Tauris, TM;
Fender, RP;
Heuvel, EPJVD;
Johnston, HM;
Wu, K;
Circinus X-1: survivor of a highly asymmetric supernova.
MNRAS
, 310
1165-.
10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.03068.x.
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Abstract
We have analyzed the kinematical parameters of Cir X-1 to constrain the nature of its companion star, the eccentricity of the binary and the pre-supernova parameter space. We argue that the companion is most likely to be a low-mass (< 2.0 M_sun) unevolved star and that the eccentricity of the orbit is 0.94 +/- 0.04. We have evaluated the dynamical effects of the supernova explosion and we find it must have been asymmetric. On average, we find that a kick of 740 km/s is needed to account for the recently measured radial velocity of +430 km/s (Johnston, Fender & Wu) for this extreme system. The corresponding minimum kick velocity is 500 km/s. This is the largest kick needed to explain the motion of any observed binary system. If Cir X-1 is associated with the supernova remnant G321.9-0.3 then we find a limiting minimum age of this remnant of 60000 yr. Furthermore, we predict that the companion star has lost 10% of its mass as a result of stripping and ablation from the impact of the supernova shell shortly after the explosion.
Type: | Article |
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Title: | Circinus X-1: survivor of a highly asymmetric supernova |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.03068.x |
Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.03068.x |
Additional information: | 6 pages, 3 figues, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS |
Keywords: | astro-ph, astro-ph |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Space and Climate Physics |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/52312 |
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