First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140

J. D. Monnier; Ming Zhao; E. Pedretti; R. Millan-Gabet; J.-P. Berger; W. Traub; F. P. Schloerb; T. ten Brummelaar; H. McAlister; S. Ridgway; L. Sturmann; J. Sturmann; N. Turner; F. Baron; S. Kraus; A. Tannirkulam; P. M. Williams

First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140

J. D. Monnier, Ming Zhao, E. Pedretti, R. Millan-Gabet, J.-P. Berger, W. Traub, F. P. Schloerb, T. ten Brummelaar, H. McAlister, S. Ridgway, L. Sturmann, J. Sturmann, N. Turner, F. Baron, S. Kraus, A. Tannirkulam, P. M. Williams

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Abstract

Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars represent one of the final stages of massive stellar evolution. Relatively little is known about this short-lived phase and we currently lack reliable mass, distance, and binarity determinations for a representative sample. Here we report the first visual orbit for WR 140 (= HD193793), a WC7+O5 binary system known for its periodic dust production episodes triggered by intense colliding winds near periastron passage. The Infrared-Optical Telescope Array and Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy interferometers resolved the pair of stars in each year from 2003 to 2009, covering most of the highly eccentric, 7.9 year orbit. Combining our results with the recently improved double-line spectroscopic orbit of Fahed et al., we find the WR 140 system is located at a distance of 1.67 ± 0.03 kpc, composed of a WR star with M WR = 14.9 ± 0.5 M &sun; and an O star with M O = 35.9 ± 1.3 M &sun;. Our precision orbit yields key parameters with uncertainties ~6× smaller than previous work and paves the way for detailed modeling of the system. Our newly measured flux ratios at the near-infrared H and Ks bands allow a spectral energy distribution decomposition and analysis of the component evolutionary states.

Original language	English
Journal	The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume	742
Issue number	1
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2011

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Monnier, J. D., Zhao, M., Pedretti, E., Millan-Gabet, R., Berger, J.-P., Traub, W., Schloerb, F. P., ten Brummelaar, T., McAlister, H., Ridgway, S., Sturmann, L., Sturmann, J., Turner, N., Baron, F., Kraus, S., Tannirkulam, A., & Williams, P. M. (2011). First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 742(1). http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011ApJ...742L...1M

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title = "First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140",

abstract = "Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars represent one of the final stages of massive stellar evolution. Relatively little is known about this short-lived phase and we currently lack reliable mass, distance, and binarity determinations for a representative sample. Here we report the first visual orbit for WR 140 (= HD193793), a WC7+O5 binary system known for its periodic dust production episodes triggered by intense colliding winds near periastron passage. The Infrared-Optical Telescope Array and Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy interferometers resolved the pair of stars in each year from 2003 to 2009, covering most of the highly eccentric, 7.9 year orbit. Combining our results with the recently improved double-line spectroscopic orbit of Fahed et al., we find the WR 140 system is located at a distance of 1.67 ± 0.03 kpc, composed of a WR star with M WR = 14.9 ± 0.5 M &sun; and an O star with M O = 35.9 ± 1.3 M &sun;. Our precision orbit yields key parameters with uncertainties ~6× smaller than previous work and paves the way for detailed modeling of the system. Our newly measured flux ratios at the near-infrared H and Ks bands allow a spectral energy distribution decomposition and analysis of the component evolutionary states.",

author = "Monnier, {J. D.} and Ming Zhao and E. Pedretti and R. Millan-Gabet and J.-P. Berger and W. Traub and Schloerb, {F. P.} and {ten Brummelaar}, T. and H. McAlister and S. Ridgway and L. Sturmann and J. Sturmann and N. Turner and F. Baron and S. Kraus and A. Tannirkulam and Williams, {P. M.}",

year = "2011",

month = nov,

day = "1",

language = "English",

volume = "742",

journal = "The Astrophysical Journal Letters",

issn = "2041-8213",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "1",

}

Monnier, JD, Zhao, M, Pedretti, E, Millan-Gabet, R, Berger, J-P, Traub, W, Schloerb, FP, ten Brummelaar, T, McAlister, H, Ridgway, S, Sturmann, L, Sturmann, J, Turner, N, Baron, F, Kraus, S, Tannirkulam, A & Williams, PM 2011, 'First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140', The Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 742, no. 1. <http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011ApJ...742L...1M>

TY - JOUR

T1 - First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140

AU - Monnier, J. D.

AU - Zhao, Ming

AU - Pedretti, E.

AU - Millan-Gabet, R.

AU - Berger, J.-P.

AU - Traub, W.

AU - Schloerb, F. P.

AU - ten Brummelaar, T.

AU - McAlister, H.

AU - Ridgway, S.

AU - Sturmann, L.

AU - Sturmann, J.

AU - Turner, N.

AU - Baron, F.

AU - Kraus, S.

AU - Tannirkulam, A.

AU - Williams, P. M.

PY - 2011/11/1

Y1 - 2011/11/1

N2 - Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars represent one of the final stages of massive stellar evolution. Relatively little is known about this short-lived phase and we currently lack reliable mass, distance, and binarity determinations for a representative sample. Here we report the first visual orbit for WR 140 (= HD193793), a WC7+O5 binary system known for its periodic dust production episodes triggered by intense colliding winds near periastron passage. The Infrared-Optical Telescope Array and Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy interferometers resolved the pair of stars in each year from 2003 to 2009, covering most of the highly eccentric, 7.9 year orbit. Combining our results with the recently improved double-line spectroscopic orbit of Fahed et al., we find the WR 140 system is located at a distance of 1.67 ± 0.03 kpc, composed of a WR star with M WR = 14.9 ± 0.5 M &sun; and an O star with M O = 35.9 ± 1.3 M &sun;. Our precision orbit yields key parameters with uncertainties ~6× smaller than previous work and paves the way for detailed modeling of the system. Our newly measured flux ratios at the near-infrared H and Ks bands allow a spectral energy distribution decomposition and analysis of the component evolutionary states.

AB - Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars represent one of the final stages of massive stellar evolution. Relatively little is known about this short-lived phase and we currently lack reliable mass, distance, and binarity determinations for a representative sample. Here we report the first visual orbit for WR 140 (= HD193793), a WC7+O5 binary system known for its periodic dust production episodes triggered by intense colliding winds near periastron passage. The Infrared-Optical Telescope Array and Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy interferometers resolved the pair of stars in each year from 2003 to 2009, covering most of the highly eccentric, 7.9 year orbit. Combining our results with the recently improved double-line spectroscopic orbit of Fahed et al., we find the WR 140 system is located at a distance of 1.67 ± 0.03 kpc, composed of a WR star with M WR = 14.9 ± 0.5 M &sun; and an O star with M O = 35.9 ± 1.3 M &sun;. Our precision orbit yields key parameters with uncertainties ~6× smaller than previous work and paves the way for detailed modeling of the system. Our newly measured flux ratios at the near-infrared H and Ks bands allow a spectral energy distribution decomposition and analysis of the component evolutionary states.

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-8213

VL - 742

JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

IS - 1

ER -

First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140

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