Work

A Spectroscopic Orbit for Regulus

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: We present a radial velocity study of the rapidly rotating B star Regulus that indicates the star is a single-lined spectroscopic binary. The orbital period (40.11 days) and probable semimajor axis (0.35 AU) are large enough that the system is not interacting at present. However, the mass function suggests that the secondary has a low mass ( M 2 > 0.30 M ☉ ), and we argue that the companion may be a white dwarf. Such a star would be the remnant of a former mass donor that was the source of the large spin angular momentum of Regulus itself.

Source: The Astrophysical Journal

DOI: 10.1086/591148

Authors: D. R. Gies, S. Dieterich, N. D. Richardson, A. R. Riedel, B. L. Team, H. A. McAlister, W. G. Bagnuolo, Jr., E. D. Grundstrom, S. Štefl, Th. Rivinius, D. Baade

Institutions: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Georgia State University, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Vanderbilt University, European Southern Observatory

Language: English

Topic: Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Louisiana Board of Regents, Space Telescope Science Institute

Awards: MULTI-MISSION UV/OPTICAL DATA ARCHIVE CENTER, Rotational Evolution of Massive Stars, A Research and Training Center for Astronomical Spectroscopy

OpenAlex ID: W2002933249

FWCI: 2.446

Cites: 37

Cited by: 51

Related to: 10