Astron. Astrophys. 322, 177-182 (1997)

The frequency 104 µHz in the orbital motion of close binary stars

Valery A. Kotov ¹ and Serge V. Kotov <sup>2

1</sup> Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Nauchny, 334413 Crimea, Russia (e-mail: vkotov @crao.crimea.ua)
² Physical Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 117234 Moscow, Russia

Received 6 May 1996 / Accepted 18 November 1996

Abstract

According to General Relativity, a stellar binary generates gravitational waves at a primary frequency twice the orbital one; these waves however have not yet been detected. If the Universe contains gravitational radiation at discrete frequency(ies) - particularly with the period of 160 minutes discovered in the 70-th in the Sun, corresponding resonances might be found in the distribution of orbital frequencies of binaries. With this in mind, we analyse all available data on orbital frequencies of close binaries of the Galaxy. In the frequency range 5 to 160 µHz, we find one significant frequency Hz - at the confidence level -which modulates the distribution of about 5000 binaries with periods d. The corresponding "resonant" period, min, coincides with that of solar pulsation min. The question on its origin and also the hypothesis of a cosmological nature of the oscillation are briefly discussed.

Key words: Sun: oscillations stars: binaries: close gravitation

Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Binaries as GR detectors
• 3. The method of analysis
• 4. The data and "resonance" spectra
• 5. The main effect: an excess or deficit of objects
• 6. The test using random numbers
• 7. The average of five "resonance" spectra
• 8. Conclusion
• Acknowledgements
• References

© European Southern Observatory (ESO) 1997

Online publication: June 30, 1998
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