Supernova Archaeology with X-Ray Binary Winds -- The Case of GRO J1655-40

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Keshet, Noa, Behar, Ehud, Kallman, Timothy R.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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_version_ 1866909152891109376
author Keshet, Noa
Behar, Ehud
Kallman, Timothy R.
author_facet Keshet, Noa
Behar, Ehud
Kallman, Timothy R.
contents Supernovae are responsible for the elemental enrichment of the galaxy and some are postulated to leave behind a black hole. In a stellar binary system the supernova pollutes its companion, and the black hole can accrete back its own debris and emit X-rays. In this sequence of events, which is only poorly understood, winds are ejected, and observed through X-ray absorption lines. Measuring abundances of elements in the wind can lead to inferences about the historical explosion and possibly identify the long-gone progenitor of the compact object. Here, we re-analyze the uniquely rich X-ray spectrum of the 2005 outburst of GRO J1655-40. We reconstruct the absorption measure distribution (AMD) of the wind, and find that it increases sharply with ionization from H-like O up to H-like Ca, and then flattens out. The AMD is then used to measure relative abundances of 18 different elements. The present abundances are in partial agreement with a previous work with discrepancies mostly for low-Z elements. The overabundance of odd-Z elements hints at a high-metallicity, high-mass ($\simeq25\,M_\odot$) progenitor. Interestingly, the abundances are different from those measured in the companion atmosphere, indicating that the wind entrains lingering ambient supernova debris. This can be expected since the current total stellar mass of the binary ($<10\,M_\odot$) is much less than the progenitor mass.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_18689
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Supernova Archaeology with X-Ray Binary Winds -- The Case of GRO J1655-40
Keshet, Noa
Behar, Ehud
Kallman, Timothy R.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Supernovae are responsible for the elemental enrichment of the galaxy and some are postulated to leave behind a black hole. In a stellar binary system the supernova pollutes its companion, and the black hole can accrete back its own debris and emit X-rays. In this sequence of events, which is only poorly understood, winds are ejected, and observed through X-ray absorption lines. Measuring abundances of elements in the wind can lead to inferences about the historical explosion and possibly identify the long-gone progenitor of the compact object. Here, we re-analyze the uniquely rich X-ray spectrum of the 2005 outburst of GRO J1655-40. We reconstruct the absorption measure distribution (AMD) of the wind, and find that it increases sharply with ionization from H-like O up to H-like Ca, and then flattens out. The AMD is then used to measure relative abundances of 18 different elements. The present abundances are in partial agreement with a previous work with discrepancies mostly for low-Z elements. The overabundance of odd-Z elements hints at a high-metallicity, high-mass ($\simeq25\,M_\odot$) progenitor. Interestingly, the abundances are different from those measured in the companion atmosphere, indicating that the wind entrains lingering ambient supernova debris. This can be expected since the current total stellar mass of the binary ($<10\,M_\odot$) is much less than the progenitor mass.
title Supernova Archaeology with X-Ray Binary Winds -- The Case of GRO J1655-40
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.18689