Issue |
A&A
Volume 484, Number 1, June II 2008
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 43 - 50 | |
Section | Astrophysical processes | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20078982 | |
Published online | 08 April 2008 |
Intermediate long X-ray bursts from the ultra-compact binary candidate SLX 1737-282
1
CEA Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA/Service d'Astrophysique (CNRS FRE 2591), 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France e-mail: mfalanga@cea.fr
2
AIM – Unité Mixte de Recherche CEA – CNRS – Université Paris 7, Paris, France
3
National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
4
Physics Department, McGill University, 3600 rue University, Montreal QC, H3A 2T8, Canada
5
ISOC, ESA/ESAC, Urb. Villafranca del Castillo, PO Box 50727, 28080 Madrid, Spain
6
Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7 et Observatoire de Paris, Laboratoire APC, Paris, France
Received:
2
November
2007
Accepted:
13
March
2008
Aims. The low persistent flux X-ray burster source SLX 1737-282 is classified as an ultra-compact binary candidate. We compare the data on SLX 1737-282 with the other similar objects and attempt to derive constraints on the physical processes responsible for the formation of intermediate long bursts.
Methods. Up to now only four bursts, all with duration
between min, have been
recorded for SLX 1737-282. The properties of three of these intermediate long X-ray
bursts observed by INTEGRAL are investigated and compared to other burster
sources. The broadband spectrum of the persistent emission in the
3–100 keV energy band is studied with the INTEGRAL data.
Results. The persistent emission is measured to be Eddington luminosity.
From the photospheric radius expansion observed during at least one burst
we derive the source distance at 7.3 kpc assuming a pure helium
atmosphere. The observed intermediate long burst
properties from SLX 1737-282 are consistent with helium ignition at the
column depth of 5–8
g cm-2 and a burst energy release of
~1041 erg. The apparent recurrence time of
86 days
between the intermediate long bursts from SLX 1737-282 suggests
a regime of unstable burning of a thick, pure helium layer slowly accreted from
a helium donor star.
Key words: stars: binaries: close / stars: individual: SLX 1737-282 / stars: neutron / X-rays: bursts
© ESO, 2008
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