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No one had found these kind of binary systems although they had been predicted theoretically. Using the Liverpool and Mercator telescopes in the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos ( La Palma, Canary Islands), a team of researchers from different Spanish centers have located the first known binary system consisting of a black hole and a Be kind star. Today Nature has published the discovery.
Be stars are relatively abundant in the universe. Only in our galaxy over eighty binary systems with neutron stars are known. "Its peculiarity is the high centrifugal force, which make them rotate near its breaking limit" explains Jorge Casares, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL). Scientists believe that this is a member of a hidden population of Be stars with black holes: "We believe that these systems are much more abundant but difficult to detect, since the black holes are being fed with gas expelled by Be the star in a "silent" way, i.e. without emitting much radiation", remarks Casares.
Together with Jorge Casares, Ignacio Negueruela, Marc Ribó and Ignasi Ribas, also participated in the research Josep Maria Paredes (ICC), Artemio Herrero and Simon and Sergio, both scientists and IAC and ULL. Scientists from the ICC and ICE are also members of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC).
Be stars are relatively abundant in the universe. Only in our galaxy over eighty binary systems with neutron stars are known. "Its peculiarity is the high centrifugal force, which make them rotate near its breaking limit" explains Jorge Casares, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL). Scientists believe that this is a member of a hidden population of Be stars with black holes: "We believe that these systems are much more abundant but difficult to detect, since the black holes are being fed with gas expelled by Be the star in a "silent" way, i.e. without emitting much radiation", remarks Casares.
Together with Jorge Casares, Ignacio Negueruela, Marc Ribó and Ignasi Ribas, also participated in the research Josep Maria Paredes (ICC), Artemio Herrero and Simon and Sergio, both scientists and IAC and ULL. Scientists from the ICC and ICE are also members of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC).
