Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the Wing of the SMC

Details Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the Wing of the SMC Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the Wing of the SMC

2011-10-28

arxiv.org/abs/1110.6404v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

Scientific paper

We report on a new Be/X-ray pulsar binary located in the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The strong pulsed X-ray source was discovered with the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories. The X-ray pulse period of 1062 s is consistently determined from both Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, revealing one of the slowest rotating X-ray pulsars known in the SMC. The optical counterpart of the X-ray source is the emission-line star 2dFS 3831. Its B0-0.5(III)e+ spectral type is determined from VLT-FLAMES and 2dF optical spectroscopy, establishing the system as a Be/X-ray binary (Be-XRB). The hard X-ray spectrum is well fitted by a power-law with additional thermal and blackbody components, the latter reminiscent of persistent Be-XRBs. This system is the first evidence of a recent supernova in the low density surroundings of NGC 602. We detect a shell nebula around 2dFS 3831 in H-alpha and [O III] images and conclude that it is most likely a supernova remnant. If it is linked to the supernova explosion that created this new X-ray pulsar, its kinematic age of (2-4)x10^4 yr provides a constraint on the age of the pulsar.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the Wing of the SMC does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the Wing of the SMC, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the Wing of the SMC will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-686668