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❪◑❫ HMXB ○｜Definition｜1st｜20260110205401-00-⌔
X-ray binary - Wikipedia#High-mass_X-ray_binary
High-mass X-ray binary
A high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) is a binary star system that is strong in X rays, and in which the normal stellar component is a massive star: usually an O or B star, a blue supergiant, or in some cases, a red supergiant or a Wolf–Rayet star. The compact, X-ray emitting, component is a neutron star or black hole.1 A fraction of the stellar wind of the massive normal star is captured by the compact object, and produces X-rays as it falls onto the compact object.
In a high-mass X-ray binary, the massive star dominates the emission of optical light, while the compact object is the dominant source of X-rays. The massive stars are very luminous and therefore easily detected. One of the most famous high-mass X-ray binaries is Cygnus X-1, which was the first identified black hole candidate. Other HMXBs include Vela X-1 (not to be confused with Vela X), and 4U 1700−37.
The variability of HMXBs are observed in the form of X-ray pulsars and not X-ray bursters. These X-ray pulsars are due to the accretion of matter magnetically funneled into the poles of the compact companion.2 The stellar wind and Roche lobe overflow of the massive normal star accretes in such large quantities, the transfer is very unstable and creates a short lived mass transfer.
Once a HMXB has reached its end, if the periodicity of the binary was less than a year, it can become a single red giant with a neutron core or a single neutron star. With a longer periodicity, a year and beyond, the HMXB can become a double neutron star binary if uninterrupted by a supernova.3
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
Tauris, Thomas M.; van den Heuvel, Ed (2006). “Chapter 16: Formation and evolution of compact stellar X-ray sources”. In Lewin, Walter; van der Klis, Michiel (eds.). Compact Stellar X-ray Sources. Cambridge Astrophysics Series. Vol. 39. pp. 623–665. arXiv:astro-ph/0303456. Bibcode:2006csxs.book..623T. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511536281.017. ISBN 978-0-521-82659-4. S2CID 18856214. ↩
Tauris, Thomas M; Van Den Heuvel, Edward P. J; Savonije, Gerrit J (2000). “Formation of Millisecond Pulsars with Heavy White Dwarf Companions:Extreme Mass Transfer on Subthermal Timescales”. The Astrophysical Journal. 530 (2): L93–L96. arXiv:astro-ph/0001013. Bibcode:2000ApJ…530L..93T. doi:10.1086/312496. PMID 10655173. S2CID 17772120. ↩
Podsiadlowski, Ph; Rappaport, S; Pfahl, E. D (2002). “Evolutionary Sequences for Low- and Intermediate-Mass X-Ray Binaries”. The Astrophysical Journal. 565 (2): 1107. arXiv:astro-ph/0107261. Bibcode:2002ApJ…565.1107P. doi:10.1086/324686. S2CID 16381236. ↩
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