A Multiwavelength View of $\rho$ Oph I: Resolving the X-ray Source Between A and B
Abstract
We present a multiwavelength analysis of the central stellar pair of Oph, components A and B. Using recent high-resolution \textit{Chandra X-ray Observatory} observations, we demonstrate with high confidence that the dominant X-ray source is Oph B, while Oph A is comparatively X-ray faint. This result contrasts with earlier \textit{XMM-Newton} observations, which, due to limited spatial resolutions, attributed the X-ray emission to Oph A. An analysis of Oph B's X-ray light curves and spectra reveals properties more consistent with a cool star than a hot star. We therefore propose that Oph B is an Algol-like binary system, consisting of a B-type primary and an active, X-ray-emitting GK-type companion.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2509.26268,
title = {A Multiwavelength View of $\rho$ Oph I: Resolving the X-ray Source Between A and B},
author = {Sean J. Gunderson and Jackson Codd and Walter W. Golay and David P. Huenemoerder and John M. Cannon and J. Alex Fluegel and Philip E. Griffin and Nathalie C. Haurberg and Richard Ignace and Alexandrea Moreno and Pragati Pradhan and Alexis Riggs and James Wetzel and Claude R. Canizares and the MACRO consortium},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.26268},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in ApJ, 5 figures, 5 tables