Abstract
We report the results of a multiwavelength study of the non-thermal radio emitter HD 168112 (O5.5III(f(+))). The detailed analysis of two quasi-simultaneous XMM-Newton and VLA observations reveals strong variability of this star both in the X-ray and radio ranges. The X-ray observations separated by five months reveal a decrease of the X-ray flux of similar to30%. The radio emission on the other hand increases by a factor 5-7 between the two observations obtained roughly simultaneously with the XMM-Newton pointings. The X-ray data reveal a hard emission that is most likely produced by a thermal plasma at kT similar to 2-3 keV while the VLA data confirm the non-thermal status of this star in the radio waveband. Comparison with archive X-ray and radio data confirms the variability of this source in both wavelength ranges over a yet ill defined time scale. The properties of HD 168112 in the X-ray and radio domain point towards a binary system with a significant eccentricity and an orbital period of a few years. However, our optical spectra reveal no significant changes of the star's radial velocity suggesting that if HD 168112 is indeed a binary, it must be seen under a fairly low inclination.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1061-1078 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| Volume | 420 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2004 |
Keywords
- stars : individual : HD 168112
- radio continuum : stars
- stars : early-type
- X-rays : stars
- radiation mechanisms : non-thermal