On the natal kick of the black hole X-ray binary H 1705--250

Abstract

When a compact object is formed, an impulse (kick) will be imparted to the system by the mass lost during the core-collapse supernova (SN). A number of other mechanisms may impart an additional kick on the system, although evidence for these natal kicks in black hole systems remains limited. Updated Gaia astrometry has recently identified a number of high peculiar velocity (in excess of Galactic motion) compact objects. Here, we focus on the black hole low-mass X-ray binary H 1705--250, which has a peculiar velocity $\upsilon_{\mathrm{pec}}\,=\,221^{+101}_{-108}\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$. Using population synthesis to reconstruct its evolutionary history (assuming formation via isolated binary evolution within the Galactic plane), we constrain the properties of the progenitor and pre-SN orbit. The magnitude of a kick solely due to mass loss is found to be $\sim\,30\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$, which cannot account for the high present-day peculiar motion. We therefore deduce that the black hole received an additional natal kick at formation, and place limits on its magnitude, finding it to be $\sim\,295\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$ (minimum $90\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$). This furthers the argument that these kicks are not limited to neutron stars.

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ORCID for Poshak Gandhi: orcid.org/0000-0003-3105-2615

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