Issue |
A&A
Volume 546, October 2012
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A125 | |
Number of page(s) | 9 | |
Section | Astrophysical processes | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201219580 | |
Published online | 18 October 2012 |
The reawakening of the sleeping X-ray pulsar XTE J1946+274
1
Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory & ECAP, Universität Erlangen
Nürnberg, Sternwartstr.
7, 96049
Bamberg,
Germany
e-mail: Sebastian.Mueller@sternwarte.uni-erlangen.de
2
CEA Saclay, DSM/IRFU/SAp-UMR AIM (7158) CNRS/CEA/Université Paris
7, Diderot,
91191
Gif-sur-Yvette,
France
3
CRESST and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771,
USA and Center for Space Science and Technology, UMBC, Baltimore, MD
21250,
USA
4
Department of Physics, Florida International
University, Miami,
FL
33199,
USA
5
ISDC Data Center for Astrophysics, University of
Geneva, 16 chemin
d’Écogia, 1290
Versoix,
Switzerland
6
Center for Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of
California, San
Diego, La Jolla,
CA
92093,
USA
7
Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität
Tübingen, Sand 1,
72076
Tübingen,
Germany
Received: 11 May 2012
Accepted: 29 August 2012
We report on a series of outbursts of the high-mass X-ray binary XTE J1946+274 in 2010/2011 observed with INTEGRAL, RXTE, and Swift. We discuss possible mechanisms resulting in the extraordinary outburst behavior of this source. The X-ray spectra can be described by standard phenomenological models, enhanced by an absorption feature of unknown origin at about 10 keV and a narrow iron Kα fluorescence line at 6.4 keV, which are variable in flux and pulse phase. We find possible evidence for a cyclotron resonance scattering feature at about 25 keV at the 93% level. The presence of a strong cyclotron line at 35 keV seen in data from the source’s 1998 outburst that was confirmed by a reanalysis of these data can be excluded. This result indicates that the cyclotron line feature in XTE J1946+274 is variable between individual outbursts.
Key words: X-rays: binaries / accretion, accretion disks
© ESO, 2012
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