The optical counterpart of IGR J00291+5934 in quiescence

Abstract

The recent (December 2004) discovery of the sixth accretion-powered millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J00291+5934 provides a very good chance to deepen our knowledge of such systems. Although these systems are well studied at high energies, poor informations are available for their optical/NIR counterparts during quiescence. Up to now, only for SAX J1808.4-3658, the first discovered system of this type, we have a secure multiband detection of its optical counterpart in quiescence. Among the seven known system IGR J00291+5934 is the one that resembles SAX J1808.4-3658 more closely. With the Italian 3.6 m TNG telescope, we have performed deep optical and NIR photometry of the field of IGR J00291+5934 during quiescence in order to look for the presence of a variable counterpart. We present here the first multiband ($VRIJH$) detection of the optical and NIR counterpart of IGR J00291+5934 in quiescence as well as a deep upper limit in the $K-$band. We obtain an optical light curve that shows variability consistent with a sinusoidal modulation at the known 2.46 hr orbital period and present evidence for a strongly irradiated companion.

arXiv comment6 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

References in corpus (21)

• Correcting for the Effects of Interstellar Extinction
• A method for optimal image subtraction
• The two-hour orbit of a binary millisecond X-ray pulsar
• The Neutron Stars of Soft X-Ray Transients
• Discovery of a Second Millisecond Accreting Pulsar: XTE J1751-305
• Discovery of a High-Latitude Accreting Millisecond Pulsar in an Ultracompact Binary
• Discovery of the accretion-powered millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J00291+5934
• X-ray Bursts from the Accreting Millisecond Pulsar XTE J1814-338
• An XMM-Newton study of the 401 Hz accreting pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 in quiescence
• INTEGRAL and RXTE observations of accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J00291+5934 in outburst
• High-Speed Optical Photometry of the Ultracompact X-ray Binary 4U 1626-67
• The Optical Counterpart to SAX J1808.4-3658 in Quiescence: Evidence of an Active Radio Pulsar?
• XMM-Newton observations of the neutron star X-ray transient KS 1731-260 in quiescence
• Indirect evidence for an active radio pulsar in the quiescent state of the transient ms pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658
• The optical counterpart to SAX J1808.4-3658: observations in quiescence
• XMM-Newton observation of the 5.25 ms transient millisecond pulsar XTE J1807-294 in outburst
• The X-ray Position and Optical Counterpart of the Accretion-Powered Millisecond Pulsar XTE J1814-338
• Chandra observations of the millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J00291+5934 in quiescence
• Discovery of the INTEGRAL X/Gamma-ray transient IGR J00291+5934: a Comptonised accreting ms pulsar ?
• Chandra and RXTE spectroscopy of the accreting msec pulsar IGR J00291+5934
• A search for the optical and near-infrared counterpart of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar XTE J1751-305

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Orbital Evolution of an Accreting Millisecond Pulsar: Witnessing the Banquet of a Hidden Black Widow?
• Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars
• Engulfing a radio pulsar: the case of PSR J1023+0038
• Multiband Studies of the Optical Periodic Modulation in the X-Ray Binary SAX~J1808.4-3658 during Its Quiescence and 2008 Outburst
• Accreting pulsars: mixing-up accretion phases in transitional systems
• The Double-Peaked 2008 Outburst of the Accreting Milli-Second X-ray Pulsar, IGR J00291+5934
• The optical counterparts of Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars during quiescence
• System mass constraints for the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1814-338 using Bowen fluorescence
• The long-term evolution of the X-ray pulsar XTE J1814-338: a receding jet contribution to the quiescent optical emission?
• The Quiescent Optical and Infrared Counterpart to EXO 0748-676 = UY Vol
• The Slow Orbital Evolution of the Accreting Millisecond Pulsar IGR J0029+5934
• Search for gamma-ray emission from four accreting millisecond pulsars with Fermi/LAT
• Electromagnetic spin down of a transient accreting millisecond pulsar during quiescence
• The puzzling case of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J00291+5934: flaring optical emission during quiescence
• Searching for $\gamma$-ray Counterparts to Very Faint X-Ray Transient Neutron Star binaries