H. Bozic

Properties and Nature of Be Stars: 28. Implications of Systematic Observations for the Nature of the Multiple System with the Be Star o Cassiopeae and its Circumstellar Environment

Abstract : The analysis of radial velocities of the Be star o Cas from spectra taken between 1992 and 2008 at the Ondrejov Observatory and the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory allowed us to reconfirm the binary nature of this object, first suggested by Abt and Levy in 1978, but later refuted by several authors. The orbital parameters of this SB1 system imply a very high mass function of about one solar mass. This in turn leads to a very high mass of the secondary, possibly higher than that of the primary. In order to look for such a massive secondary, o Cas was observed with the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer, which allowed the binary components to be spatially resolved for the first time. The interferometric observations lead to the detection of a secondary, about 3 mag fainter than the primary. The possible properties of this peculiar binary system and the reasons why the massive secondary does not dominate the optical spectrum are discussed.

Properties and nature of Be stars ? 30. Reliable physical properties of a semi-detached B9.5e+G8III binary BR CMi = HD 61273 compared to those of other well studied semi-detached emission-line binaries

Reliable determination of the basic physical properties of hot emission-line binaries with Roche-lobe filling secondaries is important for developing the theory of mass exchange in binaries. It is a very hard task, however, which is complicated by the presence of circumstellar matter in these systems. So far, only a small number of systems with accurate values of component masses, radii, and other properties are known. Here, we report the first detailed study of a new representative of this class of binaries, BR CMi, based on the analysis of radial velocities and multichannel photometry from several observatories, and compare its physical properties with those for other well-studied systems. BR CMi is an ellipsoidal variable seen under an intermediate orbital inclination of ~51 degrees, and it has an orbital period of 12.919059(15) d and a circular orbit. We used the disentangled component spectra to estimate the effective temperatures 9500(200) K and 4655(50) K by comparing them with model spectra. They correspond to spectral types B9.5e and G8III. We also used the disentangled spectra of both binary components as templates for the 2-D cross-correlation to obtain accurate RVs and a reliable orbital solution. Some evidence of a secular period increase at a rate of 1.1+/-0.5 s per year was found. This, together with a very low mass ratio of 0.06 and a normal mass and radius of the mass gaining component, indicates that BR CMi is in a slow phase of the mass exchange after the mass-ratio reversal. It thus belongs to a still poorly populated subgroup of Be stars for which the origin of Balmer emission lines is safely explained as a consequence of mass transfer between the binary components.

KX ANDROMEDAE: POSSIBLY A STRONGLY INTERACTING BINARY

Although KX And (HD 218393, MWC 397) has been observed since the beginning of our century, we have no reliable model of this peculiar emission-line object. Published papers (e.g. Plavec et al. 1982; Kriz and Harmanec 1975 and references therein) indicate that it is a B+K W Ser-type binary with a period of 38.9 days. This paper presents a summary of intensive observations carried out during the last fifteen years.

KX Andromedae: Possibly a Strongly Interacting Binary

Although KX And (HD 218393, MWC 397) has been observed since the beginning of our century, we have no reliable model of this peculiar emission-line object. Published papers (e.g. Plavec et al. 1982; Kriz and Harmanec 1975 and references therein) indicate that it is a B+K W Ser-type binary with a period of 38.9 days. This paper presents a summary of intensive observations carried out during the last fifteen years. The observational material used consists of 65 coude spectra obtained with the Ondrejov 2-m telescope, UBV photometry obtained at Hvar Observatory and 28 archival IUE images. The radial-velocity and photometric data are combined with those found in the literature. A PDM period search over the interval 1 to 1000 days unambiguously indicates the 38.9-day period both in RV and photometric data. A formal orbital solution for all the optical metallic RVs leads to the following linear ephemeris for the epochs of maximum velocity: