Astrophysics (Index)About

X-ray binary

(XRB, binary X-ray system)
(binary star emitting X-rays)

An X-ray binary (XRB) or binary X-ray system is a binary star that produces X-rays. They are ascribed to the inclusion of a neutron star or stellar-mass black hole that is accreting from its companion, producing X-rays through shock. They are often classified by the mass of the compact object's companion:

With a strong magnetic field, the binary might produce periodic X-ray pulses, i.e., an X-ray pulsar. Otherwise, it may produce occasional burst-transients, (X-ray bursts), i.e., an X-ray nova aka X-ray burster. The bursts may be due to varying levels of accretion. A Be X-ray binary (BeXRB) is a such a binary that includes a Be star.

X-ray binaries are one of the methods of detecting stellar-mass black holes: over a hundred Milky Way X-ray binaries suggests a black-hole companion.


(star type,binary stars,double stars,X-ray)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_binary
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/X/X-ray+Binary
https://dictionary.obspm.fr/index.php?formSearchTextfield=X-ray+binary&showAll=1
http://www.astro.sunysb.edu/steinkirch/reviews/xrb_review.pdf
https://www.astro.umd.edu/~miller/teaching/astr350/lecture12.pdf
https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/binary_stars2.html
https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/objects/binaries/binariestext.html

Referenced by pages:
ARGOS
binary star
color-magnitude diagram (CMD)
GRS 1915+105
SMC X-1
SS 433
stellar-mass black hole (stellar-mass BH)

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