Observations of transient and anomalous x-ray pulsars with the burst and transient source experiment and the Rossi x-ray timing explorer

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The Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) allow unprecedented studies of X- ray pulsars. The first part of this dissertation describes the capabilities for X-ray observations with BATSE and RXTE and X-ray timing and source detection techniques, which are applied to five transient X-ray pulsars in the second part of this dissertation. Observations of the 12.3-s pulsar GS 0834- 430 discovered that it is in a 105.8 +/- 0.4-day orbit with a small, but non-zero, eccentricity. GS 0834- 430 underwent nine normal (LX ~ 3 × 1037 erg s-1) periodic X-ray outbursts, spaced at the orbital period; however, the last two outbursts were unevenly spaced. No other known systems exhibit these shifted outbursts. The 198-s pulsar GRO J2058+42, which was discovered with BATSE during a giant ( LX ~ 3 × 1038 erg s-1 ) outburst in 1995, underwent a series of nine outbursts alternating in 20-50 keV pulsed intensity every ~55 days, suggesting a ~110-day outburst cycle, however, the 2-10 keV intensities did not show this alternating behavior. If the outburst cycle corresponds to the orbital period, two outbursts are occurring each orbit, near periastron and apastron. Cep X-4, a 66.3-s Be/X-ray pulsar, was detected in two normal outbursts in 1993 and 1997. If all outbursts of Cep X-4 are assumed to occur at the same orbital phase, the orbital period is 23 days <~ Porb <~ 147.3 days. A 1118-616, a 405-s Be/X- ray pulsar, underwent a 65-day giant outburst comprising three peaks, spaced by ~22 days. The 293-s Be/X-ray pulsar, 4U 1145-619, underwent 12 outbursts occurring every 186.68 +/- 0.05 days, which varied widely in intensity and duration, with no clear distinction between giant and normal outbursts. The third part of this dissertation presents results on an 8.7-s anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP), 4U 0142+61. An orbital period search yielded an upper limit on the semi-major axis a x sin i <~ 0.26 lt-s for orbital periods 70-s to 2.5-days. Optical and dynamical limits rule out most candidates for companion stars. Similarities between AXPs and soft gamma repeaters suggest that AXPs, including 4U 0142+61, are most likely magnetars.

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