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Discovery of a Be/X-ray pulsar binary and associated supernova remnant in the wing of the small magellanic cloud

  • 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 NGC602. We detect a shell nebula around 2dFS 3831 in H alpha and [OIII] images and conclude that it is most likely a supernova remnant. If it is linked to the supernova explosion that created this new X-rayWe 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 NGC602. We detect a shell nebula around 2dFS 3831 in H alpha and [OIII] 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) x 10(4) yr provides a constraint on the age of the pulsar.show moreshow less

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Author details:V. Henault-Brunet, Lida OskinovaORCiDGND, M. A. Guerrero, W. Sun, Y.-H. Chu, C. J. Evans, J. S. Gallagher, R. A. Gruendl, J. Reyes-Iturbide
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2011.01183.x
ISSN:0035-8711
Title of parent work (English):Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher:Wiley-Blackwell
Place of publishing:Malden
Publication type:Article
Language:English
Year of first publication:2012
Publication year:2012
Release date:2017/03/26
Tag:ISM: supernova remnants; Magellanic Clouds; X-rays: binaries; stars: emission-line, Be
Volume:420
Issue:1
Number of pages:5
First page:L13
Last Page:L17
Funding institution:SUPA; NSERC; DLR [50OR0804]; MICINN [AYA2008-01934]; DAAD [A/10/95420]; DFG [OS 292/3-1]; NASA [SAO GO0-11025X]
Organizational units:Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Physik und Astronomie
Peer review:Referiert
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