Optical Analysis and Modeling of HD96670, a New Black Hole X-Ray Binary Candidate

Abstract

We report on optical observations and modeling of HD96670, a single-line spectroscopic binary in the Carina OB2 association. We collected 10 epochs of optical spectroscopy, and optical photometry on 17 nonconsecutive nights on the source. We construct a radial velocity curve from the spectra, and update the orbital period of the binary to be P = 5.28388 ± 0.00046 days. The spectra show oxygen and helium absorption, consistent with an O-type primary. We see no evidence for spectral lines from the secondary star in the binary. We model the optical light curve and radial velocity curve simultaneously using the Wilson-Devinney code and find a best-fit mass of ${M}_{1}={22.7}_{-3.6}^{+5.2}\,{M}_{\odot }$ for the primary, and ${M}_{2}={6.2}_{-0.7}^{+0.9}\,{M}_{\odot }$ for the secondary. An object of this mass is consistent with either a B-type star, or a black hole. Given that we see no absorption lines from the secondary, in combination with an observed hard power-law X-ray spectrum with Γ = 2.6 detected past 10 keV that may have been produced by wind accretion onto the secondary, we conclude that the secondary is most likely a black hole. We see asymmetrical helium lines with a shape consistent with the presence of a third star. If the secondary is indeed a black hole, this system would add to the small sample of only four possible black hole high mass X-ray binaries in the galaxy.