Issue |
A&A
Volume 489, Number 3, October III 2008
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 1239 - 1242 | |
Section | Stellar structure and evolution | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200809875 | |
Published online | 18 August 2008 |
The 2007 outburst of the X-ray binary XTE J1856+053*
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany e-mail: gsala@mpe.mpg.de
Corresponding author: gloria.sala@upc.edu
Received:
31
March
2008
Accepted:
2
August
2008
Aims. On 28 February 2007 a new outburst of the previously known transient source XTE J1856+053 was detected with RXTE/ASM. We present here the results of an XMM-Newton (0.5–10.0 keV) Target of Opportunity observation performed on 14 March 2007, aimed at constraining the mass of the compact object in this X-ray binary and determining its main properties.
Methods. The EPIC-pn camera was used in Timing mode and its spectrum fit together with the RGS data. IR observations with GROND at the 2.2 m telescope in La Silla provide further information on the system.
Results. The X-ray light curve shows that both the 1996 and the 2007 outbursts had two peaks. The X-ray spectrum is well fit with a thermal accretion disk model, with kTin = 0.75(±0.01) keV and foreground absorption = 4.5(±0.1)
1022 cm-2. The low disk temperature favours a black-hole as accreting object, with an estimated mass in the range 1.3–4.2
. From the IR upper limits we argue that XTE J1856+053 is a low mass X-ray binary. We estimate the orbital period of the system to be between 3 and 12 h.
Key words: X-rays: binaries / stars: binaries: close / X-rays: individuals: XTE J1856+053
© ESO, 2008
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.