Tomographic Separation of Composite Spectra. VIII. The Physical Properties of the Massive Compact Binary in the Triple Star System HD 36486 (delta Orionis A)

• Main Authors: Harvin, James A, Gies, Douglas R, Bagnuolo,Jr, William G, Penny, Laura R, Thaller, Michelle L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 30-10-2001
• Subjects: Physics - Astrophysics of Galaxies; Physics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics; Physics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics; Physics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena; Physics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics; Physics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0110683

Double-lined spectroscopic orbital elements have recently been found for the
central binary in the massive triple, delta Orionis A based on radial
velocities from cross-correlation techniques applied to IUE high dispersion
spectra and He I 6678 spectra obtained at Kitt Peak. The primary and secondary
velocity amplitudes were found to be 94.9 +/- 0.6 km/s and 186 +/- 9 km/s
respectively. Tomographic reconstructions of the primary and secondary stars'
spectra confirm the O9.5 II classification of the primary and indicate a B0.5
III type for the secondary. The widths of the UV cross-correlation functions
are used to estimate the projected rotational velocities, Vsin i = 157 +/- 6
km/s and 138 +/- 16 km/s for the primary and secondary, respectively implying
that both stars rotate faster than their orbital motion. We used the
spectroscopic results to make a constrained fit of the Hipparcos light curve of
this eclipsing binary, and the model fits limit the inclination to the range
between 67 and 77 degrees. The i = 67 degrees solution, which corresponds to a
near Roche-filling configuration, results in a primary mass of 11.2 solar
masses and a secondary mass of 5.6 solar masses, both of which are
substantially below the expected masses for stars of their luminosity. This
binary may have experienced a mass ratio reversal caused by Case A Roche lobe
overflow, or the system may have suffered extensive mass loss through a binary
interaction, perhaps during a common envelope phase, in which most of the
primary's mass was lost from the system rather than transferred to the
secondary.