Abstract
CYGNUS X-3 has been identified1 with the infrared object found by Becklin et al.2 to be within ±2″ of the radio position: the infrared object is found to vary in intensity with the same period as and in phase with the X-ray object. The infrared flux (2.2 µm) varies smoothly by about 15% whereas the X-ray intensity varies by a factor ∼3. Cyg X-3 is unique among other regularly varying sources in that the X-ray light curve is smooth and roughly sinusoidal3, displaying no sudden intensity variations indicative of an eclipse of a compact X-ray source by a larger object (for example, a companion star). We show that nevertheless Cyg X-3 can be interpreted by means of the ‘standard model’ for galactic X-ray sources in terms of mass loss from a large companion star and accretion onto a compact object.
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References
Becklin, E. E., Hawkins, F. J., Mason, K. O., Matthews, K., Neugebauer, G., Sanford, P. W., and Wynn-Williams, C. G., Nature phys. Sci., 245, 302 (1973).
Becklin, E. E., Kristian, J., Neugebauer, G., and Wynn-Williams, C. G., Nature phys. Sci., 239, 130 (1972).
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PRINGLE, J. Model for Cygnus X-3. Nature 247, 21–22 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/247021a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/247021a0
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