Colliding-wind binary
A colliding-wind binary is a binary star system in which the two objects are massive stars that emit powerful, radiatively-driven stellar winds. The location where these two winds collide produces a strong shock front that can cause radio, X-ray and possibly synchrotron radiation emission.[1] Wind compression in the bow shock region between the two stellar winds allows dust formation. When this dust streams away from the orbiting pair, it can form a pinwheel nebula of spiraling dust. Such pinwheels have been observed in the Quintuplet Cluster[2]
The archetype of such a colliding-wind binary system is WR140 (HD 193793), which consists of a 20 solar mass Wolf-Rayet star orbiting about a 50 solar mass spectral class O4-5 main sequence star every 7.9 years. The high orbital eccentricity of the pair allows astronomers to observe changes the colliding winds as their separation varies.[3][4] Another prominent example of a colliding-wind binary is thought to be Eta Carinae, one of the most luminous objects in the Milky Way galaxy.[5] The first colliding-wind binary to be detected in the X-ray band outside the Milky Way galaxy was HD 5980, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud.[6]
References
- ^ Volpi, Delia; Blomme, Ronny; De Becker, Michael; Rauw, Gregor (2010). "Non-thermal radio emission from colliding-wind binaries: modelling Cyg OB2 No. 8A and No. 9". arXiv. Bibcode:2010arXiv1012.3403V.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Tuthill, Peter (August 18, 2006). "Pinwheels in the Quintuplet Cluster". Science. 313 (5789): 935. doi:10.1126/science.1128731. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Dougherty, S. M.; Trenton, V.; Beasley, A. J. (2010). "The orbit and distance of WR140". Bibcode:2010arXiv1011.0779D.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Finley, Dave (April 11, 2005). "Scientists Track Collision of Powerful Stellar Winds". National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ Groh, J. H.; Madura, T. I.; Owocki, S. P.; Hillier, D. J.; Weigelt, G. (2010). "Is Eta Carinae a Fast Rotator, and How Much Does the Companion Influence the Inner Wind Structure?". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 716 (2): L223 – L228. Bibcode:2010ApJ...716L.223G. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/716/2/L223.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Naeye, Bob (February 16, 2007). "First X-Ray Detection of a Colliding-Wind Binary Beyond Milky Way". NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center.
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