Three new X-ray pulsars detected in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the positions of two other known pulsars determined

Edge, W. R. T.; Coe, M. J.; Galache, J. L.; McBride, V. A.; Corbet, R. H. D.; Markwardt, C.; Laycock, S.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08150.x

Cited by 33 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This field is located in the central bar region, north of field 404680201 with a small overlap. In the EPIC images of this observation we detected the three known Be/X-ray binary pulsars SMC X-3 (7.79 s; Edge et al 2004a), CXOU J005323.8-722715 (138 s; Edge et al 2004b) and XTE J0055-724 (=1SAX J0054.9-7226 =1WGA J0054.9-7226 = RX J0054.9-7226, 59 s; . Galache et al (2008).…”

Section: Observations and Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 84%

“…This pulsar was discovered in a Chandra observation on 2002 July 20 (Edge et al 2004b) with a period of 138.04±0.61 s (98% confidence). We confirm this source as a pulsar and determined the period to be 139.136±0.016 s from the XMM-Newton observation on 2007 June 23, indicating significant spin-down of the neutron star.…”

Section: The 172 S Be/x-ray Binary Pulsar Ax J00516-7311mentioning

confidence: 92%

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XMM-Newton observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Be/X-ray binary pulsars active between October 2006 and June 2007

Haberl¹,

Eger²,

Pietsch³

2008

A&A

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Aims. We analysed eight XMM-Newton observations toward the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), performed between October 2006 and June 2007, to investigate high mass X-ray binary systems. Methods. We produced images from the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) and extracted X-ray spectra and light curves in different energy bands from sources which yielded a sufficiently high number of counts for a detailed temporal and spectral analysis. To search for periodicity we applied Fourier transformations and folding techniques and determined pulse periods using a Bayesian approach. To identify optical counterparts we produced X-ray source lists for each observation using maximum likelihood source detection techniques and correlated them with optical catalogues. The correlations were also used for astrometric boresight corrections of the X-ray source positions. Results. We found new X-ray binary pulsars with periods of 202 s (XMMU J005929.0-723703), 342 s (XMMU J005403.8-722632), 645 s (XMMU J005535.2-722906) and 325 s (XMMU J005252.1-721715), in the latter case confirming the independent discovery in Chandra data. In addition we detected sixteen known Be/X-ray binary pulsars and six ROSAT-classified candidate high mass Xray binaries. From one of the candidates, RX J0058.2-7231, we discovered X-ray pulsations with a period of 291 s which makes it the likely counterpart of XTE J0051-727. From the known pulsars, we revise the pulse period of CXOU J010206.6-714115 to 967 s, and we detected the 18.37 s pulsar XTE J0055-727 (= XMM J004911.4-724939) in outburst, which allowed us to localise the source. The pulse profiles of the X-ray pulsars show a large variety of shapes from smooth to highly structured patterns and differing energy dependence. For all the candidate high mass X-ray binaries optical counterparts can be identified with magnitudes and colours consistent with Be stars. Twenty of the Be/X-ray binaries were detected with X-ray luminosities in the range 1.5×10 35 erg s −1 -5.5×10 36 erg s −1 . The majority of the spectra is well represented by an absorbed power-law with an average power-law index of 0.93. The absorption (in addition to the Galactic foreground value) varies over a wide range between a few 10 20 cm −2 and several 10 22 cm −2 . An overall correlation of the absorption with the total SMC H I column density suggests that the absorption seen in the X-ray spectra is often largely caused by interstellar gas.

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Section: Observations and Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: The 172 S Be/x-ray Binary Pulsar Ax J00516-7311mentioning

confidence: 92%

XMM-Newton observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Be/X-ray binary pulsars active between October 2006 and June 2007

Haberl¹,

Eger²,

Pietsch³

2008

A&A

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“…Despite of the early proposed optical identification (van Paradijs et al 1977;Crampton et al 1978) the nature of the source remained uncertain for a long time. Only in 2004, Edge et al (2004) using the Chandra data had shown that the 7.78 s pulsar found by Corbet et al (2004) in the RXTE data can be identified with A&A proofs: manuscript no. smcx3_aa SMC X-3.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…smcx3_aa SMC X-3. Based on the precise X-ray position reported by Edge et al (2004), Cowley & Schmidtke (2004) studied the long term optical light curve of SMC X-3 and established its counterpart as a O9e star. A number of outbursts detected with the RXTE observatory in 1999-2009 allowed to find a periodicity in the source activity, likely associated with the orbital motion with the period of ≃ 45 days (Corbet et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SMC X-3: the closest ultraluminous X-ray source powered by a neutron star with non-dipole magnetic field

Tsygankov

Doroshenko

Lutovinov

et al. 2017

A&A

102

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Aims. Magnetic field of accreting neutron stars determines their overall behavior including the maximum possible luminosity. Some models require an above-average magnetic field strength ( 10 13 G) in order to explain super-Eddington mass accretion rate in the recently discovered class of pulsating ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULX). The peak luminosity of SMC X-3 during its major outburst in 2016-2017 reached ∼ 2.5 × 10 39 erg s −1 comparable to that in ULXs thus making this source the nearest ULX-pulsar. Determination of the magnetic field of SMC X-3 is the main goal of this paper. Methods. SMC X-3 belongs to the class of transient X-ray pulsars with Be optical companions, and exhibited a giant outburst in July 2016 -March 2017. The source has been observed during the entire outburst with the Swift/XRT and Fermi/GBM telescopes, as well as the NuSTAR observatory. Collected data allowed us to estimate the magnetic field strength of the neutron star in SMC X-3 using several independent methods. Results. Spin evolution of the source during and between the outbursts and the luminosity of the transition to so-called propeller regime in the range of (0.3 − 7) × 10 35 erg s −1 imply relatively weak dipole field of (1 − 5) × 10 12 G. On the other hand, there is also evidence for much stronger field in the immediate vicinity of the neutron star surface. In particular, transition from super-to subcritical accretion regime associated with cease of the accretion column and very high peak luminosity favor an order of magnitude stronger field. This discrepancy makes SMC X-3 a good candidate to posses significant non-dipolar components of the field, and an intermediate source between classical X-ray pulsars and accreting magnetars which may constitute an appreciable fraction of ULX population.

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“…The large X-ray flux variation in the long time span, the flat powerlaw spectrum and the existence of emission lines strongly favor that AX J0051-733 is a Be/X-ray binary (Imanishi et al, 1999;Coe et al, 2002;Edge et al, 2004). From its position at the P 0 − P s diagram, a safe lower limit of the initial magnetic field strength of 4.2 × 10 13 G can be inferred, by assuming that the Be star has polar wind only.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Nature of AX J0051-733 in the SMC: A Pulsar Born with Ultrastrong Magnetic Field?

Liu

Yan

et al. 2006

Astrophys Space Sci

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We investigate the nature of the pulsar of the Be/X-ray binary, AX J0051-733. Although the system has a very short orbital period, it meets the basic definition of Be/X-ray binaries. We argue that, in order to interpret such a short orbital period, the initial magnetic field strength of the pulsar must be between 4.2 × 10 13 -5 × 10 15 G, if typical values of the parameters chosen. Thus, the pulsar was most likely born as a magnetar. We further suggest that magnetar descendants can also be found among the massive X-ray binaries with extremely short-orbit periods, in addition to among the X-ray binaries with very long pulse periods.

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Three new X-ray pulsars detected in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the positions of two other known pulsars determined

Cited by 33 publications

References 21 publications

XMM-Newton observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Be/X-ray binary pulsars active between October 2006 and June 2007

XMM-Newton observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Be/X-ray binary pulsars active between October 2006 and June 2007

SMC X-3: the closest ultraluminous X-ray source powered by a neutron star with non-dipole magnetic field

The Nature of AX J0051-733 in the SMC: A Pulsar Born with Ultrastrong Magnetic Field?

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