Issue |
A&A
Volume 411, Number 3, December I 2003
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 553 - 557 | |
Section | Stellar structure and evolution | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20031513 | |
Published online | 17 November 2003 |
Tracing a Z-track in the M 31 X-ray binary RX J0042.6+4115
1
The Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BT, UK
2
The Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
Corresponding author: R. Barnard, r.barnard@open.ac.uk
Received:
27
May
2003
Accepted:
16
September
2003
Four XMM-Newton observations of the core of M 31, spaced at 6 month intervals, show that the brightest point X-ray source, RX J0042.6+4115, has a 0.4–10 keV luminosity of ~ 1038 erg s-1, and exhibits significant variability in intensity and X-ray spectrum over a time scale of ~100 s including hard flares; such behaviour is only observed in Z-sources and transient black hole binaries in our Galaxy. The lightcurves, X-ray spectra and hardness-intensity data from the four XMM-Newton observations all strongly suggest that it is a Z-source, bringing the total number of known Z-sources to nine.
Key words: X-rays: general / galaxies: individual: M 31 / X-rays: binaries
© ESO, 2003
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