FF Cam is a variable star near the North celestial pole with hydrogen lines in emission. Its optical variability of ~0.3 mag was discovered by HIPPARCOS. The spectral type assigned to the star in SIMBAD is B9, but its position coincides with a ROSAT X-ray source. This suggests the presence of a high-temperature region in the system that could originate at or near a companion object. We undertook a spectroscopic monitoring of FF Cam since the beginning of 2012 and found an extremely variable H-alpha line profile as well as periodically variable radial velocities of numerous absorption lines. The main conclusion from our study is that FF Cam is a binary system with an orbital period of 7.785 days, a B-type primary and a K-type secondary component. We discuss the spectral features, their variations, and the nature of FF Cam.
@article{arxiv.1305.1393,
title = {Spectroscopy of the mysterious Be system FF Cam},
author = {T. Garrel and A. S. Miroshnichenko and S. Danford and S. Charbonnel and F. Houpert and K. N. Grankin and A. V. Kusakin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1305.1393},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
4 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of the XI-th Hvar Astrophysical Colloquium "The Most Mysterious Binaries: Significance for Astrophysics"