Flickering in AGB stars: probing the nature of accreting companions

Bibcode
2018MNRAS.477.4200S
DOI
10.1093/mnras/sty660
Snaid, S.; Zijlstra, A. A.; McDonald, I.; Barker, Helen; Marsh, T. R.; Dhillon, V. S.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 477, Issue 3, p.4200-4212

Advertised on:
7
2018
Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Number of authors
6
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
7
Refereed citations
6
Description
Binary companions to asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are an important aspect of their evolution. Few AGB companions have been detected, and in most cases it is difficult to distinguish between main-sequence and white dwarf companions. Detection of photometric flickering, a tracer of compact accretion discs around white dwarfs, can help identify the nature of these companions. In this work, we searched for flickering in four AGB stars suggested to have likely accreting companions. We found no signs for flickering in two targets: R Aqr and V1016 Cyg. Flickering was detected in the other two stars: Mira and Y Gem. We investigated the true nature of Mira's companion using three different approaches. Our results for Mira strongly suggest that its companion is a white dwarf.
Related projects
Black hole in outburst
Black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs and their local environment
Accreting black-holes and neutron stars in X-ray binaries provide an ideal laboratory for exploring the physics of compact objects, yielding not only confirmation of the existence of stellar mass black holes via dynamical mass measurements, but also the best opportunity for probing high-gravity environments and the physics of accretion; the most
Montserrat
Armas Padilla
In progress
Type
Refereed
Stellar & Interstellar Physics (FEEI)
Accretion

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