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Issue A&A
Volume 380, Number 1, December II 2001
Page(s) L26 - L29
Section Letters
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20011512



A&A 380, L26-L29 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20011512

Discovery of a 1247 s pulsar in the Be X-ray binary SAX J2239.3+6116

J. J. M. in 't Zand1, 2, J. Swank3, R. H. D. Corbet3, 4 and C. B. Markwardt3, 5

1  Astronomical Institute, Utrecht University, PO Box 80000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
2  SRON National Institute for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan 2, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands
3  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
4  Universities Space Research Association, USA
5  University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

(Received 5 October 2001 / Accepted 29 October 2001)

Abstract
A search for pulsations from the Be X-ray binary SAX J2239.3+6116, through observations with the Narrow Field Instruments on BeppoSAX and the Proportional Counter Array on RXTE, yielded the clear presence of a 1247 s coherent oscillation. Given the fairly high X-ray luminosity on previous occasions (up to a few times 1036 erg s-1 in 2 to 28 keV), the oscillation must be due to the spin of a neutron star. Assuming that the 262 day recurrence time is the orbital period, SAX J2239.3+6116 has both the longest orbital period and the longest pulse period of 24 Be X-ray binaries with measured orbital periods.


Key words: stars: neutron -- pulsars: SAX J2239.3+6116-X-rays: binaries

Offprint request: J. J. M. in 't Zand jeanz@sron.nl

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