Study of apsidal motion in massive close binary systems

FERRERO G.; GAMEN R.; FERNÁNDEZ LAJÚS E.

Salta, Argentina

Congreso; 52° Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía; 2009

Asociación Argentina de Astronomía

In O+OB close binary systems, a secular motion of the apsides arises from orbital perturbations due to superior order momenta of the gravitational classical potential and general relativity effects. Using this phenomenon and theoretical stellar structure models, absolute masses of system components can be estimate even for non-eclipsing binaries. Doctoral thesis project of G. Ferrero aims to establish the feasibility of this mass determination method in all the massive close binary stars for which it could be applied. In this work we briefly describe: the selection criteria of the systems to be studied; the sampling status of their radial velocity curves; the adopted procedures for spectroscopic data reduction, and few preliminary results.