Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userIGR J17544-2619: A new supergiant fast X-ray transient revealed by optical/infrared observations
63
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
One of the most recent discoveries of the INTEGRAL observatory is the existence of a previously unknown population of X-ray sources in the inner arms of the Galaxy. IGR J17544-2619, IGR J16465-4507 and XTE J1739-302 are among these sources. Although the nature of these systems is still unexplained, the investigations of the optical/NIR counterparts of the two last sources, combined with high energy data, have provided evidence of them being highly absorbed high mass X-ray binaries with blue supergiant secondaries and displaying fast X-ray transient behaviour. In this work we present our optical/NIR observations of IGR J17544-2619, aimed at identifying and characterizing its counterpart. We show that the source is a high mass X-ray binary at a distance of 2-4 kpc with a strongly absorbed O9Ib secondary, and discuss the nature of the system.
rate research
Read More
Supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) are high mass X-ray binaries associated with OB supergiant companions and characterised by an X-ray flaring behaviour whose dynamical range reaches 5 orders of magnitude on timescales of a few hundred to thousands of seconds. Current investigations concentrate on finding possible mechanisms to inhibit accretion in SFXTs and explain their unusually low average X-ray luminosity. We present the Swift observations of an exceptionally bright outburst displayed by the SFXT IGR J17544-2619 on 2014 October 10 when the source achieved a peak luminosity of $3times10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$. This extends the total source dynamic range to $gtrsim$10$^6$, the largest (by a factor of 10) recorded so far from an SFXT. Tentative evidence for pulsations at a period of 11.6 s is also reported. We show that these observations challenge, for the first time, the maximum theoretical luminosity achievable by an SFXT and propose that this giant outburst was due to the formation of a transient accretion disc around the compact object.
The supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) system IGR J17544-2619 has displayed many large outbursts in the past and is considered an archetypal example of SFXTs. A search of the INTEGRAL/ISGRI data archive from MJD 52698-54354 has revealed 11 outbursts and timing analysis of the light curve identifies a period of 4.926$pm$0.001 days which we interpret as the orbital period of the system. We find that large outbursts occasionally occur outside of periastron and place an upper limit for the radius of the supergiant of <23R$_{sun}$.
We present NuSTAR spectral and timing studies of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) IGR J17544-2619. The spectrum is well-described by a ~1 keV blackbody and a hard continuum component, as expected from an accreting X-ray pulsar. We detect a cyclotron line at 17 keV, confirming that the compact object in IGR J17544-2619 is indeed a neutron star. This is the first measurement of the magnetic field in a SFXT. The inferred magnetic field strength, B = (1.45 +/- 0.03) * 10^12 G * (1+z) is typical of neutron stars in X-ray binaries, and rules out a magnetar nature for the compact object. We do not find any significant pulsations in the source on time scales of 1-2000 s.
We present the first direct evidence for dense clumps of matter in the companion wind in a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) binary. This is seen as a brief period of enhanced absorption during one of the bright, fast flares that distinguish these systems. The object under study was IGR J17544-2619, and a total of 236 ks of data were accumulated with the Japanese satellite Suzaku. The activity in this period spans a dynamic range of almost 10000 in luminosity and gives a detailed look at SFXT behavior.
X-ray photons coming from an X-ray point source not only arrive at the detector directly, but also can be strongly forward-scattered by the interstellar dust along the line of sight (LOS), leading to a detectable diffuse halo around the X-ray point source. The geometry of small angle X-ray scattering is straightforward, namely, the scattered photons travel longer paths and thus arrive later than the unscattered ones; thus the delay time of X-ray scattered halo photons can reveal information of the distances of the interstellar dust and the point source. Here we present a study of the X-ray scattered around IGR J17544-2619, which is one of the so-called supergiant fast X-ray transients. IGR J17544-2619 underwent a striking outburst when observed with Chandra on 2004 July 3, providing a near delta-function lightcurve. We find that the X-ray scattered halo around IGR J17544-2619 is produced by two interstellar dust clouds along the LOS. The one which is closer to the observer gives the X-ray scattered at larger observational angles; whereas the farther one, which is in the vicinity of the point source, explains the halo with a smaller angular size. By comparing the observational angle of the scattered halo photons with that predicted by different dust grain models, we are able to determine the normalized dust distance. With the delay times of the scattered halo photons, we can determine the point source distance, given a dust grain model. Alternatively we can discriminate between the dust grain models, given the point source distance.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
