Related papers: Understanding Compact Object Formation and Natal K…
In recent years, accurate observational constraints become available for an increasing number of Galactic X-ray binaries. Together with proper motion measurements, we could reconstruct the full evolutionary history of X-ray binaries back to…
In recent years, an increasing number of proper motions have been measured for Galactic X-ray binaries. When supplemented with accurate determinations of the component masses, orbital period, and donor effective temperature, these…
When a compact object is formed, an impulse (kick) will be imparted to the system by the mass lost during the core-collapse supernova (SN). A number of other mechanisms may impart an additional kick on the system, although evidence for…
The extragalactic X-ray binary IC 10 X-1 has attracted attention as it is possibly the host of the most massive stellar-mass black-hole (BH) known to date. Here we consider all available observational constraints and construct its…
The aim of this work is to study the imprints that different models for black hole (BH) and neutron star (NS) formation have on the Galactic distribution of X-ray binaries (XRBs) which contain these objects. We find that the root mean…
We compile a catalogue of low-mass and high-mass X-ray binaries, some recently reported binaries that likely host a neutron star (NS) or a black hole (BH), and binary pulsars (a pulsar and a non-degenerated companion) that have measured…
We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the motion in the sky and compute the galactocentric orbit of the black hole X-ray binary GRO J1655-40. The system moves with a runaway space velocity of $112\pm 18$ km s$^{-1}$ in a highly…
In recent years, an increasing number of proper motions have been measured for Galactic X-ray binaries. When supplemented with accurate determinations of the component masses, orbital period, and donor luminosity and effective temperature,…
We consider the formation of low-mass X-ray binaries containing accreting neutron stars via the helium-star supernova channel. The predicted relative number of short-period transients provides a sensitive test of the input physics in this…
Context. The emerging population of inert black hole binaries (BHBs) provides a unique opportunity to constrain black hole (BH) formation physics. These systems are composed of a stellar-mass BH in a wide orbit around a non-degenerate star…
The formation of stellar mass black holes is still very uncertain. Two main uncertainties are the amount of mass ejected in the supernova event (if any) and the magnitude of the natal kick the black hole receives at birth (if any). Repetto…
In recent years, a handful of ``dark" binaries have been discovered with a non-luminous compact object. Astrometry and radial velocity measurements of the bright companion allow us to measure the post-supernova orbital elements of such a…
All neutron star progenitors in neutron-star High-Mass X-ray Binaries (NS HMXBs) undergo a supernova event that may lead to a significant natal kick impacting the motion of the whole binary system. The space observatory Gaia performs a deep…
We discuss the observational consequences of black hole spin in X-ray binaries within the framework of the standard thin accretion disk model. When compared to theoretical flux distribution from the surface of a thin disk surrounding a Kerr…
We present a systematic analysis of the fast time variability properties of the transient black hole binary GRO J1655-40, based on the complete set of RossiXTE observations. We demonstrate that the frequencies of the quasi-periodic…
We use Very Long Baseline Interferometry to measure the proper motions of three black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). Using these results together with data from the literature and Gaia-DR2 to collate the best available constraints on proper…
We present new results from a multi-wavelength (radio/infrared/optical/X-ray) study of the black hole X-ray binary GRO J1655-40 during its 2005 outburst. We detected, for the first time, mid-infrared emission at 24 um from the compact jet…
We present a method of analysing the correlated X-ray and optical/UV variability in X-ray binaries, using the observed time delays between the X-ray driving lightcurves and their reprocessed optical echoes. This allows us to determine the…
In massive binary-star systems, supernova explosions can significantly alter the orbit during the formation of compact objects. Some compact objects are predicted to form via direct collapse, a scenario with negligible mass loss and no…
Multiple pieces of evidence suggest that neutron stars receive large kicks when formed from the remnant of a collapsing star. However, the evidence for whether black holes (BH) receive natal kicks is less clear, reliant on weak constraints…