Abstract
We present the results of a magnitude-limited spectroscopic survey of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars with the HERMES spectrograph mounted on the Mercator telescope. Using cross-correlation to measure radial velocities, we measured the observed binary fractions of the Galactic carbon- (WC) and nitrogen-rich (WN) Wolf-Rayet stars to be fobsWC = 0.58 ± 0.14 and fobsWN = 0.41 ± 0.09. We used Monte-Carlo simulations with a Bayesian framework to derive the intrinsic multiplicity properties and found fintWN = 0.52−+001412 and fintWC = 0.96−+000422. We find that the majority of WN binaries reside in short-period systems, similar to O stars. However, the orbital period distribution of the Galactic WC population peaks at 5000 d, a discrepancy that challenges our current understanding of binary evolution in Wolf-Rayet stars.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 496-498 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union |
Volume | 18 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 May 2022 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- stars: binaries
- stars: evolution
- stars: Wolf-Rayet
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science