INTEGRAL/IBIS Observations of VELA X-1 in a Flaring State

Details INTEGRAL/IBIS Observations of VELA X-1 in a Flaring State INTEGRAL/IBIS Observations of VELA X-1 in a Flaring State

Oct 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004esasp.552..259s&link_type=abstract

Proceedings of the 5th INTEGRAL Workshop on the INTEGRAL Universe (ESA SP-552). 16-20 February 2004, Munich, Germany. Scientific

Computer Science

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Scientific paper

The wind-accreting X-ray binary pulsar Vela X-1 has been observed by INTEGRAL during two extended periods in 2003 as part of the Core Program observations of the Vela region. Here we report about the timing behaviour, particular the intense flaring which happened in Nov/Dec 2003. A preliminary spectral analysis is reported in Kretschmar et al. (2004). Several flares, typically of duration of the order of one hour, have been observed with intensities corresponding to several Crab. Although Vela X-1 is known to be a very variable source, these types of flares are unusual, both from an observational point of view and with respect to the source itself. The rotational period of the neutron star is clearly visible, mostly even in resolving individual pulse trains (within flares to a resolution of one sec). The measured pulse periods are 283.535 ± 0.005 s and 283.510 ± 0.005 s for June/July 2003 and Nov/Dec 2003, respectively. Both, the spectra and the value for the fractional pulsed flux appear to be basically the same inside and outside the flares. We suspect that these flares are simply events of drastically enhanced accretion, probably due to the neutron star meeting dense clouds or blobs of material in the highly structured circumstellar material of the companion with its strong stellar wind. Key words: pulsars, indvidual: Vela X-1; stars: neutron stars; pulsations; X-rays: binaries; satellites: INTEGRAL.

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