formed after the each other out).
collapse of an ordinary star) and a stellar companion
orbit each other at a distance small enough to enable The first x-ray source (Sco X-1) was discovered
mass transfer from the companion star to the compact in 1962 during a rocket flight by a group led by
object. The transferred matter spirals towards the Riccardo Giacconi [1, 2], who won the Nobel Prize
compact object and forms an accretion disk around in Physics in 2002 for his pioneering studies in x-ray
it. The accreted gaseous matter is heated to very high astronomy. Since then, x-ray sources have been ob-
temperatures (106 to 108 K), releasing the energy it served by different space missions: UHURU, which
acquired through gravitational infall in the form of was launched in 1970 [3, 4] and which mapped the
x-ray radiation. In the case of a neutron star or a white x-ray sky in the 2–6 keV energy range; the Ein-
dwarf, the emission originates from both the accretion stein observatory, which was launched in November
disk and the surface of the compact star, while in 1978 and provided high-resolution images and accu-
black hole binaries the only source of x-rays is the rate locations for thousands of x-ray sources [5]; the
accretion disk. European X-Ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT),
which operated from May 1983 to April 1986 and
∗ allowed to perform continuous observations of x-ray
The text was submitted by the authors in English.
**
E-mail: [email protected] sources lasting for several days without interruption

325
326 AL-WARDAT et al.

giant optical star of the B0 spectral type with an

optical magnitude of 13 m . 4 at a distance of 10 kpc.
-0.050
There are other spectral types published for this star:
O6.5 II–Ve [16], O6.5 V–III [17], and O6f [18].
0.000
The light curve of this system is characterized by
two maxima at the phases 0.25 and 0.75, and two
Δm

0.050
minima at the phases 0.0 and 0.5. One results from
the eclipse of the compact object by the optical star,
0.100 and the other (the deeper)—from the cold hemisphere
of the optical star.
0.150
0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00

Phase Table 1. Physical and geometric parameters of the system

from the literature
Fig. 1. Best fit achieved by Al-Wardat et al. [10] be-
tween our synthetic light curve and the observations of Parameter Value Ref.
Petro [19].
Mopt 17 ± 2 M [18]

due to Earth occultation; Chandra; XMM-Newton; 18.25 ± 1.75 M [12]

Rossi XTE; BeppoSAX; INTEGRAL; and others. Mn 1.2 ± 0.6 M [12]
On the other hand, ground-based observations
with optical telescopes have demonstrated that x-ray 1 ± 0.3 M [18]
sources are often members of binary systems. A frac- 0.85 ± 0.25 M [20]
tion of these sources are eclipsing binaries that show
periodic light variations with time, and thus the x-rays e < 0.002 [20]
are periodically cut off from the observer. In order to i 90◦ [15]
specify the physical and geometric parameters of an
d
eclipsing binary system, we need to model and simu- Porb 2 . 087 [2]
late its light variations, or what is termed as synthetic 2 d. 08712 [21]
light curves. These methods are especially important
−6
in the study of eclipsing x-ray binaries, since they help Ṗorb /Porb −1.6 × 10 s/yr [22]
determine the mass of the compact object and thus
Lx 7.7 × 1037 erg/s [22]
specify its nature as a neutron star or a black hole.
Many contributions have been made to the study Lopt /Lx 100 [23]
and analysis of the light curves of eclipsing x-ray bi-
Pulsation Period Pp 4.84 s [24]
naries, such as [6–11] and others. This work focuses
on the analysis of one such binary, Cen X-3, in an Distance, kpc 5 to 10 [24]
attempt to derive more reliable physical and geometric
mV 13 m
.4 [12]
parameters by emphasizing on the phenomenological
model of x-ray reflection and heating of the primary ΔmV 0m
.7 [22]
star. m
0. 8 [12]

2. SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SYSTEM Duration of x-ray

39 ± 2◦ [2, 15, 25]
eclipse ϑe
The eclipsing x-ray binary system Cen X-3 is
known as a high-mass x-ray binary system that Mass ratio q 0.06 ± 0.002 [10]
consists of an 18 M O6.5 V–III giant optical star
R (optical component) 0.625 ± 0.003 R [10]
and a 1.2 M neutron star [12] with a spin period
of 4.8 s and an orbital period of 2 d. 1 (see [13] for a Limb darkening
0.8 ± 0.02 [10]
review). coefficient u
The x-ray star Cen X-3 was discovered from the
Gravity darkening
UHURU observation by [14], where it was distin- 0.4 ± 0.02 [10]
coefficient τo
guished as a 4.84 second x-ray pulsar with a 2 d. 087
eclipse period. Krzemiński [15] declared that the x- Efficiency of re-emission η 0.1 ± 0.05 [10]
ray star Cen X-3 is a component of an eclipsing bi-
Teff (optical companion) 38 000 ± 1000 K [10]
nary system consisting of the star Cen X-3 and a

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 MODIFIED PHYSICAL AND GEOMETRIC PARAMETERS 327

-0.050 -0.050

0.000 0.000
ΔP

ΔP
0.050 0.050

0.100 0.100

0.150 0.150
0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00
Phase Phase

Fig. 2. Synthetic light curve (this work) fitted to the Fig. 3. Synthetic light curve (this work) fitted to the
observations of Petro [19]. observations of van Paradijs et al. [28].

-0.050 -0.050

0.000 0.000
ΔP
ΔP

0.050 0.050

Δ
0.100 0.100

0.150 0.150
0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00
Phase Phase

Fig. 4. Synthetic light curve (this work) fitted to the Fig. 5. Synthetic light curve (this work) fitted to the
observations of Mauder [29]. observations of Petro [19] (circles), van Paradijs et al. [28]
(triangles), and Mauder [29] (crosses).

Figure 1 shows the best fit between our synthetic

light curve represented by the parameters listed in light comes out of it which is responsible for the peaks
Table 1 [10] and Petro’s observations [19]. of the light curve.
The re-emitted intensity J*(x,y) as a function of
the incident flux is:
3. METHOD AND PROCEDURES J ∗ (x, y) = σ E A Fin , (1)
To synthesize the light curves of the system, we where E represents to some extent the re-distribution
used the standard model of x-ray binaries, which is of the wavelengths of the incident flux which is re-
based on the Roche model and the phenomenon of emitted at the observed effective wavelengths. Many
x-ray reflection and heating of the side of the opti- authors described and simplified this effect for the
cal companion facing the compact object. We fol- case of two optical components, starting with [26, 27].
lowed [11] in their solution to the basic equation of the But the case of x-ray binaries is a bit more com-
Roche Model, where they used the Newton–Raphson plicated, because the secondary component (x-ray
method to solve it after changing it into an eighth- source) is a small compact object which makes its
degree polynomial equation which proved to be more contribution to the optical light negligible, whereas it
precise and more efficient than the series solutions radiates effectively in the x-ray band. So, the reflected
developed by [26]. flux Fref can be described by the following equation:
An important role in the optical light variations of Fref = τo η (Lx /Lopt ) (R/r  )2 cos Γ, (2)
x-ray binaries is played by the effect of x-ray reflection
and heating of the side of the optical companion fac- where τo is the gravity darkening coefficient, η is the
ing the compact object which makes that side hotter efficiency of absorption, Lx is the x-ray luminosity,
and more luminous than the other one. Hence, more Lopt is the optical luminosity, R is the radius of the

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328 AL-WARDAT et al.

Table 2. Modified parameters of the system 5. CONCLUSIONS

The modified physical and geometric parameters
Mass Ratio q 0.062 ± 0.002
of the eclipsing x-ray binary system Cen X-3 were
R (optical component) 0.636 ± 0.003 R estimated based on the best fit between the observed
photometric light curves, which were measured us-
Optical to x-ray
105 ± 3 ing ground based telescopes, and the synthetic light
luminosity ratio Lopt /Lx curves built in accordance with the Roche model. The
Limb darkening coefficient u 0.85 ± 0.02 modification of the system’s parameters was based
mainly on increasing the influence of the phenomenon
Gravity darkening coefficient τo 0.37 ± 0.02 of x-ray heating of the side of the optical compo-
Efficiency of re-emission η 0.6 ± 0.05 nent facing the compact object. In constructing our
synthetic light curves, we assumed that the optical
Teff (optical component) 38 000 ± 1000 K component of the system fills its Roche lobe and that
the system has synchronous rotation; we neglected
the effect of the magnetic fields of both components.
optical star in R , r  is the distance between the
center of the compact object and the point at which
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