Astronomy:LMC X-4

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Short description: X-ray binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud


LMC X-4
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Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Dorado
Right ascension  05h 32m 49.56s[1]
Declination −66° 22′ 13.2″[1]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Blue supergiant + Pulsar
Spectral type O8III[1]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)284[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 1.757[1] mas/yr
Dec.: 0.407[1] mas/yr
Distance163,000 ly
Orbit[2]
PrimarySupergiant star
CompanionA
Period (P)1.40830 ± 0.0005 days
Details[2]
A
Mass25 M☉
B
Mass1.4 M☉
Other designations
LMC X-4, 2MASS J05324953-6622132, SWIFT J0532.5-6623A, TIC 276861105, Gaia DR3 4660300345280168192[1]
Database references
SIMBADdata

LMC X-4 is an eclipsing high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) pulsar system located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way approximately 163,000 light-years away. Discovered in 1972 by the Uhuru X-ray observatory, it consists of a neutron star and a massive companion star, exhibiting periodic X-ray eclipses and long-term intensity variations.[3][4]

Charecterstics

Components

LMC X-4 comprises a neutron star with a spin period of 13.5 seconds and an estimated mass of approximately 1.4 solar masses, though earlier studies suggested a range of 2–4 solar masses. The companion is an O7 III-V (or O8 III) star with a mass of about 25 solar masses, nearly filling its Roche lobe, and a visual magnitude of ~14.0. The system's high X-ray luminosity is likely powered by a combination of stellar wind accretion and possible Roche-lobe overflow.[2][5][6]

Orbital Parameters

The binary system has an orbital period of 1.40830 ± 0.0005 days and exhibits a super-orbital period of approximately 30.5 days, attributed to accretion disc precession. Long-term observations indicate orbital decay with a period derivative on a timescale of ~0.8 million years and evidence of a second derivative on a 55-year timescale, derived from data spanning over 4,600 orbits.[7][8][9]

X-ray Emission

The X-ray emission of LMC X-4 is characterized by a power-law spectrum with a photon index of 0.7–1.0, a high-energy cutoff, and an iron emission line. The iron line's equivalent width varies significantly during low-intensity states but remains stable in high states, showing similarities to the HMXB Her X-1, though without the variable absorption column density. The system displays X-ray flares and quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) at frequencies around 74 mHz and 20–30 mHz, detected by XMM-Newton. Periodic X-ray eclipses have been instrumental in refining orbital parameters.[10][11][12]

Evolution

Recent simulations suggest that LMC X-4 may evolve into a Thorne–Żytkow object, a theoretical star with a neutron star core enveloped by a massive stellar companion, potentially linked to ultra-long gamma-ray bursts. Its study provides insights into accretion processes, orbital dynamics, and the evolution of massive binary systems.[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "LMC X-4". SIMBAD. https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/mobile/object.html?object_name=LMC%20X-4. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hutchings, J. B.; Crampton, D.; Cowley, A. P. (October 1978). "Spectroscopic observations and orbit of LMC X-4." (in en). The Astrophysical Journal 225: 548–556. doi:10.1086/156515. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 1978ApJ...225..548H. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1978ApJ...225..548H/abstract. 
  3. ↑ "A comprehensive study of orbital evolution of LMC X–4: Existence of a second derivative of the orbital period" (in en). https://arxiv.org/html/2403.09595v1. 
  4. ↑ Kelley, R. L.; Jernigan, J. G.; Levine, A.; Petro, L. D.; Rappaport, S. (1983-01-15). "Discovery of 13.5 s X-ray pulsations from LMC X-4 and an orbital determination" (in en). Astrophysical Journal 264: 568. doi:10.1086/160626. Bibcode: 1983ApJ...264..568K. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19830038282. 
  5. ↑ Levine, A.; Rappaport, S.; Putney, A.; Corbet, R.; Nagase, F. (November 1991). "LMC X-4: GINGA Observations and Search for Orbital Period Changes" (in en). The Astrophysical Journal 381: 101. doi:10.1086/170632. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 1991ApJ...381..101L. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1991ApJ...381..101L/abstract. 
  6. ↑ Boroson, Bram; Kallman, Timothy; Blondin, John M.; Owen, Michael P. (April 2001). "Testing Hydrodynamic Models of LMC X-4 with Ultraviolet and X-Ray Spectra" (in en). The Astrophysical Journal 550 (2): 919–930. doi:10.1086/319773. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 2001ApJ...550..919B. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/319773. 
  7. ↑ Naik, S.; Paul, B. (2003-04-01). "Spectral variations of the X-ray binary pulsar LMC X-4 during its long period intensity variation and a comparison with Her X-1" (in en). Astronomy & Astrophysics 401 (1): 265–270. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030111. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode: 2003A&A...401..265N. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2003/13/aa2656/aa2656.html. 
  8. ↑ Ambrosi, E; D'Aì, A; Del Santo, M; Segreto, A; Ferrigno, C; Amato, R; Cusumano, G (2022-04-04). "Disc precession to explain the superorbital modulation of LMC X-4: results from the Swift monitoring campaign" (in en). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 512 (3): 3422–3435. doi:10.1093/mnras/stac450. ISSN 0035-8711. https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/512/3/3422/6549563. 
  9. ↑ Jain, Chetana; Sharma, Rahul; Paul, Biswajit (2024-03-14), "A comprehensive study of orbital evolution of LMC X-4: Existence of a second derivative of the orbital period", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 529 (4): 4056, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae784, Bibcode: 2024MNRAS.529.4056J, http://arxiv.org/abs/2403.09595, retrieved 2025-10-13 
  10. ↑ Jain, Chetana; Sharma, Rahul; Paul, Biswajit (2024-03-14), "A comprehensive study of orbital evolution of LMC X-4: Existence of a second derivative of the orbital period", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 529 (4): 4056, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae784, Bibcode: 2024MNRAS.529.4056J, http://arxiv.org/abs/2403.09595, retrieved 2025-10-13 
  11. ↑ Naik, S.; Paul, B. (2003-04-01). "Spectral variations of the X-ray binary pulsar LMC X-4 during its long period intensity variation and a comparison with Her X-1" (in en). Astronomy & Astrophysics 401 (1): 265–270. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030111. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode: 2003A&A...401..265N. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2003/13/aa2656/aa2656.html. 
  12. ↑ Nowakowski, Tomasz; Phys.org. "Quasi-periodic oscillations detected in pulsar LMC X-4" (in en). https://phys.org/news/2022-03-quasi-periodic-oscillations-pulsar-lmc-x-.html. 
  13. ↑ Hutchinson-Smith, Tenley; Everson, Rosa Wallace; Twum, Angela A.; Batta, Aldo; Yarza, Ricardo; Law-Smith, Jamie A. P.; Vigna-Gómez, Alejandro; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico (2024-12-01). "Rethinking Thorne–Żytkow Object Formation: The Fate of X-Ray Binary LMC X-4 and Implications for Ultra-long Gamma-Ray Bursts". The Astrophysical Journal 977 (2): 196. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad88f3. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 2024ApJ...977..196H. 



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